Patrick Njiru set to retire from retirement, for women’s sake

After years out of action, Patrick Njiru finally revs back to the sport with the East African Classic Safari Rally that is scheduled for November.

Njiru, a household name and one of the best known Safari Rally drivers in Kenya, will race in a Porsche 911 as part of a three-car team entered by Dr Steve Funk under the “Race for Change” banner.

“It is a fantastic feeling coming back to the sport and also wonderful for the people of Kenya,” Njiru told the Nation on Sunday.

“‘Race for Change’ is a project initiated by Funk to empower the women of Kenya and I am honoured to be part of the team that is trying to look after the welfare of our women.”

Through Kenya and Tanzania

The Classic rally is a 10-day event which starts and finishes in Mombasa after a journey through major parts of Kenya and

Tanzania. Njiru’s team mates include former Safari Rally champion Bjorn Waldegaard of Sweden and American racing driver

Travis Pastrana.

Njiru and Abdul Sidi formed a formidable partnership at the height of their rallying career, driving under several of the world’s best known teams and brands such as Noriyuki Koseki, 555, Marlboro and BAT.

Winning the Group “N” crown with a fourth-place finish in the 1994 Safari Rally stands out to-date as one of the best ever result by an indigenous African driver in the event when it played a major role in the World Rally Championship (WRC).

First African driver to win KNRC

Njiru was also the first ever African driver to win a Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) event outright when he stormed the Mombasa Rally podium in a Subaru Leone with Sidi as his navigator.

The Kenya Airways Safari Classic continue to attract entries with Safari regular Nick Mason, in a Datsun 260Z, and newcomer Kurt Engelhorn from Germany (Ford Escort Mark 1) weighing in.

Tanzania’s Jayant Shah, to be navigated Lofty Drews, has also entered in a Datsun 260Z.

The list stands at 46 cars and the organizers expect at least seven more entries by the October 15 closing date.