Sikh Union launch rally training programme

Nairobi’s Simba Union Club has revived its training rally programme that has also been well received by World Rally Championships officials as “the best bet to tap talents at a very young age.”

Briton Iain Campbell and Joao Passos from Portugal officially launched the training rally programme last weekend at the Simba Union Club in an occasion presided over by the Kenya Motor Sports Federation (KMSF) chairman Phineas Kimathi and International Automobile Federation (FIA) Vice President for Africa, Surinder Thatthi.

The club’s chairman Onkar Kalsi said the training rally will be a 100-kilometre race for beginners, and presided over by qualified officials. 

"Rules will be strict but with a window to make rallying “cheap and exciting,” said the WRC Safari Rally Clerk-of-course Gurvi Bhabra.

The news was received with happiness especially from two students who were the beneficiaries of this racing, Patrick Njiru and Baldev Charger.

“Personally I wish to thank Phineas and the team for reviving the training rally programme which shaped me in the early 80s to be what I later became,” recalled Njiru, who used to race under Maruko Racing team based at then Caltex Petrol Station opposite Safaricom Centre before being tapped by Subaru Heavy Industries of Japan.

“This is like re-eventing the wheel back to the old days. I was a national training rally champion in 1984 before joining the Standard Car Production and finally the main Kenya National” recalled Njiru.

“We must reach out to young drivers who race uncoordinated to re-invent the wheel just like me,” said Njiru.

Apart from Chager, now racing under Kabras colours, the other young person was the late Tanveer Alam who shocked the rallying world with his bare-knuckled approach to racing in mid-80s.

Campbell praised KMSF and Simba Union by re-introducing the Training Rally Programme which in the UK has, and continue to shape great drivers with the 1995 world champion Colin McRae as a good example.

Thatthi, a former works team co-driver and manager of Rothmans Opel Euro Team recalled the good old days and said Kenya with its rich rallying history will produce a world class driver through this pragramme. 

“The FIA wants to see many young drivers starting from somewhere,” said Thatthi who was instrumental in helping Safari Rally returns to the WRC in 2019.

No club is better placed to kick start the Training Rallies Programme than Simba Union, a community-based sports club renowned for hockey, cricket, and motorsport. Their crown is the Guru Nanak Rally, the best entered and commercially supported event in Kenya.

Kalsi said they intend to make the first event on a date to be announced receptive to all Kenyans.

Kimathi said with this pragramme intends to address the grey areas of young Kenyans who race uncoordinated in the streets to go mainstream.  

More races are in the pipeline in the KMSF programme with rallying, karting, mountain racing, and autocross key features for 2021.