Wahome, Okundi win Machakos Rally

Jeremy Wahome and Victor Okundi recorded their first ever national rally victory by winning the Rallye Sports Club (RSC) Machakos Rally on Sunday.
 
Wahome, 24, a former international Formula Three racing driver, was driving a Ford Fiesta. The crew was actively involved in the FIA Young Stars team last year.

“I am more than excited. I can't believe we have won a rally. It is a lifetime dream. I fully appreciate all the support. Let me settle down before the victory sinks in,” Okundi told Nation Sport.

Another junior driver McRae Kimathi finished in a commendable second place with Mwangi Kioni as his navigator in a Ford Fiesta.

Kimathi made his FIA WRC Championship debut at the 2022 Junior WRC Rally Sweden where he finished fourth overall alongside Kioni.

Wahome, Okundi, Kimathi and Kioni are students of the Abdul Sidi Rally Advisor (ASRA)

Aakhif Virani made a unsuccessful return to competitive rallying after Skoda Fabia blew the turbo restrictor in one of the stages. He was among the six crews who did not finish the rally.

The former Motorsports Personality for the Year had taken a break from active competition towards the end of last season.

Jasmeet Chana and Ravi Chana, who finished second in the 2022 KNRC standings, were placed third overall driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10.

Yassin Nasser and Joseph Kamya were the best placed foreign drivers in fourth place driving a Ford Fiesta.

Linet Ayuko was the sole female competitor in the list of 16 crews who had entered the rally. She guided Daren Miranda to the ninth place driving a Subaru Impreza in the National Formula Two Class.

The next round of the 2023 KBL-sponsored Kenya National Rally Championship season will be the Equator Rally on March 16-19.

The Equator Rally will also be the second round of the 2023 African Rally Championship after Bandama Rally opens the season on February 25 and 26.

Karan Patel pulled out of the Machakos rally at the last minute due to lack of sponsors. He will tackle the series in his Ford Fiesta with his regular navigator, Tauseef Khan.

This year’s Equator Rally will be centered around Flouspa Hills by the outskirts of Voi.

Rally organisers have modified some of the rules so that more drivers are able to enter the rounds of the KNRC.

The Ford Fiestas and Skoda Fabia will fall either under the RC2, RC3 or RC4 categories, while the Mitsubishi Lancer’s will come under the  Nat-B13 classes.

Other Classes include the Nat-2WD (VW Golf) and Nat-Classic (Datsun Violet) cars respectively.

The Provisional finishers:
 
1. Jeremy Wahome/Victor Okundi (Ford Fiesta) 1hr:59mins:39,13secs
2. McRea Kimathi/Mwangi Kinoti (Ford 01:59:46.17
3.  Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana (Mitsubishi Evolution10) 02:03:34,13
4. Yassin Nasser/Joseph Kamya (Ford 02:06:00.14
5. Eric Bengi/Waigwa Murage (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10)02:07:24.90
6. Kush Patel/Mudasar Chaudry (Subaru Impreza) 02:15:09.44
7. Rajveer Thetthy/Wayne Fernandez (Subaru Impreza) 92:17:51.21
8. Rashminder Bhabra/Daren Bhudia (Datsun Violet) 02:28:14.35
9. Daren Miranda/Linet Ayuko (Subaru Impreza) 02:28:51,01
10. Rio Smith/Riyaz Ismail (Ford Fiesta) 02:37:.01.75.