Kenyan drivers take Africa rallying scene by storm
From left: Equator rally podium finishers, third-placed Urshlla Gomes and Leroy Gomes, first-placed Tauseef Khan and Karan Patel and third-placed Jasmeet Chana and Ravi Chana celebrate at KWS Institute Naivasha on April 3, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Resolutions from these meetings will be incorporated into the regulations and published at a later date in readiness for next year’s East African Classic.
- The last edition was held in February instead of last year because of Covid-19 containment rules.
Kenyan drivers who are dissatisfied with the level of competition in the local championships have turned to continental events, and last weekend they took Zambia by storm during the final round of the African Rally Championship (ARC).
Karan Patel emerged victorious, but his failure to get points at the Uganda Africa Rally Championship cost him the overall title.
Should he have won the African title, he would have emulated Carl Tundo, who triumphed last year, and Manvir Baryan who was the African champion during the 2018/19 season.
Patel, sponsored by Red Bull, can only go forward in the coming years of his career but, first, he has to contend with Jasmeet Chana who is leading the national championship with 187 points. On-form Chana is ahead of Patel by 20 points with the Rallye Sports Club and Guru Nanak rallies remaining.
But Raaj Bharji, who has had a string of misfortunes including disqualification for technical infringement in Nanyuki last month while in the lead, is lying 11th overall in the national championship.
He could pull a surprise in the last two season-ending events going by his form in Nanyuki and Mombasa where he finally won his first national championship round. He cannot beat Chana and Patel, but can easily jump up higher on the table.
The consistency of Leo Varese places him third in the championship with 75 points, one more than Maxine Wahome followed by Kush Patel on 73. One of them could end up on the podium.
Wahome has surprised many with her consistency since winning the Rally 3 title in the World Rally Championship Safari Rally.
Anne Teith won the national title 38 years ago, but Wahome is now a living testament that the young lady has talent and her skills can only grow with more practice and participation at home, in Africa and Europe.
She, Varese, Jeremiah Wahome, Hamza Anwar, McRae Kimathi, Kush Patel and Steve Mwangi represent the generational change of the championship at the top.
For over 20 years, the axis of Baldev Chager, Carl Tundo, and Alistair Cavenagh, later joined by Onkar Rai and Tej Rai, dominated rallying until last year following the introduction of the FIA Rally Star programme which has given Maxine Wahome, Jeremiah, Anwar and Kimathi the opportunity to compete at home and in the Africa rally circuit.
More is in store in other disciplines including the 4x4, drifting, hill climbs, go-kart and X Cross — the latest motoring event to join the ever-expanding rallying fraternity in Kenya.
The X Cross is organised by former national champion Carl Tundo and his father Frank Tundo in Machakos.
The highlight of 2022 is certainly the three-day East African Mini Classic Safari which has attracted over 30 drivers and will start in Nakuru on December 9 and end in Eldoret.
All veteran drivers including Carl Tundo and Ian Duncan are expected in this impressive line up.
The management of the rally has embraced an open-door management policy by involving stakeholders to give the East African Safari Classic Rally is dubbed the greatest rally in the world because of the international flavour it commands.
As is customary, the management hosts post-race meetings in a bid to collect and act upon feedback from previous races. The management has been doing this with short YouTube interviews.
Resolutions from these meetings will be incorporated into the regulations and published at a later date in readiness for next year’s East African Classic.
The last edition was held in February instead of last year because of Covid-19 containment rules.
