Engagement rules set for Training Rally

Aslam Khan

Aslam Khan powers his Porshe 911 forward in a past race.

Photo credit: File | Anwar Sidi | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • According to Gurvir Bhabra, the Clerk of the Course, scrutineering will be held at the Sikh Union Club on Saturday
  • The Simba Union Club event will have a 15 kilometres stage that will be repeated four times on the day of the competition
  • Arshad Khan will navigate his son Farhaz Khan in the Mini East African Safari Classic Rally


This Sunday’s Training Rally will be a one day event to make it cheaper for the participants.

The main action will run on Sunday morning at the Stoney Athi Resort in the outskirts of Machakos County.

According to Gurvir Bhabra, the Clerk of the Course, scrutineering will be held at the Sikh Union Club on Saturday.

“We hope to reduce the cost of hiring a car carrier for two days of going and coming and so just hold the competition on the Sunday morning only. Late entries will be accepted till the day of the action,’’ Bhabra told Nation Sport.

The Simba Union Club event will have a 15 kilometres stage that will be repeated four times on the day of the competition.

The event will be run to encourage newcomers into the sport of rallying.

Rally cars from GroupN with expired but extended homologation will be allowed in the competition. The rest of the cars that will be allowed are GroupS, SPV, 2WD, Classic, SSV & Rally Raid models,” Bhabra told Nation Sport.

The Supplementary Rules stipulate that RC2 vehicles, namely Rally2’s, the R4’s and EvoX as well as the RC Rally3 are not permitted to enter. They would take away the limelight.

Drivers from Division One of the National Rallies can enter but will not score points.

Drivers from Division Three and Four will be allowed to contest the championship with the intention of scoring points.

Other rules to be followed strictly will be minimum roll cage plus seats and seat belts whose period has been increased by further five years.

The competitors must wear race suits, helmets and HANS (Head and Neck Support) devices.

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According to Surinder Thatthi, the former senior member of the FIA team, one can only enter the World Rally Championship events by getting in touch with the FIA Online.

“Nobody qualifies through the African Rally Competition. From ARC there is no qualifying for WRC. To enter WRC2 you have to enter with the FIA online and have an eligible car. N4 is not allowed. ARC winner gets a seeding from FIA, that's all,” Thatthi told Nation Sport.

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Arshad Khan will navigate his son Farhaz Khan in the Mini East African Safari Classic Rally. They will drive a Porsche 911.

Arshad has always navigated his brother Aslam in the past events. Aslam has decided not to participate in this year’s Mini Classic Rally.

The main action will run from December 9 to 11.

The three-day East African Safari Mini Classic Rally will begin with documentation and scrutineering on December 8.

The total distance will be about 1100kms divided into three days of action. One day will be spent as a rest day.

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What are R2 R5 Rally cars:

The Ford Fiesta R2, is for all intents and purposes a Junior Rally Car.

It is not as powerful as some of the rally racers one is able to see in the World Rally Championship events. 

According to MSport, the racer is heavily inspired by the WRC title winning Fiesta Rally Car.

R5 Rally Cars: These are cars a step down from the World Rally Cars in their power and performance.

They are eligible to compete in the WRC and in a dedicated series known as the WRC-2.

This Championship is exclusively open to manufacturer and professional independent teams competing in R5 cars.