Young drivers proved their mettle in Equator Rally

Jeremy Wahome

Young Jeremy Wahome and co-driver Victor Okundi power their Ford Fiesta Rally3 car through the Kedong stage during the final day action of the ARC Equator Rally on April 3, 2022.

Photo credit: Anwar Sidi | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • In a long time, I have never seen middle aged men grinning from ear to ear like the fathers Jeremy, Rio, and McRae.
  • Some observed that we have thrown the youngsters into the deep end too soon. Perhaps they were right because one of the biggest casualties of the rally was McRae who has a big responsibility of being the figure in his peer group.

The Equator Rally kicked off the 2022 Africa Rally Championship on high note as young drivers stole the show, ushering back the good golden age of the 90s.

 It is now difficult to predict a winner, unlike in the last 10 years when the local scene was dominated by Carl Tundo, Baldev Chager, and Onkar Rai.

The winner Karan Patel has opened a lead in the Africa Rally Championship series, followed by youthful Jeremy Wahome who was destined to finish second before clocking early to drop to fourth.

Had he finished second, he would have become the first black drive to do so in a continental championship since the late Jonathan Toroitich in 1997.

He demonstrated that products of the FIA Rally Star Programme started last year will soon start finishing on the podium if not as winners.

Wahome, McRae Kimathi and Hamza Anwar are racing under the programme, which has gifted them Rally 3 Ford Fiesta cars factory-prepared in Poland.

The trio will also compete in the continental rounds in Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa.

Kimathi has also been entered in the Kenyan, Croatian, Portuguese and Greek World Rally Championship rounds.

The Equator Rally ran on parts of the Safari Rally routes demonstrated that the itinerary is getting tougher, going by the high retirement rate. Ten cars retired on Day One.

Maxine Wahome, navigated by Waigwa Mirage, was the only lady driver, demonstrating that given assistance the women are as talented as the men.

When Maxine returned to the finish, she was warmly received by Beverly Wahome and Joan Nesbitt. At the Equator Rally Service Park located at the Kenya Wildlife Research Training Institute Service Park for the final stage of the competition, true happiness was on display.

There was a rare show of support and gesture of togetherness when everybody in the workshops at the Service Park got together as one big family to pay tribute to the beauty of sports

Other promising youngsters of tomorrow were Jeremy, Kimathi, Nikil Sachania, and Rio Smith.

In a long time, I have never seen middle aged men grinning from ear to ear like the fathers Jeremy, Rio, and McRae.

Some observed that we have thrown the youngsters into the deep end too soon. Perhaps they were right because one of the biggest casualties of the rally was McRae who has a big responsibility of being the figure in his peer group.