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Kenya: Motorsports - Battle Lines Drawn As Safari Rally Revs Off
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The Nation (Nairobi)
27 June 2008
Posted to the web 27 June 2008
Twincam And Chris Musumba
Nairobi
Kenya's hopes of reclaiming the World Rally Championship status heavily depend on the organisational outcome of year's KCB Safari Rally which starts on Friday afternoon from the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi.
Kiran Patel's Subaru Impreza's front suspensions take a beating during a round of the Kenya National Rally Championships. Photo/ANWAR SIDI
President Mwai Kibaki is expected to flag off the cars from 3.00 pm.
Surinder Thatthi, one of the senior International Motorsports Federation (FIA) officials and the current chairman of the Safari Rally organising team, said his team has put all necessary requirements in place with a future WRC status in mind.
"Depending on our performance in this year's rally, every effort will be made to run the 2009 Safari Rally as a FIA-sanctioned candidate event. This is the aim of all those working towards that goal," said Thatthi.
Kenya's hopes hinge on the performance of the other two countries, Russia and Poland which are also vying for the WRC status. Poland ran its event two weeks ago. It's FIA final report was evaluated by Germany's Wulf Biebinger, who has also been sent by the world motorsports governing body to observe the Safari Rally.
Thatthi is looking at 2010 as the year when Kenyans can expect to see the Safari Rally return to the glory days of World Rally Championships.
With the Safari being used as the final round of the East Africa Rally Challenge, Tanzanian and Ugandan drivers will spice up the action. Speed master Riyaz Kurji, navigated by Sayed Kadri in a Subaru Impreza N10, and compatriot Emmanuel Katto, co-driven by Moses Matovu in a latest Subaru Impreza N14, want to get over the nightmare that forced them out of the Pearl of Africa Rally in Kampala.
Tanzanians Navraj Hans and Frank Gitau are tackling opposition from South Africa, Kenya and Zambia for the Sh650 million, three-year windfall for the Pirelli Young Africa Drivers' Challenge.
After the Uhuru Park loop on Friday, the cars will head for the Leg One B in Elementaita and Delamere Farms for a 177km rendezvous with dusty and rough roads. The cars must also tackle 290km of transport distance in the Elementaita.
Meanwhile, Nakuru-based Lee Rose hopes to introduce the latest version of the Mitsubishi Lancer in this round of the African Rally Championship with the help of his sponsors, Triton Petroleum.
Team-mate Baldev Chager has spent the last few rallies getting accustomed to the new Subaru Impreza. The minnows like Dinesh Sachania and Kiran Patel come into the Safari Rally with a different car, a Mitsubishi Lancer, recently acquired from Robert Gow.
The Samani Group-entered crew has recent combined forces as with Susheel Shah and Abdul Sidi in a Subaru Impreza N10. They are sponsored by tool makers Ryobi and Landies, some of the leading tool makers who have moved in to support local drivers in the Kenya National Rally Championship.
Sadly, Ian Duncan, who would have posed serious challenge to the rest of the competitors in the main event in a right car, will instead show his power and skills in a different class. His Ford Mustang, which does not conform to the FIA rules, will compete in the Supplementary Class.
Though, Duncan and co-driver Salim Hajee are expected at the end of the main cars, their performance will be eagerly monitored throughout the action by drivers and fans alike.
His Class will include cars from the recent Kenya Airways-sponsored East African Safari Classic Rally such as the Ford Escort of Aslam Khan and his nephew Fahaaz Khan and the Datsun 240Z of Rommy Bhamra.
The Two-wheel-drive class will see the return of the former F2 champion, Kirandeep Chana in a Volkswagen Golf GTi. Others are Leonard Varese (VW Golf GTi) and reigning champion Gurmeet Chana (VW Golf GTi) among others.
The rally will start off with a spectator stage at the Uhuru Park after the flag off from the KICC at 3pm. The Second part of the competition will start on Friday at 7am before heading for the Delemere Estate. Athi River will host the action on the final day (Sunday).
Japanese driver Hideaki Miyoshi is at pains to claim a maiden KCB Safari Rally diadem in his bid to enhance his FIA-African Rally Championship (ARC) prospects. Miyoshi who is teaming up with Tien Suspensions Executive, Hakaru Ichino, in a Mitsubishi EVO 9 has been acclimatizing in Kenya since participating in the 2008 KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally in Kampala last April.
The Japanese speedster has tipped reigning Kenya Champion Carl Tundo and double KNRC winner Lee Rose as the hottest prospects for this year's KCB Safari Rally.
"They (Tundo and Rose) drive sensibly fast unlike Ugandans Riyaz Kurji and Emma Katto. The two Kenyans will also enjoy local knowledge of the route and it will be quite a fight against them," said Miyoshi.
Tundo and Rose are however not registered for the FIA regional series and as such won't score points towards the ARC. Kenya only has five drivers namely- Azar Anwar, his brother Asad Anwar, Peter Horsey, Alfir Khan and Don Smith.
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On Sunday, the destination will be at the East Africa Portlands cement quarry in Athi River for another car battering 118km competitive distance with an additional 81km in transport section. The first car will be expected back to the finish podium by 3.40pm.
Hi and congratulations to an excellent KCB Safari Rally preview.
Just one thing always has me amazed in the last two years. How Kenyan media and public seems to see returning to the World Rally Championship as the big target for the Safari Rally. It is a shame Kenyans don't seem to realise - or Kenyan media doesn't seem to publish - how lucky you are.
The Safari Rally is part of the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge) since 2007 (ignoring the one-off 2008 circumstances for a moment). For many European rally fans the IRC is not the 2nd league, but... [Read Full Text]
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