Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Collin Matiza
3 July 2008
Harare — ONE of Zimbabwe's top motor rally drivers Jamie Whyte retained his second position in the 2008 Africa Rally Championship series after finishing fifth at the KCB Kenya Safari Rally last weekend.
whyte, who firmly established himself among the continent's top motor rally drivers after his sensational victory at the KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally towards the end of April, once again did the nation proud by finishing in the top five during the gruelling race.
Driving a Subaru N10, Whyte and his veteran fellow Zimbabwean co-driver Phil Archenoul, were all smiles as they drove through the finish ramp at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi on Sunday.
They had every reason to be satisfied with their performance in this gruelling race in which they had to contend with some of Kenya's top motor rally drivers who were trading on familiar ground.
Whyte is still placed second behind Zambian Muna Singh in this year's ARC series after three rounds of races in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
The Kenya Safari Rally was won by Kenyan Lee Rose ahead of fellow Kenyans Carl Tundo and Baldev Chager who came second and third while fourth place went to Japan's Hideaki Miyoshi.
According to the official website of the FIA African Rally Championship, after years of trying, Nakuru wheat farmer Rose entered his name in the annals of motor sports history with a maiden KCB Kenya Safari Rally diadem. It was such an inspiring and ecstatic win, more so, on the new Mitsubishi Evo 9 machine he was yet to familiarise with moments after he had shipped it in from England.
But winning a maiden Safari surpassed his previous victories of the Kenya National Rally Championship twice in succession in 2003 and 2004.
Rose, who learnt the ropes from riding bikes at their farm in Narok, went for the jugular on Day Two when continental frontrunners among them Singh of Zambia and Riyaz Kurji fell by the wayside.
Rose won all the seven stages in the Athi River run on Sunday interestingly tying with Tundo on CS 14 and Chager on CS13. Behind Rose was a fierce all-Kenyan battle pitting his Triton Sports teammate Chager against Dalbit Petroleum's Tundo.
Chager had taken second overall on Saturday when Tundo suffered driveshaft problems, but his run on the final day saw him lose the battle to Tundo by 35 seconds.
Japan's Miyoshi, despite finishing fourth overall, scored maximum points on the ARC class because Rose, Tundo and Chager are not registered drivers on the continental championship.
Miyoshi was out of contention for the top Safari prize after a three minutes Leg 1B penalty (for taking a shortcut at the Elementeita) nipped his plans in the bud.
The Kenyan crew had their Safari campaign effectively sewn up when top ARC drivers fell by the wayside.
Last weekend's event counted towards the third round of the 2008 ARC series as well as the third edition of KCB Kenya National Rally Championship and the KCB East African rally Challenge. Kenya's Asad Anwar of Oilibya Rally team and Singh were the early casualties earlier on Sunday with gearbox gremlins.
Asad, who teamed up George Mwangi in a Subaru Impreza N11, said his gearbox snapped in the first stage on their way to Elementaita lodge after takeoff from Kenyatta International Conference Centre.
Saturday's Leg 1B was the toughest. It saw seven drivers receive three minutes penalty by lunch hour for trying to circumvent the route to a shorter course. Uganda 's Riyaz Kurji prior to his exit, Singh and Miyoshi were among the seven who suffered the stringent shortcut measures.
Results
1. Lee Rose /Piers Daykin (KEN-Mitsubishi EVO 9) 174.48 minutes; 2. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop (KEN-Subaru N10) 175.59; 3. Baldev Chager/Farakh Yusuf (KEN-Subaru N12) 176.34; 4. Hideaki Miyoshi (JAPAN-Mitsubishi Evo 9) 182.36; 5. Jamie Whyte/Phil Archenoul (ZIM-Subaru N10) 190.50; 6. Azar Anwar/Imran Khan (KEN-Mitsubishi EVO 6) 190.53; 7. Don Smith/Sonal Smith (KEN-Subaru N10) 191.03; 8. Alfir Khan/Tinu Khan (KEN-Subaru N10) 192.08; 9. Peter Horsey/Timothy Challen (KEN-EVO 8) 192.19; 10. John Rose/Mike Borrissow (KEN-EVO 9) 194.18.
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