Anwar Sidi Rally Bulletin Issue 101

fa c e b o o k . c o m /a n wa r. s i d i

May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

KenyanJaspreet Singh Chatthe wins 2015 FIA African Rally Championship title ​D​on Smith takes lead as Muna wins in Sasol rally Brief history of Equator Motor Club Tapio wins Kajiado Rally Liquid Telecom Kenya partners with Kenyan National Rally Championship for the 2016 – 2018 series

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May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

Finally Kisumu Rally to run on its original date...

By Abdul Sidi

PHOTOGRAPHY: ANWAR SIDI

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fter weeks of uncertainties, the 2016 KCB Kisumu Rally is set to run on its original date.

The decision to run the rally on 6/7 May, was finally made public by the officials of the Equator Motor Club and Kenya Motor Sports Federation secretariat during the KCB Media Briefing yesterday.

With the postponement of the Safari Rally, which was to be run over the Easter period in March, and further doubts on whether the Kisumu Rally was going to take place on its original date, the local scene had gone into a panic mood before the latest developments.

Jassi Chatthe, the reigning Kenya National and African champion, who finished third in the opening round of the series, said he was happy the rally is finally going to be run. ‘’It has been very frustrating so far not knowing if the rally was to be run or not after the postponement of the Safari Rally. I had the difficult task of now knowing when to get my team of mechanics from Europe to prepare to come here,’’ said Chatty .

Similar sentiments were shared by Ian Duncan, the former Safari Rally winner and one of the best ever rally drivers Kenya ever produced.

“I am happy the wrangles behind the scenes have finally been sorted out amicably. The sport needs to be run smoothly and more professionally for us the stake holders to enjoy without stress.

My car and the team will soon start preparing for the event with full commitment,’’ said Duncan.

There will be three competitive stages of which two will be repeated through Nucleus, Simba and Kobonyo. While the Simba stage will only be done once, the other sections will be done twice.

In the interest of safety and also to discourage spectator movement during the competition, the organizers will only allow fans into the Nucleus Stage, while the other two sections will be closed to the public.

The Nucleus Stage will be the longest with 47.34kms, while the shortest will be of 8.54km.

Meanwhile, the championship tables have also been stagnant since only one of the eight rounds of the 2016 KCB-sponsored series has been held.

Finland’s Tapio Laukkanen leads the overall standing with 25 by virtue of winning the Kajiado event in his Subaru Impreza. Former national and Safari Rally winner, Ian Duncan is in the second place with 21 points followed by reigning champion Jassi Chatthe in the third position with 18 points.

Itinenary 2KCB KISUMU RALLY 2016 Round 2 Draft Itinenary Start-KCB Kisumu

07.00

CS1 CE1

Nucleus Start 1 08.00 Nucleus End 1

SERVICE A

(Chemase)

08.33

CS2 CE2 CS3 Simba Start 1 CE3 Simba End

Kabonyo 1 Mberere 1 10.09

09.06

SERVICE B (Chemase) 10.34 CS4 Kabonyo 2 CE4 Mberere 2 CS5 Nucleus Start 2 CE5 Nucleus End 2

12.13 13.21

SERVICE C (Chemase) 13.51 Finish: Chemase

14.00

Competitive Distance 142.14km Liason: 96.49km Total Distance: 238.63km Longest Stage: 47.34km Shortest Stage: 8.64km Number of Stages: 3 (2 run twice)

Drivers: 1.Tapio Laukkanen 25, 2. Ian Duncan 21, 3. Jaspreet Chatthe 18, 4. Manvir Baryan 15, 5. Baldev Chager 12, 6. Onkar Rai 10, 7. Rajbir Rai 8, 8.Jasmeet Chana 6, 9. Izhar Mirza 4, 10. Farhaaz Khan 3, 11. Jonathan Somen 2, 12. Eric Bengi 2, 13. Jansher Sandhu 2, 14. Adil Mirza 2, 15. Chandrakant Devji 2, 16. Sammy Nyorri 2, 17. Leonardo Varese 2, 18. Ramesh Vishram 2, 19. Rehan Shah 2, 20. Gurmit Thethy 2, 21. Natasha Tundo 2, 22. Imran A Khan 2, 23. Kimaru Boit 2, 24. Edward Maina 2, 25. Dinesh Sachania 2.

Formula Two (DRIVERS): 1. Eric Bengi 25, 2. Sammy Nyorri 21, 3. Leonardo Varese 18, 4. Gurmit Thethy 15.

KENYAN JASPREET SINGH CHATTHE WINS 2015 FIA AFRICAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

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enyan Jaspreet Singh Chatthe and British co-driver Craig Thorley were declared the 2015 FIA African Rally Champions after a dominant start to finish lead and win in the 2015 Shell Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally which finished on 29th August 2015 in Kampala Uganda. The last Kenyan to will the ARC was 31 years ago.

Chatthe becomes the third Kenyan after David Horsey driving a Peugeot in 1984 and Shekhar Mehta (RIP) in 1981 to win the Africa title.

2015 ARC Champions Jassi Chatte and Craig Thorley receive their trophies in Paris during the FIA Prize Giving Gala.

COPYRIGHT Anwar Sidi Rally Bulletin™ is owned and published by Anwar Sidi. Copyright 2016 All rights reserved. ®Anwar Sidi Rally Bulletin and its distinctive logo are trademarks owned by Anwar Sidi. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of Anwar Sidi. Requests for permission should be directed to: anwarsidi55@gmail.com.

2015 FIA African Rally Championship Final Classifications 1. Jaspreet Singh Chatthe KEN 100pts 2. Jassy Singh ZMB 54pts 3. Abdul Ssempebwa UGA 33pts 4. Muna Singh Junior ZMB 30pts 5. Gary Chaynes CIV 25pts 6. Mamy Patrick Solofonirina MDG 25pts

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May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

The Route KCB KISUMU RALLY 2016 Total Distance: 283.63km Total Competitive: 142.14km Liaison Total: 96.49km Stages: 3 Nucleus, Simba & Kobonyo. Nucleus and Kobonyo to be repeated twice, Simba to be run once.

Longest stage: 47.34km Shortest stage: 8.54km Rally HQs: Simba Club Kisumu and Chemase Kibos Cane-Yard CS1/5 Stage Name: Nucleus Distance: 19.41 Kms Description: •Nucleus of Chemilil sugar plantation, roads are fast and wide •Surface is a mix of murram and black cotton, gets slippery when wet •Most of the turns are squares •This stage is situated on a private farm and has no animal or vehicular traffic.

•Park & Walk facility has been provided for the spectators, other areas of the stage will be closed and will be no-go zones •Details can be obtained from media guide.

CS2/4 •Stage Name: Kabonyo – Mberere •Distance: 47.34 Kms Description: •The longest stage of the

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rally, & the most Scenic.

Car will cross the equator thrice in this stage and 6 times on both runs. On a beeline distance Nandi Bears Golf club is 11kms from the Helipad point.

•The stage starts off the Miwani road & after 10 kms, the cars enter the main spectator area, which is close to 7 kms.

•This location will be used as KCB village and will be done twice •Then vehicles climb towards Nandi hills, encountering smooth flats & narrows road through cane plantations •Towards the end, road has table rocks, loose fast rocks and divert at a broken drift into a stream and rejoin.

•The finish is at scenic Mberere just off the road to Nandi Hills.

CS3 •Stage Name: Simba •Distance: 8.64Kms Description: •Shortest stage of the rally •Set in a private cane farm, with numerous big brows.

•Slippery if wet, very smooth with some patches of black cotton A river on the right dissects •The stage and caution is advised to the competitors •Park & Walk spectator facility has been provided in this stage

May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

​D​on Smith takes lead as Muna wins in Sasol rally

By Sharipha N.Ramah​

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he battle for the 2016 Africa rally championship went down in South Africa for the second round in Sasol rally.

With five ARC contenders, Muna Singh bagged 25points after finishing first in the ARC classification. He was eighth overall in the event.

Navigated by sister Jasmeen Singh, he finished 21minutes and 19seconds behind rally winner Leeroy Paulter.

The Zambian now ties with Ivory Coast’s Gary Chaynes on 25points.

Don Smith and Bob Kaugi assumed the lead in the ARC standings. The Kenyan crew was second in the ARC class but eleventh overall.

Another Kenyan driver Lee Rose finished in 12th position, 39 minutes 12 seconds behind the leader.

The next ARC event heads to Zambia in May 27th29th.

Leeroy Paulter from the start to the end dominated the three-day Sasol rally.

He won the rally with 2minutes 22seconds ahead of Giniel De Villier while Guy Botterill settled for third overall.

ARC standing 1.Don Smith/Bob Kaugi 36points 2.Muna Singh/Jasmeen Singh 25pts 3.Gary Chaynes/David Israel 25pts 4.Ismail Ibrahim/Johan Bruin 15pts

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May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

PHOTOGRAPHY: ANWAR SIDI

BRIEF HISTORY OF EQUATOR MOTOR CLUB

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yanza Motor Sports Club was formed in 1956 by its founder members Late Chandrakanth Metha, Late Amar Singh Vasir, Late Dr. A.S. Rao, Late Gulab Gudka, Jaswant Singh Sokhi (Life Member) and Ashwin Derodra.

The Club’s Charter Chairman was Late Chandrakant Mehta who served till 1970 and handed over to the Late Harbhajan Singh Sembi of Kakamega. The Late H.S. Sembi was a very vibrant motorsports enthusiast & Rally driver ensuring the club was well represented at various levels and ensured the world famous Safari Rally route passed Nyanza province with the assistance to Clerk of Course Mike Doughty.

The late Sembi also trained a lot of youngsters and empowered them into various posts at the club level spearheading the club

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as chairman from 1970 to 1986. After the untimely death of H.S. Sembi, his key right hand man the Late Paramjit Singh Panesar was elected as Chairman of Nyanza Motor Sports Club in 1986.

At that particular time the club was very vibrant organising 6 Training Rallies

The Late H.S. Sembi and P.S. Panesar were a very good combination of a well organised team of motorsports men and are deeply missed by the Kisumu Rally fans and enthusiasts

a year sponsored by the Firestone East Africa and also the Nyanza 500 KNRC event. In 1987, a young prominent Navigator Tindey Gundara tragically died in a Road Accident including 4 of his family members. In 1988, P.S. Panesar (Chairman of NMSC) tragically died in a Road Accident during Route Survey of the 1988 Nyanza 500 Rally which was a major blow and setback to the club and the Rallying fraternity.

The Late H.S. Sembi and P.S. Panesar were a very good combination of a well organised team of motorsports men and are deeply missed by the Kisumu Rally fans and enthusiasts.

After the death of P.S. Panesar, Mr. Shailesh Shah was elected as the Chairman of the NMSC and at the AGM 1989 a resolution was passed to change the name of ‘Nyanza Motor Sports Club’ to the ‘Equator Motor Club’.

NMSC was very famous for its hospitality

May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

KISUMU HISTORY Since 1977, The Kisumu Rally organizers have hosted the rally only 25 times with no rallies from 1981 to 1984, 1986 to 1988 and 1995, ‘96. It’s a rally where Ian Duncan won his 30th KNRC Rally in 1989 and has also won in 1992 driving Toyota and Subaru respectively.

Baldev Chagger a winner in 1997 will continue to hold the family name; his father Daljit was 6th with uncle Manjit on the notes in an Opel Ascona, while another uncle Ranjit was 15th in a Subaru. Paul Bailey has been 10th (‘90), 6th (‘93), and 8th (‘94) in Toyota Levine.

Glen Edmunds has been 7th in ‘90 and 6th in ‘92 was his best result. In 1993 Edmunds rolled his VW Golf while lying 2nd. Phineas Kimathi shocked the rally fraternity in 1998, finishing an excellent 2nd in a Hyundai after leading the Rally at one point. Subaru win is due, its 9-month since Rory green won the last rally for the make (on the Equator Rally in Mombasa last October). They have won the Kisumu Rally 5 times (1992,’93, ‘94, ‘97 and ‘98), Toyota once in 1989 while the best the Mitsubishi has finished was when Mahesh and Girish Patel finished in a Colt Lancer in 1978 behind Rob Collinge in a Alfetta.Lancers were also placed 4th, 5th and 6th with Kibathi Muigai (the late president Kenyatta’s nephew, and Arshad Khan navigating), Hans Peter Ruedin and ‘Blackie’ Noor respectively.

Did you know...

The 1985 Nyota Nyanza rally was stopped half way stone throwing forced competitors to refuse contesting the 2nd leg?

Vic Preston Jnr/John Lyall in a Lancia 037 was declared winners. Harbhanjan Seimbi produced one his best drives, leading at one stage but dropped to 2nd in an Opel Ascona.

That in 1985 Ian Duncan driving Toyota Corolla P/V was setting good times, a misunderstanding sent him away with Quarter tank of fuel? It took the service crews half an hour to reach him! It dropped him to 15th from 4th!

That Ashok Patel in a Nissan 240RS was involved in good fight for 2nd with Preston Jnr and Harbhanjan Sembhi until navigator Iqbal Osman clocked in early at one TC dropping him to 5th?

That the winner of the 1990 Edition was not known until two weeks after the event?

Marco Brighetti and Surinder Thetty in VW Golf were declared winners after 2nd placed Sarbi Rai and Supi Soin in an Opel Manta had protested and appealed that the organizers and stewards had unfairly by nullifying a section that Rai had apparently set the fastest time, (at a single stroke he was 1st from 8th!) he lost the appeal.

and event organization. The Club annually organized the Grand Gala Dinner where Drivers and Navigators were awarded for their participation in various classes during the Club Training Rallies e.g.

Rally car category, Standard Production class, Most Improved Driver etc. NMSC was the name of Rallying then and the Training Rallies produced a good number of drivers and navigators like Bimal Shah, Gurmeet Sembi, Satwant Singh Chatthe, Ketan Somaia, Amarjeet Sagoo from Kericho, Rajinder Singh Sembi, Manjeet Singh Sembi, Lalji Patel etc.

Equator Motor Club under the leadership of Mr. Shailesh Shah organized a number of events and the mantle was handed over to Mr. Hitesh Derodra. Equator Motor Club has lived to its expectations of paramount organization of events as seen in the last years KCB KNRC Kisumu Rally being awarded the best Rally of the Year!

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May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

PHOTOGRAPHY: ANWAR SIDI

KNRC Round 1 of 8

Tapio Laukkanen

Tapio wins Kajiado Rally

By Abdul Sidi

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apio Laukkanen secures yet another victory in the KCB Kenya National Rally Championship by winning the Kajiado Rally at the wheels of a Subaru Impreza.

The Finn, who has been in great form since he made his rally debut in Kenya at the beginning of last year, led from start to finish to record victory in the opening round of the 2016 season; thus killing off the Mitsubishi Lancer dominance which occupied eight out of the top-11 places at the top.

“It was a good rally apart from some animals and people on SS1/2. I felt no pressure at all from Ian after SS2 by which time I had settled down. I bent couple of arms and few other things but nothing serious enough to have slowed me down. It is good start to the season. I fly back home but should be back for the Safari Rally soon,” said Laukkanen.

Tapio navigated by compatriot Pasi Torma led from start to finish to restrict Ian Duncan and reigning African champion Jassi Chatthe to second and third overall places.

The former British and Finland rally

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champion achieved the feat after clinching three out of four stages around Kajiado, IlBissel and Parane.

And as the dust settled in Kajiado County, the ‘Flying Finn’ savored an amazing 1.38 minutes margin from Duncan with 80 percent of the time difference achieved on one single stage. Duncan, who is a six-times Kenya champion, beat Chatthe by 39 seconds to cement second position in the KMSC leg.

Fourth overall was former Uganda champion Jas Mangat, who won the 10km MarbleParane section.

Ian Duncan fresh from a securing a sponsorship deal with Liquid Telecoms, tried hard to match the Finn for most of the competition but it was never enough the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO10 driver to overtake one of the fastest drivers to grace the KNRC series.

The respective Ford Fiestas of Manvir Baryan (5th) and Rajbir Rai (8th) were the best placed models outside the dominance of the Mitsubishi Lancers.

Natasha Tundo and Chantal Young were the only lady crews to grace the event. Their Liquid Telecom-sponsored was placed in the

Eric Bengi

22nd overall place.

Mike Somen was the best-placed two-wheeldriver in his Ford Escort while Eric Bengi navigated by Tony Gichohi in a Toyota RunX emerged the winner of the 2WD category after beating Sammy Nyorri and defending champion Leonardo Varese to the podium dash.

Carl Tundo’s return to the Subaru Impreza was short-lived after his car came to a halt with broken driver shaft in the first stage of the rally.

“We had to stop after we noticed the turbo and oil pipes had also started leaking. That could have led to turbo damage. It is a pity but that is rallying. It happened in the first stage,” said Tundo.

May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

Provisional Results; 1. Tapio Laukkanen/Pasi Torma-Subaru Impreza (1hr: 17mins: 42secs), 2. Ian Duncan/Amaar Slatch-Mitsubishi Evo 10 (1:19.20), 3. Jaspreet Chatthe/Gugu Panesar-Mitsubishi Evo10 (1:19.59), 4. Jas Mangat/David Isreal-Mitsubishi Evo 10 (1:20.53), 5. Manvir Baryan/Drew Sturrock-Ford Fiesta (1:21.18), 6. Baldev Chager/Ravi Soni-Mitsubishi Evo 10 (1:22.01), 7.Onkar Rai/Gareth Dawe-Mitsubishi Evo 10 1;22;07), 8. Rajbir Rai/Greg Stead-Ford Fiesta (1:22.43), 9. Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana-Mitsubishi Evo 10 (1:26.24), 10, Izhar Mirza/Kavit Dave-Mitsubishi Evo 10 (1:28.45), 11. Farhaaz Khan/Keith Henrie-Mitsubishi Evo 9 (1:232.06), 12. Jonathan Somen/Richard Heckle-Ford Escort 1:34.21, 13. Eric Bengi/Tony Gikuhi-Toyota Runx (1:35.15), 14. Jansher Sandhu/Feisal Khan-Mitsubishi Evo9 (1:35.39), 15. Adil Mirza/Adnan Din-Mitsubishi Evo9 (1:36.41), 16. Chandrakant Devji/Julius Mwachuya-Subaru GC8 (1:40.01), 17. Sammy Nyorri/Steven Nyorri-Toyota Runx (1:43.33), 18, Leonardo Varese/Kareith-Toyota Corolla (1:44.29), 19. Ramesh Vishram/Atul Kochar-Ford Escort (1:44.51), 20. Rehan Shah/George Kiama-Subaru Impreza N10 (1:45.19), 21. Gurmit Thethy/Harshil Limbani-VW Golf (1:45.20), 22. Natasha Tundo/Chantal Young-Subaru Impreza N10 (1:46.45), 23. Imran Khan/Shakeel Khan-Subaru Impreza N10 (1:49.11), 24. Kimaru Boit/Taiti Wachira-Mitsubishi Ev6 (1:55.16), 25.Edward Maina/Steve Mbuthia-Subaru Impreza (2�02.10), 26. Dinesh Sachania/Salim Khan-Datsun 180B (2:13.17).

Jas Mangat

Sammy Nyorri Rehan Shah

Izhar Mirza

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May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

PHOTOGRAPHY: ANWAR SIDI

Farhaaz Khan receives a dummy cheque for 2016 Oilibya Racing sponsorship from Engineering and Assets Manager Thomas Abade.

This years action launch was held at the Great Rift Valley Circuit (TGRVC) in Mai Mahiu.

Fans got the opportunity to not only see the reveal of the new livery, but got to take a ride during the test runs along the TGRVC Autocross track. All the best to the Oilibya Racing Team of Farhaaz and Keith Henry as the Go Flat out in 2016.

Liquid Telecom Kenya partners with Kenyan National Rally Championship for the 2016 – 2018 series

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iquid Telecom Kenya announced its sponsorship of the 2016 Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) in a comprehensive package supporting drivers, upgrading the championship’s technology and raising the profile of the Kenyan rallies both nationally and globally.

The Internet Service Provider will now be the official Timing, Results and Connectivity Partner throughout the 2016-2018 KNRC series, with the aim of improving rallying for competitors, organisers and enthusiasts.

In an immediate upgrade delivered as part of the sponsorship, Liquid Telecom Kenya has sourced, World Rally Championship standard timing equipment from TAG Heuer to ensure Kenyan rallies meet world class standards.

They will be in charge of operating and maintaining the kit as well as supplying the critical communication links between stages and rally headquarters.

For the 2016 season, from the Safari Ral-

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ly on March 26th, all participating cars will beam continuous signals from their existing transponders to TAG Heuer receivers that upload the data to the Rally HQ via

We are committed to enhancing the total motor sport experience in Kenya by adding value and quality for the organisers, competitors, spectators and enthusiasts, through the use of technology and connectivity.”

Ben Roberts

satellite. The technology will deliver constant records of the whereabouts of every competitor, and internationally recognized timing, giving immediate and much more accurate results than the previous system, which used stop watches and flags.

“We are committed to enhancing the total motor sport experience in Kenya by adding value and quality for the organisers, competitors, spectators and enthusiasts, through the use of technology and connectivity,” said Ben Roberts, CEO, Liquid Telecom Kenya.

Liquid Telecom Kenya has now extended its sponsorship of Ian Duncan into the 2016 season and is additionally sponsoring the allfemale team, Rally Chix, led by Tash Tundo and Chantal Young, enabling them to participate in the eight championship rallies. The two are among the top women rally drivers in Kenya and will be sponsored by Hai, Liquid Telecom’s retail brand offering Internet access direct to households and SMEs.

May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

Issa Amwari Gets 5M Sponsorship From Menengai Cream

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enengai cream signed a Ksh.5 million agreement with upcoming rally driver, Issa Amwari for the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC). The sponsorship deal will see the brand carried on the Amwari’s brand new Mitsubishi Evolution X (Evo X).

Following its five years support of the National rally championship and talent development in the sport, MENENGAI OIL will be supporting Issa, who is making a comeback to the championship following a year away from racing.

Commenting on the developments, MENENGAI Oil Refineries, Managing Director, Onkar Rai said: “We are very much delighted

CMONCY IMAGES

to be associated with Issa Amwari’s team in what we believe to be an ideal sponsorship for our brand.

Being active participants in the rally has made Menengai Oil Refineries synonymous with rally enthusiast and we hope this will be heavily highlighted as we wish Mr. Amwari and his team the best this coming weekend and throughout the circuit.”

Speaking on the same, Issa Amwari said “This is a fantastic opportunity and I am humbled by MENENGAI CREAM’s trust in me as I get back to racing. We have engaged in the past and I am glad that they want to get more involved in my growth and I look forward to a long fruitful partnership.

Shamba Boyz land NBK sponsorship for the rest of the 2016 Rally season Shamba Boyz Rally Team will soon be unveiling new racing livery on their Subaru Impreza N12 after National Bank of Kenya came on board to sponsor them for the rest of the 2016 KNRC series. Team principal Dinesh Halai while receiving a sponsorship cheque of Ksh 1.6 million alongside Team competitors Mahesh and Ketan Halai said the sponsorship has came at an opportune time “and will definitely steer the team to greater heights on Kisumu Rally and subsequent KNRC

rounds. “We are looking forward to the forthcoming Kisumu event with great expectations.

We would like to thank NBK for having faith in us. We have previously performed well in the KNRC Championship events that we have contested over the past four years with a non homologated Subaru GC8 and now the current N12 which has remained competitive and reliable over the past two seasons. With a new sponsor on board , we can only get better, “ said Dinesh. NBK Director of Marketing and

Corporate Communications Bernadette Ngara said they are proud to be associated with the Shamba Boyz Rally Team “considering how formidable they have become in their Kenya National Rally Championship over the past few seasons. “We are glad to announce our partnership with the Shamba Boyz. We wish them all the best in this demanding man and machine sport and we believe they have all what it takes to win their Championship category.

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May 2016 | ISSUE NO. 101

Dear Rally Fans : Safety starts with you Motorsports can be dangerous

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he rally fan must be the first police person; the first precaution.

Drivers, too; despite the right of way they enjoy during racing, need to exercise ultimate caution but you – the fan – must help in the cause by staying away from non-designated viewing points (Black

points) Sometimes we want to show our excitements to the competitors by placing unnecessarily ourselves in risk (likewise when we want to take a stunning picture).

But the drivers will tell you that this behavior annoys them rather than supports them.

Without Prejudice

The Fate of The Rallies or the Organisation The Kenya National Rally Championship needs to be revamped to take it back to its glory days.

Rallies Commission has done a fantastic job over the last few years bringing the sport into line especially for competitors. All concerned know the appreciation for what they have done.

For the first time after a long period, drivers, sponsors and fans have lived under poor circumstances not knowing the fate of the rallies or the organisation.

Sadly Clubs remain tightlipped whenever relevant information is required by the members of the Media Houses for reasons only known to them.

For the media to continue to help promote the sport, it is important to release important information to the Press (though certain news can be

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kept away until further notice) for the sport to grow in the interest of the sponsors and the members of the local rallying fraternity.

The Clubs and organisers should take every opportunity to recognise those people who put the needs of others before themselves. The Media should be regarded very highly by the organisers for the services that they provide for the promotion of KNRC. Therefore, any amenities and commodities that we can provide to the media personnel would be appreciated.

Media fails to understand why organizers don’t want things like the Itinerary, Maps and Start List Leaked to the media when it is a well-known fact that such information is vital to the development of the sport and also beneficial for the presence of the sponsors to continue supporting the

KNRC series.

Recent silence, filled with doubts and suspicions on how the sport is being handled, has dented the image of the KNRC not only in Kenya, but across the Continent, where it has gained the reputation as one of the best-organized championships in Africa.

In approaching the Clubs for relevant information with all the due respect, does not mean to say the Media is not aware of the ugly incidents behind the scene, but tries its best not to get involved in a manner that could tarnish the image of the sport to its lowest standard.

Also bear in mind that any delay or confusion in running rallies, does not help the minds and preparations of individual drivers and especially those from the foreign countries.