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Patel leaves the ramp first in season-opening Kajiado Rally

 

Karan Patel in a Ford Fiesta will be flagged off first in the Kajiado Rally that will begin Sunday morning from Kajiado.

The Fiesta will be one of the 12 cars that will take part in the opening round of the 2022 Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) that is supported by KCB and Kenya Breweries Limited through its White Cap brand.

For the first time after several seasons, drivers such as Carl “Flash” Tundo and Baldev Chager will miss out on the competition. The former champions have opted to do selected events in the KNRC Series and Classic Rally competition. 

Last season, Tundo finally achieved his ambition of securing a sixth KNRC crown by finishing the Guru Nanak Rally in third place, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 10 car.

Tundo and his navigator Tim Jessop also emerged the 2021 African Rally Championship winners after triumphing all the rallies across Africa last season.

“I am very happy and excited to have won the KNRC title. I took it very easy and didn’t want to jeopardise my chances of winning the major title while chasing victory in the Guru Nanak Rally. I think it is now time to relax and think of the future by maybe bringing back the classic cars,” Tundo said after scooping the title.

Patel, who won the Arusha Rally of Tanzania last year at the wheels of his Ford Fiesta, appears to be one of the favourites to grab the headlines this season after having finished in a commendable fourth place in the 2021 overall championship table.

Bisii Girls Secondary School in Kajiado will host the start of the rally.

There will be four competitive stages of which two will be repeated. The longest stage will be 67 kilometers while the shortest will be 24kms. The total mileage will be 236 km of which 54 will be transport.

Jim Kahumbura will be the Event Director while John Kamau will be the Clerk of the Course.
The season will comprise eight rallies to be organised by various motor sport clubs across the nation.

Part of the new rules for the 2022 Kenya National Rally Championships will see the scrapping of the Premier Division and concentrate on Division One, Two and Three categories at the top.  FIA extended the Safari Rally’s stay as a round of the World Rally Championship for the next five years.

The Clubman Rally Championship has also been reintroduced in the series for the first time after three years.     BY DAILY NATION  

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