A tactical duel of speed, precision and machine power will take centre stage as 20 crews battle for early championship points in the opening round of the 2026 Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC), which revs into life today at Stoni Athi.
Organised by the 254 Motorsports Club and sanctioned by Motorsport Kenya, the season opener promises a weekend of high-octane rallying, with the competitive action set for Saturday, August 1.
The rally will cover a total distance of 166.01km, including 146.81km of flat-out competitive action spread across seven demanding special stages.
The provisional entry list boasts a formidable mix of Group N machines, 2WD challengers, Classics and SPVs, setting the stage for an enthralling contest.
A stellar cast of the nation’s top drivers will line up at the start, led by the mother-and-daughter crew of Caroline Gatimu and Tinashe Gatimu, who will campaign a Ford Fiesta Rally4.
Veteran championship-winning pairing Leonardo Varese and Kigondu Kareithi will unleash their Toyota Yaris SPV, while seasoned campaigner Issa Amwari teams up with Dennis Mwenda in a Mitsubishi Evo 10.
Amaan Ganatra and navigator Mudasar Chaudry will also be in the hunt aboard a Mitsubishi Evo 9, while rising talent Neel Gohil joins forces with Wayne Fernandes in a Mitsubishi Evo 10.
The Classic category has attracted two entries, with George Kyriazi and Max Green taking on Shakeel Khan and Assad Mughal, both crews piloting Ford Escort Classics.
Other notable contenders include Rajveer Singh Thethy in a Subaru N12B, Timothy Kinoti in a Toyota RunX 2WD and Hamza Anwar in a Subaru N10. Anwar says he is looking forward to revving off.
“Adnan Din and I are super excited to get back in the hot seats. Our usual Evo 10 was sold earlier this year to a Ugandan, so we decided to revive an old Subaru N10 and give it some life.”
Varese said the KNRC opener will provide another valuable opportunity to continue developing the Toyota Yaris ahead of the season. “As part of developing the new car to its full potential and for rally conditions in Kenya, we shall be taking part in the KNRC first round,” Varese said. “We are looking forward to running more tests on the car at Stoni Athi.”
According to the bulletin released by Clerk of the Course Pipii Renu, crews will hit the ground running on Friday with recce from 8 am to 3 pm (two passes only), followed by administrative checks and scrutineering at the Rally HQ and Service Park before shakedown runs from 3 pm to 5 pm.
The ceremonial flag-off is scheduled for 8.30 am on Saturday from the Service Park at Athi Range Grill.
Competitors will tackle three tests: Spectator Stage, Chui and Simba before repeating the loop in the afternoon.
The third pass through the 14.73km Spectator Stage will serve as the Power Stage, where the five fastest crews will collect valuable bonus championship points. The first car is expected to check into the Power Stage time control at 1.51 pm.
