Division wars set to spice up KCB Kitengela Rally

Baldev Chager in action during the THE KCB Kisumu safari rally on May 7 2016. PIC BY COLLINS ODUOR

The good-humoured Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) division rivalries are expected to shape the penultimate KCB Kitengela Rally which traverses world-famous Kajiado terrain today.
Focus nevertheless will be on the KNRC Premier Class which is a composition of the fastest 11 drivers on the series.

‘Flying Finn’ Tapio Laukkanen who leads the KNRC main class with 129 points and defending champion Jaspreet Singh Chatthe will tussle in a two horse race with the former hoping to seal it at the penultimate stage.

Laukkanen, who is racing on a Kenyan competition licence, will however be declared the first foreign KNRC champion should he return his crowd pleasing Subaru Impreza GVB13 in second place.

Should the Flying Finn retire in Kitengela Rally and Chatthe wins, this will mean that the race for the title goes down to the wire.

Singh Rai is also expected to seal the KNRC Division 1 Class in the event and it will be interesting to see how he battles it out against Asad Khan and Farhaaz Khan.

“We hope that this rally will be our turning point. We have been driving well all season and hope that we will be at the finish on Sunday,” said Farhaaz who has had to contend with a series of excruciating retirements.

The Two Wheel Drive class is also expected to produce fireworks. Eric Bengi who leads the series with 121 points against Alex Lairangi’s 120 anticipates another neck and neck fight.

Group S leader Chandrakhant Devji is skipping Kitengela event due to pressing job commitments but Carl Tundo is expected to clinch the Specially Prepared Vehicle Class (SPV) in his new Ford Fiesta Proto.