Peerless Vohra bags Nanyuki rally to reclaim KNRC top spot

KNRC leader Jameet Chana in a past event. [Courtesy]

The 2024 Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) leader Samman Vohra clocked 1: 49.35.5 to win the third leg of the series held in Nanyuki at the weekend.

Vohra led from start to finish in Nanyuki, bagging all the six contested stages.

This was the second victory of the season that the Skoda Fabia ace was bagging after triumphing in the opening leg in Eldoret early in the year.

The son of the former Kenya Motor Sports Federation (KMSF) chairman, the late JS Vohra, was unlucky in the WRC Safari Rally held in Naivasha in March, which also doubled as the second leg of the KNRC series.

He was forced to retire in the Safari after he rolled in the opening Kasarani Super Special Stage.

Back in Nanyuki, KNRC defending champion Jasmeet Chana clocked 1:54.02.0 to finish second behind Vohra. This was Chana’s first outing behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R5.

"Nanyuki was good. We managed P2 despite some teething problems with our new Fiesta. In one of the stages, our radiator was clogged up with grass, so the engine was running hot, but after that, we were okay.  We are getting used to the new car."

Legendary Ian Duncan, winner of the 1994 WRC Safari Rally, completed the podium in Nanyuki. He also bagged the Classic Car category at the wheel of his Datsun 280Z.

Aakif Virani, winner of the 2021 Nanyuki Rally, suffered adversity when his Skoda Fabia R5 went up in flames on CS4, during the repeat run of Mlima Hema speed test. Both Virani and his navigator escaped unscathed.

The catastrophe saw a section of the drivers allocated new timings by the organisers to align the competition in accordance to the KMSF rules and regulations as stipulated in Article 44 and 44.1.

The drivers were Duncan, Shakeel Khan, Joey Ghose, Lisa Christoffersen and youngster Neel Gohil.

“Since cars No. 7, 20, 25, 55 and 99 were shown a red flag, following the fire incident, and having considered that times and split times set before the stopping of the stage, a time of 21:57.9 was allocated to the rest of the drivers,” Clerk of the Course Bimal Patel said.

Following the weekend results, Vohra now reclaims the KNRC lead from Carl Tundo who did not enter the Nanyuki leg. He now leads the series on 66points followed by Chana on 53 as Duncan comes third on 41.