Maiden autocross lights up Eldoret

Sports fans in the athletics-rich Uasin Gishu County were on Sunday treated to rare entertainment when Moiben’s Chemweno Farm hosted the area’s inaugural autocross competition with Ryan Bailey, Karan Sehmi and Ilyun Mughal among the day’s big winners.

Former world half marathon champion and Berlin Marathon winner Florence Kiplagat was among the fans who thronged the dusty course to enjoy a departure from their distance running staple.

The Kenya Commercial Bank-sponsored competition was the second leg of the series after the season opener in Nanyuki and attracted 20 drivers.

Fans who enjoyed free entry to the course received a great treat with seven-year-old year Ilyun Mughal of Breaburn (Garden Estate) impressing with his skills.

The adoring fans were disappointed when he finished second to 12-year-old Yuvraj Matharu of Gems Cambridge International School who clocked three minutes, 34.32 seconds on the three-kilometre loop, on which the drivers tackled five laps each (with the best three counting), to win the “bambino” category.

Ryan Bailey (3:06.73) won the junior category beating Rajvir Thethey (03:11.83).

In the two-wheel, non-turbo class, Samman Vohra pulled out of the race after he rolled, breaking his steering wheel arm in the process during warm-up which left Gillian Bailey cruising to the top of the podium in 3:16.81.

In the turbo category Karan Sehmi, Shailien Mughal and Imran Hakada completed the podium places in 2:59.98, 3:02.95 and 3:03.98 respectively in a class that attracted eight drivers.

Rehan Shah (2:48.47), who made his motorsports debut in 2016, won the four-whee-drive turbo category that attracted six drivers, beating legendary Safari Rally driver and three-time national rally champion, Azar Anwar (2:52.15) to second place.