Mean machines head to Nanyuki for Rally Championship

The race for this year’s Kenya National Rally Championship title moves to the Mt Kenya Region this weekend as Nanyuki prepares to host the fifth round of the series.

The rally has attracted 36 entries with all the leading contenders expected in Nanyuki by latest Friday in time for the official reconnaissance of the route.

Raaji Bharij, the chairman of the Kenya Drivers Association, was in Nanyuki recently to look at the route on behalf of the competitors as part of the agreement between the Rallies Commission and KRDA.

“The club has done well in combining a mixture of new and old roads around areas which are very familiar to the rallying fraternity. The competition will be cantered once again around Lolldaiga, Batian and Lengetia, though organisers have modified some parts of the sections with smooth, tight and some very fast stages,’’ said Bharij.

The Lolldaiga stage (45.00kms) will be the longest section to be tackled twice, while Batian section (4kms), which will be the main Spectator Stage will be the shortest.

It will also be tackled twice while Lengetia Section (40kms) will only be visited once by the competitors.  The competition will kick off from the KCB Bank in Nanyuki, where the first car is expected to leave the ramp at 7am.

 Reigning champion, Jassy Chatthe and Finland’s Tapio Laukkanen are locked up at the top of the overall championship each with equal 79 points with three rounds remaining.

Former Safari Rally and National Champion, Baldev Chager wishes to forget recent events, where two consecutive retirements have dented what had been an excellent record.