Kenya Motor Sports awards set for January 11

Baldev Chager and navigator Ravi Soni celebrate after winning the 2019 KCB Safari Rally on July 7, 2019 in Naivasha. PHOTO | ANWAR SIDI |

What you need to know:

  • Dareen Miranda and his co-driver Wayne Fernandes will receive their awards as the new KNRC Two Wheel Drive Champions.

  • The Kenya National Karting Championship has new winners in Myles Imbaya (60cc Comer Class) and William Kim (Junior Rotax).

The Motor Sports Personality of the Year 2019 will be named on January 11, 2020 at the Carnivore Restaurant, Nairobi. The awards ceremony will also see champions in respective disciplines of motor sport feted.

CHAMPIONS

Kenya Motor Sports Federation (KMSF) has confirmed all the 2019 champions after the season-closing KCB Guru Nanak Rally was cancelled in December last year.

Among those to be honoured are KCB Bank Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) overall winners Baldev Chager and co-driver Ravi Soni.

Chager collected 162 points to win the 2019 KNRC season. He finished 20 points clear of the 2018 champion Carl Tundo.

Wayne Fernadez tackles a muddy section in a Yamaha Raptor 700 quad. PHOTO | FILE NATION MEDIA GROUP

The much-anticipated final showdown between Chager and Tundo did not take place after poor weather forced organisers to call off the Sikh Union round. 

This made the championship winner to be decided based on a cumulative total of seven rounds instead of eight.

AWARDS

Rising stars Ammar Haq and Victor Okundi will be feted as the new Division One Champions after beating their Mombasa Motor Club (MMC) teammates Sohanjeet Puee and Adnan Din who retained KNRC Group S title.

Dareen Miranda and his co-driver Wayne Fernandes will receive their awards as the new KNRC Two Wheel Drive Champions.

Chana sibling Jasmeet and Ravi who drove in the KNRC Premier Class this season clinched the KNRC Group N title.

Jasmeet Chana. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Haq said: “This Division 1 championship has come quite early in my rallying career being my third full KNRC season. It was not an easy contest. This sets the bar quite high for me as my fans and sponsors will have higher expectations for me. Thanks to my navigator Victor Okundi for calling the notes on point.”

Issa Amwari and Shameer Yusuf are the new KNRC Division 2 driver and navigator champions.

Amwari’s navigator Job Njiru, who is also the Director, Customer Experience at KCB Bank Group, finished second in the championship after skipping KCB Eldoret Rally.

Ammar Haq (left) and Victor Okundi. They will be feted as the new Division One champions. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Njiru's absence, Minesh Rathod’s navigator (Shameer) took advantage to win in Division 2 class.

Amwari will this season be promoted to KNRC Division One following his brilliant performance last year which saw him finish fourth overall during Eldoret Rally.

Physically challenged driver Nikhil Sachania will be back in the awards ceremony to collect the KNRC SPV (Specially Prepared Vehicles) championship title with his partner Deep Patel.

Zameer Verje in a past action. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Sachania, who is the 2014 Motor Personality winner, clinched the 2019 SPV championship in a hand-controlled SPV Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 10.

Geoff Mayes and his partner Suzanne Zwager will be rewarded for winning the new KNRC Division 3 drivers and navigators champions, a career first in their Land Rover Tomcat.

 NEW WINNERS

The Kenya National Karting Championship has new winners in Myles Imbaya (60cc Comer Class) and William Kim (Junior Rotax).

The KCB National Autocross Championship has seven champions in Zameer Verjee (2WD NT), Kunal Patel (2WD T), Sahib Omar (4WD T), Imran Hakada (Open Class), Wayne Fernandes (Quad Class), Yuvraj Rajput (Bambino), and Tsorav Soni (Pee Wee).

Ross Field and his co-driver Robbie Calder emerged the Kenya National Rally Raid prototype car champions, while Joost Zuubier and Rosaline Zuurbier emerged winners of the Modified Car class.