KCB KITENGELA RALLY. ROUND 7 6TH NOVEMBER 2016
MEDIA GUIDE DONT DRINK AND DRIVE!
Compiled by Anwar Sidi ©Anwar Sidi Photography 2016
KCB Kitengela Rally Round 7 KCB KNRC RALLY ROUND 7 6th November 2016
Safety Information and Spectator Code of Conduct PLEASE plan your event with safety in mind. The following points may help:
We have tried to ensure that you will be able to reach your chosen spectator viewing area without walking on the special stage. If you decide to leave the stage prior to the last competitor, PLEASE ensure that you walk on the pathways or behind the tree line. All the competitors will be travelling at high speeds and spectators are strongly advised NOT to walk on the rally route. All spectators are reminded that motorsport can be dangerous and despite us taking all reasonable precautions, unavoidable accidents can happen. In respect of these, you are present at your own risk. We ask that you obey all instructions of safety marshals, spectator marshals and police officers in relation to your safety and that of others. Please be considerate to other spectators to ensure everyone can enjoy the event. Listen to the marshals - they are there to help you and ensure the event runs within the safety guidelines. Marshals and officials have the right to work without being abused or threatened. Abusive, threatening or violent behavior towards officials (who are all volunteers) will not be tolerated and spectators will be evicted from the event. Please take all litter home with you or place it in the skips or black bags. Do not light fires or barbeques. They can cause major fires with serious consequences. Do not bring fireworks to the event. They are very dangerous and could cause a serious incident with either other spectators or the competitors. Much of the Rally takes place in areas containing significant agricultural, forestry and nature conservation interests. Please follow the Countryside Code at all times. Consider your own safety and that of others at all time. Motorsport of any kind can be dangerous and the rally organisers spend a considerable amount of time ensuring that spectators attending the event are kept safe. We would be grateful for your cooperation in this respect.
KCB KNRC Rally 7
6th November 2016
Someone Waits For You At Home, DON'T DRINK & DRIVE
KCB Kitengela Rally Round 7 KCB KNRC RALLY ROUND 7 6th November 2016
Clerk of Course Service
Park Manager Chief Controller Security Officer Media access to the Service Park will be 'greatly reduced' during Kenya National Rally Championship. The changes have been made in the name of safety.
This applies to all written journalists, as well as photographers.
The media (both journalists and photographers) wishing to access the Service Park will be required to wear a tabard Vest + Media Card provided by KMSF. No Media will be allowed any where near Service Park, Start & Finish without a Valid Media Accreditation Pass & Vest. It is acknowledged that the media play an important role in rallies, and each member of the working media must be permitted to carry out his or her work in the best possible conditions. Only media representatives with Media Pass will be permitted in those areas Marked at the Back of the Media Pass on the route of the special stages to which spectators are not normally admitted. All other members of the media must conform to normal spectator standards, except for interview areas, media centers, etc. If this instruction is again ignored, the official in charge will immediately submit a report to the Clerk of the Course and the stewards. A copy of this report must be sent to the Rallies Commission
KCB KNRC Rally 7 6th November 2016
Someone Waits For You At Home, DON'T DRINK & DRIVE
KCB Kitengela Rally Round 7
4TH
KCB Kitengela Rally Round 7
KCB Kitengela Rally Round7 6th November 2016 6am-3pm kajiado/Isinya/Namanga Road
ŠAnwar Sidi 2016
KCB Kitengela Rally 5th & 6th Nov 2016
Someone Waits For You At Home, DON'T DRINK & DRIVE
KCB Kitengela Rally Round 7 KCB KNRC RALLY ROUND 7 6th thNovember 2016 5th & 6 November 2016 Description
Distance GPS Cordinate
START KCB KITENGELA
CS1/4 TOWN START
S1° 49.825' E36° 46.254' 1729 22.9km S1° 52.533' E36° 44.605' 1707
CE1/4 TRAIN END
Elevation
S1° 28.349' E36° 57.550' 1580
CS2/5 TRAIN START 3.75km CE2/5 WAR CEMENTRY END
S1° 52.489' E36° 44.665' 1705 S1° 51.552' E36° 46.146' 1700
CS3/6 AIRSTRIP START CE3/6 ORLY AIR PARK END
43.73km S1° 49.648' E36° 47.504' 1740 S1° 35.448' E36° 45.407' 1787
HEAD QUARTERS KAJIADO HELIPAD SERVICE PARK SERVICE PARK KAJIADO
S1° 50.692' E36° 47.308' 1742 S1° 50.692' E36° 47.308' 1742 S1° 50.692' E36° 47.308' 1742
S1° 45.543' E36° 42.471' S1° 44.152' E36° 41.862' S1° 39.666' E36° 40.719' S1° 35.117' E36° 40.328' S1° 35.158' E36° 40.590'
1838 1944 1943 1890 1877
S1° 50.665' E36° 47.232' S1° 50.651' E36° 47.238'
1738
MPM & HELIPAD 1 CS3/6 MEDIA PONT 1 CS3/6 MARSHALL & HELIPAD 2 CS3/6 MEDIA POINT 2 CS3/6 S SPECTATOR POINT/ MARSHALLS RRZ1 KCB Kajiado FINISH KCB KAJIADO
DATUM: WGS 84 POSITION FORMAT: lat/lon hddd° mm. mmm’
20/10/2016
11:28 AM
KCBKitengela KNRC 7 RALLY 20167 KCB Rally Round DRAFT ITINERARY @ 20/10/2016 TC
LOCATION
COMP LIAISON TOTAL DIST. DIST. kms. DIST. kms. kms.
TARGET TIME Hr:Min
1st CAR E.T.A. Hr:Min
SUNDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2016 START - KCB KITENGELA
1A
SERVICE A IN
1B
SERVICE A OUT REFUEL - ALL COMPETITORS (KAJIADO)
07:00
SERVICE A (KAJIADO)
RZ 01 1 CS 1 CE 1 2 CS 2 CE 2 RRZ 01 3 CS 3 CE 3 3A
DISTANCE TO NEXT REFUEL : TOWN 22.90 TOWN 1 TRAIN 1 END TRAIN 3.75 TRAIN 1 START WAR CEMENTRY 1 REFUEL - ALL COMPETITORS (KAJIADO) DISTANCE TO NEXT REFUEL : AIRSTRIP 43.73 AIRSTRIP 1 ORLY AIR PARK 1 SERVICE B IN SERVICE B (KAJIADO)
3B
26.65
46.80
46.80
00:50
07:50
46.80
46.80
10 Min 00:10
08:00
3.28 3.28
29.93 3.28
00:10
08:10 08:13
0.25
23.15
00:23
08:36 08:39
(3.31) 43.17 2.27
86.90 6.02
00:40
09:19 09:22 11:02
22.90
3.75 43.73
SECTION 1
0
43.73 70.38
37.59
81.32
01:40
43.39
113.77
20 min
SERVICE B OUT / REGROUP IN
00:20
11:22
REGROUP IN (KAJIADO)
RZ 02 4 CS 4 CE 4 5 CS 5 CE 5 RRZ 02 6 CS 6 CE 6 6A
REGROUP OUT REFUEL - ALL COMPETITORS (KAJIADO) DISTANCE TO NEXT REFUEL : TOWN 2 TOWN 2 TRAIN 2 END TRAIN 2 END 3.75 TRAIN 2 START WAR CEMENTRY 2 REFUEL - ALL COMPETITORS (KAJIADO) DISTANCE TO SERVICE : AIRSTRIP 43.73 AIRSTRIP 2 ORLY AIR PARK 2 SERVICE C IN SERVICE C (KAJIADO)
6B
12:12 26.65
3.28 3.28
29.93 3.28
00:10
12:22 12:25
0.25
23.15
00:23
12:48 12:51
(3.31) 43.17 2.27
86.90 6.02
00:40
13:31 13:34 15:14
22.90
3.75 43.73
43.73 70.38
37.59
81.32
01:40
43.39
113.77
10 Min
SERVICE C OUT / HOLDING IN
00:10
15:24
HOLDING POINT (KAJIADO) 6C 6D
HOLDING OUT FINISH - KCB KAJIADO
17:00
BY QS
RALLY TOTALS MILEAGE PERCENTAGE %
140.76 51.31
133.58 48.69
274.34
MAXIMUM PERMITTED LATENESS: 1) Any lateness exceeding 15 minutes on any individual target time or an accumulative lateness exceeding 30 minutes at the end of each section. 2) Early arrival shall under no circumstances permit crews to reduce the lateness.
SECTION 2
3C
(Lat/Lon hddd°mm.mmm' WGS 84)
Page 1 of 1
Corner Baridi
Start KCBKITENGELA Kitengela
CE1/3 CE3/6
Spectator Stage
MPM
CS3/6 CS1/3
CS2/4 CS1/4 CE2/5 CE2/4
Finish KCB Kajiado, Service & HQ
KCB KAJIADO START SERVICE & HQ
RRZ1 next to KCB Bank Kajiado
CS2/5
CE1/4
NAMANGA City Navigator East & West Africa NT 2017.1 HERE_maps_Logo_RGB_Blue.bmp. © 2016 HERE. All rights reserved. © Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries 2016.
0
2
4
KCB Kitengela Rally Round7
Maps By Anwar Sidi Email: anwarsidi55@gmail.com
Someone Waits For You At Home, DON'T DRINK & DRIVE
6
8
10 mi
0
0.5
1.0
1.5
CE1/4
CS1/4-22.9KM CS2/5-3.31KM
2.0
2.5
CS2/5
Maps By Anwar Sidi Someone Waits For You At Home, DON'T DRINK & DRIVE Email: anwarsidi55@gmail.com
HERE_maps_Logo_RGB_Blue.bmp. © 2016 HERE. All rights reserved. © Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries 2016.
City Navigator East & West Africa NT 2017.1
MPM & Marshall
S1° 48.614' E36° 40.989' (Lat/Lon hddd°mm.mmm' WGS 84)
3.5 mi
KCB Kitengela Rally Round7
3.0
CE2/5 CE2/4
CS2/4 CS1/4
S1° 52.615' E36° 47.515'
Page 1 of 1
S1° 32.792' E36° 37.978' (Lat/Lon hddd°mm.mmm' WGS 84)
Page 1 of 1
Corner Baridi
MPM/Marshall
CE1/3 CE3/6
CS3/6 43.73KM Isinya
MPM/Marshall
MPM/Marshall
CS3/6 CS1/3
City Navigator East & West Africa NT 2017.1 HERE_maps_Logo_RGB_Blue.bmp. © 2016 HERE. All rights reserved. © Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries 2016.
0
1
2
3
KCB Kitengela Rally Round7
Maps by Anwar Sidi Email: anwarsidi55@gmail.com
4
5 mi
S1° 49.927' E36° 50.918'
KCB KITENGELA RALLY ROUND 6th November 2016
SPECTATORS IN MIND Special attention has been provided for the Spectators, who will get to see the cars in action from close range with ease and safety in mind Two main areas have been identified for the Spectators to take advantage of the vantage points. Here cars will visit the point twice during the course of the competition. For those planning to SS3 and SS6, they should head for Kona Baridi along the main Kiserian/Magadi Road, which will be about 15 kilometers from the two separate competitive stages. The spectator point will also be the final point for the Overall Prize Giving after the rally finishes at KCB branch in Kajiado Town. It should also be noted that Alcohol Blow will in place for those, who would like to mix rally fun with Alcoholic drinks.
KCB Kitengela Rally 7 6th November 2016
Someone Waits For You At Home, DON'T DRINK & DRIVE
Someone Waits For You At Home, DON'T DRINK & DRIVE KCB Kitengela Rally Round 7
1.27km
19.4km
1km
Distances from A to B-19.4km B to D-1.27km C to B-1km
Restricted Area
ETA CS3-9.22am CS6-1.34pm
CS3- 9.24AM CS6- 1.34PM KCB Kitengela Rally Round7
H
S1° 35.158' E36° 40.590'
Restricted area
H Helipad
S1째 35.117' E36째 40.328'
CS3- 9.24AM CS6- 1.34PM KCB Kitengela Rally Round7
MEDIA S1째 35.117' E36째 40.328'
Restricted Area
KCB Kitengela Rally Round7
S1° 50.164' E36° 47.087' (Lat/Lon hddd°mm.mmm' WGS 84)
Page 1 of 1
Start CS1/3 ToToCS3/6 From FromCE1/3 CE3/6
To CS1/4
To start CS2/4
RRZ1
Finish Start KCBKajiado Kajiado KCB Service Park & HQ
From CE2/5
From CE2/4 City Navigator East & West Africa NT 2017.1 HERE_maps_Logo_RGB_Blue.bmp. © 2016 HERE. All rights reserved. © Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries 2016.
0
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
Maps by Anwar Sidi
0.25 mi
S1° 50.976' E36° 47.700'
Restricted Area
KAJIADO SERVICE PARK
KCB Kitengela Rally Round 7 KCB KNRC 7 RALLY
KCB Kitengela Rally Round7
KCB KNRC RALLY ROUND 7 6th November 2016
KENYA NATIONAL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ELDORET RALLY Round 6 MAIN CLASS 1. Tapio Laukkanen 2. Jaspreet Chatthe 3. Rajbir Rai 4. Ian Duncan 5. Carl Tundo 6. Manvir Baryan 7. Onkar Rai 8. Baldev Chager 9. Mahesh Halai 10. Tejveer Rai 11. Asad Khan 12 Jasmeet Chana 13= Frank Tundo 13= Amaanraj Rai 15= Farhaaz Khan 15= Quentin Mitchell 17 Natasha Tundo 18= Karan Patel 18= Imran Mogul 20= Eric Bengi 20= Alex Lairangi 22 Izhar Mirza 23= Eric Njogu 23= Chandrakant Devji 23= Leonardo Varese 23= Osman Abdullahi
129 100 79 72 66 62 50 49 24 20 18 17 16 16 15 15 13 12 12 11 11 10 9 9 9 9
Jansher Sandhu Sammy Nyorri John Nganga Pietro Cannobio Edward Maina Ramesh Vishram Adil Mirza Josiah Kariuki Steven Mwangi Dennis Mwenda Kimaru Boit Nikhil Sachania Geoff Mayes Jonathan Somen Rehan Shah Gurmit Thethy Imran A Khan Jitendra Dhokia Dinesh Sachania Issa Amwari Aakif Virani Dilraj Chatthe Ammar Haq Taiti Wachira
8 8 8 8 7 7 5 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
DIVISION 2
DIVISION 1 1. Onkar Rai 2. Asad Khan 3.Jasmeet Chana 4. Tejveer Rai DNE 5. Farhaaz Khan 6. Frank Tundo 7. Amaanraj Rai 8. Izhar Mirza 9. Jansher Sandhu 10. Stephen Mwangi 11. Imran Mogul 12. Dennis Mwenda 13. Pietro Canobbio 14. Issa Amwari
27= 27= 27= 27= 31= 31= 33= 33= 33= 36= 36= 38= 38= 40= 40= 40= 40= 40= 40= 40= 40= 40= 40= 40=
117 66 61 58 47 43 42 36 32 27 25 20 18 8
1. Mahesh Halai 2. Eric Bengi 3. Adil Mirza 4. Eric Njogu 5. Jonathan Somen 6. Taiti Wachira 7 Dilraj Chatthe
128 106 45 38 25 21 18
KCB Kitengela Rally Round7
KCB KNRC RALLY ROUND 7 6th November 2016
KENYA NATIONAL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ELDORET RALLY Round 6 Division 3 1. Natasha Tundo 2. Osman Abdullahi 3. Chandrakant Devji 4. John Nganga 5. Alex Lairangi 6. Sammy Nyorri 7. Edward Maina 8. Leonardo Varese 9. Ramesh Vishram 10. Josiah Kariuki 11. Aakif Virani 12= Rehan Shah 12= Ammar Haq 14. Gurmit Thethy 15. Geoff Mayes 16. Jitendra Dhokia 17= Imran I Khan 17= Nikhil Sachania 19. Kimaru Boit 20. Dinesh Sachania GROUP S 1. Chandrakant Devji 2.Edward Maina 3.Jasmeet Chana 4. Kimaru Boit
125 87 78 75 70 59 50 43 38 22 21 12 12 10 9 8 6 6 4 2
78 74 25 21
SPV 1. Asad Khan 2. Adil Mirza 3. Carl Tundo 4. Geoff Mayes 5. Osman Abdullahi
105 57 50 27 18
CLASSIC 1. Jonathan Somen 2. Ramesh Vishram 3. Dinesh Sachania
25 21 18
GROUP N 1. Ian Duncan 113 2 Mahesh Halai 65 3. Jasmeet Chana 51 4=Baldev Chager 46 4= Amaanraj Rai 46 6. Natasha Tundo 40 7= Farhaaz Khan 37 7= John Nganga 37 9=Onkar Rai 33 9= Frank Tundo 33 11= Carl Tundo 32 11= Jansher Sandhu 32 13. Izhar Mirza 24 14= Eric Njogu 23 14= Osman Abdullahi 23 16 Stephen Mwangi 22 17= Karan Patel 21 17= Imran Mogul 21 17= Pietro Cannobio 21 20. Dennis Mwenda 20 21 Josiah Kariuki 9 22= Rehan Shah 6 22= Ammar Haq 6 24= Imran A Khan 6 24= Jitendra Dhokia 3
KNRC Championship Standings After Round 6,Eldoret Rally. Co-Drivers 1 2 3 4= 4= 6 7 8 9 10 11 12= 12= 14 15 16 17 18= 18= 18= 18= 22 23 24= 24= 26= 26= 26= 26= 26= 31 32= 32= 32= 35= 35= 37= 37= 37= 37= 41= 41= 41= 41= 41= 41= 41= 41= 41= 41= 41= 41=
Gurdeep Panesar Greg Stead Tim Jessop Amaar Slatch Gareth Dawe Ravi Soni Tauseef Khan Ketan Halai Zahir Shah Ravi Chana Harshil Limbani Keith Henrie Andrew Doig Steven Cook Adnan Din Kavit Dave Chantal Young Raju Chaggar Tony Kimondo Anthony Njenga Silvia Frigo Anthony Gichohi Tuta Mionki Julius Mwanchuya Kigondu Kareithi Gavin Laurence Steve Mbuthia Evans Mwenda Jonathan Kosgei Feisal Khan Job Njiru Salim Khan Riyaz Ismail John Ngugi Richard Hechle Mwangi Kioni Tony Gikuhi Kashif Shaikh Azhar Bhatti Jamie Mactavish Steven Nyorri Atul Kochaar George Kiama Shakeel Khan Taiti Wachira Saima Khan Edward Njoroge Mwangi Waithaka Rohit Bhudia Victor Okundi James Mwangi George Mwangi
111 90 83 64 64 58 40 33 32 28 26 21 21 18 17 16 15 12 12 12 12 11 10 9 9 8 7 7 7 7 6 5 5 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
KCB KITENGELA RALLY ROUND 6th November 2016 THE AMATEUR CO-DRIVER CHECKLIST. By Abdul Sidi Email: abdulsidi2@gmail.com It is very important for a Navigator to go through the following on frequent basis. Pre-rally preparations get simpler and more comfortable not only for himself, but for the whole team A) PRE EVENT 1) SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS Ignorance of the law is no defence. Memorize the following articles (I use the FIA format. Art.3 Program - a chronological guide to the rally Art.4 Entries - closing date, required docs Art.9 Reconnaissance - procedure Art. 10 Administrative Checks - procedure Art. 11 Scrutineering - procedure Art. 12 Other Procedures - event specific information Art. 13 Identification of officials - you need to identify who to yell at Art. 15 Final Checks and Protests Appendix 1 to 4 - includes itinerary, picture of CRO, safety plan etc Constantly check for bulletins. You are the teamĘźs information directory, planner, time keeper and nanny. Your driver, his entourage, mechanics, sponsors ALL rely on you for rally information. You are responsible for submitting entries, planning recce, service, fuel and tyres, advising your sponsors about the best view spots etc. The more knowledgeable you are, the more confidence you in the team. 2) OFFICIALS The trouble with referees is that they just don't care which side wins. Be on a first name basis with the competitor relations officer. He/she is your legal voice to all rally officials. He is also the organizerĘźs front man. CROs come in handy when you have a problem. 3) PRE-RECCE Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Recce is the most crucial yet most ignored aspect of rallying. Before recce, study the route map for ways to shorten recce time and ways to quickly find a garage/fuel station in case of an emergency. Find the quickest route that enables you to repeat a stage/competitive section immediately after the first past... Google earth is your best bet. Get several 2B pencils, rubbers, sharpeners, page sticky notes for separating stages and lined or squared note books of thick gsm paper. Get enough water and food for you and your driver. Carry food cooler box. Make sure you both eat plenty of slow releasing carbohydrates for breakfast like pasta.
KCB KITENGELA RALLY ROUND 6th November 2016 The right food improves concentration levels. That's why pasta is known as ‘the breakfast of champions. Ensure that your recce car is fully fuelled, that it has a functional spare tyre, wheel spanner, jack and safety triangle, that all legal car documents like insurance etc are upto-date. Carry enough tie wraps and a Swiss army knife that has big pliers. DURING RECCE Winning isnʼt everything, but it beats anything that comes in second. Rallies are won or lost during recce. Driver and co-driver partnerships are made or broken during recce. Pace notes belong entirely to the driver. They are a driverʼs way of describing the terrain. Be alert and note exactly what the driver says. It's important to enable the driver maintain a constant rhythm while dictating notes to you. So NEVER interrupt or edit a driverʼs description unless you consider the driverʼs description unsafe or if your interpretation is much shorter and clearer. At the end of every pass of recce, make a short description of the stage. Include details like ‘the stage where we stop to peeʼ, ‘the straight where we found a big snakeʼ etc. This enables the driver to visualize and remember the stage.
KCB KITENGELA RALLY ROUND 6th November 2016 THE FLYING FINN… KENYA CHAMPION OF 2016? Compiled and Written By: Asgar Sidi.
Email: asgarsidi@hotmail.com
Tapio Laukknen, winner of the last three rallies is 21 points away from winning the 2016 KCB Kenya National Rally Championship title. Laukkanen, despite the fact that the driver is Finnish, his co-driver, Pasi Torma, is also Finnish and the car Japanese, the fact is viewed by many as a Kenyan victory, since Laukkanen is driving with a Kenyan competition license which eligible him to score points in the Kenya rally championship, and, since his team, Multiple Rally Team (MRT) is based in Embakasi and Laukkanen lives most of the team in Kenya, either participating in the local championship or training drivers. If Laukkanen wins the penultimate round, which is to be hosted at the eleventh hour by a club from the western part of the country, the Finn will become the seventh different national champion in the era of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB). His title will also be the first for Subaru since 2008 when Baldev Chager clinched the first of his three national titles. But first Laukkanen will have to concentrate on the penultimate event, a top two result and the title is guaranteed, no matter where Chatthe finishes. The driver who held an historic record of holding an African and Kenyan championship finds himself fighting hard to defend his local title after Don Smith dethroned the African title from him on the Pearl of Africa Uganda rally in September. Jaspreet Chatthe had developed a knack of finishing every event no matter how tough the rally or the opposition but a damaged steering caused his first retirement in 14 rallies on the KCB Eldoret rally and that has swinged the championship into Laukkanen’s path. Even if Chatthe wins outright and Laukkanen finishes second (and Laukkanen has never finished second in his last 15 rallies on the local scene!) the Finn will be champion as he will would have gathered 150 points to Chathe’s 125. The final rally will not matter to Laukkanen as even if Chatthe wins outright. The tiebreaker will favor the Finn: Four wins (KCB Kajiado, Wundanyi, Nanyuki and Eldoret) against the three of Chatthe. It’s been a stiff competition for the champion, two victories were enough to clinch the last year but it’s different this year! So dominant has been Laukkanen’s season that he has left four former champions, Ian Duncan, Baldev Chager, Carl Tundo and Jaspreet Chatthe, who between them have a combined 13 national titles, are struggling for speed to keep up with him. To proof the point Laukkanen has won a total of 19 stages out of the 37 so far on the last six rallies! Five drivers share the rest where even Ian Duncan and Carl Tundo don’t appear! Jaspreet Chatthe is the second best with seven stage wins followed by Rajbir Rai (Five), Baldev Chager (Three), Manvir Baryan (Two) and Uganda’s Jas Mangat with one. With a maximum 50 points available in the last two rounds, five drivers are fighting for the podium places with 30 points separating them.
KCB KITENGELA RALLY ROUND 6th November 2016 The best Duncan and Tundo can do now is to fight for the last podium position, but they also have the young Rajbir Rai to overhaul. Rai, who made a shock announcement in Eldoret that his retiring at the end of season, is laying third with 79 points, twenty-one points behind Chatthe and seven ahead of Duncan. Tundo and Baryan are separated by four points in position fifth and sixth respectively followed by Onkar Rai and Chager who are one point apart. Six times champion Duncan has had a bad season so far. He withdrew from the KCB Kisumu rally with illness and double punctures on the KCB Safari and Nanyuki and a turbo failure in the KCB Eldoret rally robbed him of vital points. Kenya’s longest standing driver has also gone 17 months without winning a rally. Rajbir’s run has been spoiled by two retirements in Wundanyi and Nanyuki rallies due to the unreliability of the Ford Focus, but when the Ford was running well he has scored impressive results. But he left many of his fans, friends and the rallying fraternity in solemn mood after his shock retirement announcement. With two wins under his belt he will be happy to go into that retirement with a win. The season for Tundo has been a “developing” one so far. When Carl Tundo debuted the Ford Fiesta Proto on the KCB Wundanyi rally, it was his third car of the season. He started the season in a 20-year-old Subaru Impreza GC8 and then was lent a Mitsubishi Lancer by Onkar Rai for the Safari, and out of the six rallies so far he has registered one finish in each car! The three-time champion has also run out of rally victories and his last came on his home event in Nakuru last September. Laukkanen’s teammate and team principal, Manvir Baryan has been brimming with confidence since he debuted the Ford Fiesta on last year’s KCB Kisumu rally. In the 12 events in the Ford he has finished ten rallies and scored nine top-ten results including two podiums. Chager season has been frustrating so far. Struck by driver error in Wundanyi, when he went off, but a succession of failures in the new Mitsubishi Lancer R4 has overshadowed his first win in two years in Kisumu. The victory was gifted to him after the weather played havoc, which forced the organizers to stop the rally after only two out of the five stages, has been tackled. If Laukkanen wins the last two events he will equal Carl Tundo’s record of six Kenya national rally victories in a season during his title-winning season in 2012. With four wins to his credit Laukkanen will become the second driver after Ian Duncan in 2011 to seal the championship with four rally victories. But first he needs that second place to be the first Nordic driver to win the Kenya National Rally Championship title…. and second place has never been achieved by the Finn in his last 15 rallies on Kenya soil! Rally fraternity will be waiting in suspense not only for new champion but also to know the date of the seventh round of the KCB Kenya National Rally Championship! Compiled by Asgar Sidi