Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-02-17 14:36:22
Samman Vohra and Alfie Khan emerged victorious in the first round of the 2024 Kenya National Rally Championship, which took place in Eldoret on Saturday. The duo, driving a Skoda Fabia, was part of the only eight cars that completed the event organized by the Western Kenya Motor Sports Club.
Speaking to Nation Sport, Vohra expressed his elation at securing their second national event win, following their victory at the Kajiado Rally last year. He described the feeling as fantastic and stated that they were over the moon with their achievement.
The reigning Kenyan champions, Jasmeet Chana and Ravi Chana, kicked off the new season with a second-place finish overall, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX. Meanwhile, the Ugandan champions, Yassin Nasser and his navigator Joseph Kamya, secured the third position in a Ford Fiesta. The low entry list for the Eldoret Rally saw Nasser and Kamya as the only foreign drivers participating.
The recent decision by the Motor Sports Federation leaders of Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi will allow foreign drivers to participate in the respective away rally championships, using their local competition licenses. This decision is aimed at encouraging more interest and entries, enabling drivers to score championship points for their home events separately.
Ian Duncan, a multiple Kenyan champion and former winner of the Safari Rally, took the fourth position overall in the sole Nissan Pickup, navigating with Jaspal Matharu. Joey Ghose, the Chairman of the East African Safari Classic Rally, took part in the event with Kashif Sheikh, finishing in sixth position while driving his Classic Porsche 911.
The next round of the national championship will be the major round of the 2024 World Rally Championship in Kenya, to be held on March 30-31. March 25-26 will see the official reconnaissance of the Safari Rally route, coinciding with the scrutineering of rally cars participating in the Safari Rally.
The provisional results of the Eldoret Rally are as follows:
1. Samman Vohra/Alfir Khan (Škoda Fabia) – 77mins:37secs
2. Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana (Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX) – 79:10
3. Yassin Nasser/Joseph Kamya (Ford Fiesta) – 80:30
4. Ian Duncan/Jaspal Matharu (Nissan Patrol P/u) – 82:16
5. Ghalib Hajee/Riyaz Ismail (Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX) – 92:42
6. Joey Ghose/Kashif Sheikh (Porsche 911) – 96:43
7. Jose Sardinia/Assad Mughal (Mitsubishi Pajero)
8. Khalid Omar/Salim Mohamed (Subaru Impreza)
Read the original article on Daily Nation
