Tyre Choice Key As Muddy And Slippery Surfaces Beckon
NAIROBI, Kenya- With torrential rains pounding most parts of the country at the present, the penultimate round of the 2023 Kenya National Rally Championship will definitely present a muddy and slippery challenge to the racing crews.
A total of 16 cars led by defending champion Jasmeet Chana and legendary Ian Duncan will start off the prestigious Guru Nanak Rally which revs off on Sunday morning at Nakuru County’s Elementeita terrain.
After reconnaissance and pre-event scrutineering at the Sikh Union Club in Nairobi, Clerk of the Course Qahir Rahim promised a great run in the Great Rift Valley.
“Sleeping Warrior will definitely be wet and muddy, so a very technical and nice run. It rained overnight in most of the stages so we anticipate a wet rally tomorrow (Sunday),” Qahir.
During the running of the rally, tyre choice will definitely be a game changer considering the rains and mud.
Drivers will tackle a total of seven speed tests to complete a competitive mileage of 160 km and a liaison distance of 32km. Mbweha Stage is the designated spectator and power stage and will be repeated thrice. Soysambu and Sleeping Warrior will be repeated twice.
Rain, which the weather forecasts give as highly probable at the race day, means the presence of mud and standing water in numerous sections, with an increased risk of rocks emerging.
Given the weather and the general road surface conditions, it will be interesting to see how the big boys go about it.
The Sikh Union round of the KNRC will feature the main KNRC class and a Clubman which is basically a training rally category for young upcoming drivers.
Double Autocross champion Neel Gohil will be piloting a Toyota Vitz in his Clubman debut.
PAST WINNERS-GURU NANAK RALLY
1973: Vic Preston Sr/Bill Parkinson (Mercedes Benz 250)
1974: NOT HELD
1975: Mike Hanson/Ian Grant (Mazda 626)
1976: Manjit Panesar/Chaani Panesar (Datsun 1600SSS)
1977: NOT HELD
1978: Chris Bates/Belinda Davidson (Colt Lancer)
1979-1983: NOT HELD
1984: Ann Taith/Sylvia King (Opel Ascona 400)
1985: Vic Preston Jnr/John Lyall (Lancia 037)
1986: Ian Duncan/Ian Munro (Opel Manta 400)
1987: Ian Duncan/Ian Munro (Toyota Celica TCT)
1988: Ian Duncan/Ian Munro (Subaru Supra)
1989: Ian Duncan/Ian Munro (Toyota Celica GT4)
1990: Patrick Njiru/Dave Williamson (Subaru Legacy)
1991: Steve Anthony/Paul Valentine (Mazda 323)
1992: Sarbi Rai/Supee Soin (Toyota Celica GT4)
1993: Sarbi Rai/Supee Soin (Toyota Celica GT4)
1994: Tanveer Alam/Mo Verjee (Subaru Impreza)
1995: Ian Duncan/Dave Williamson (Toyota Celica Turbo)
1996: Rob Hellier/ Des Page Morris (Mitsubishi Galant VR4)
1997: Emmanuel Katto/Frank Gitau (Toyota Celica Turbo)
1998: Paul Bailey/Raju Sehmi (Toyota Celice Turbo)
1999: Alastair Cavenagh/ Crispin Sasson (Subaru Impreza)
2000: Ian Duncan/Salim Haji (Toyota Land Cruiser pick Up)
2001: Ian Duncan/Salim Haji (Toyota Land Cruiser pick Up)
2002: Ian Duncan/Salim Haji (Toyota Land Cruiser pick Up)
2003: Ian Duncan/Salim Haji (Toyota Land Cruiser pick Up)
2004: Baldev Chager/Farakh Yusuf (Subaru Impreza)
2005: Riyaz Kurji/Farakh Yusuf (Subaru Impreza)
2006: Ian Duncan/Amaar Slatch (Toyota Hilux pickup)
2007: Ian Duncan/Amaar Slatch (Toyota Hilux pickup)
2008: Lee Rose/Piers Daykin (Mitsubishi EVO9)
2009: Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop (Mitsubishi EVO9)
2010: Lee Rose/Piers Daykin (Mitsubishi EVO9)
2011: Carl Flash Tundo/Tim Jessop (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)
2012: Carl Tundo/Tash Tundo (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)
2013: Baldev Singh Chager/Ravi Soni (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X)
2014: Ian Duncan/Amaar Slatch (Nissan Patrol)
2015: Tapio Laukkanen (FIN)/ Pasi Törmä (FIN)-Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4 D R4
2016: Rajbir Rai/ Greg Stead (Ford Fiesta R5)
2017: Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X R4)
2018: Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X R4)
2019: Cancelled due to inclement weather (flash floods)
2020: Carl Tundo /Tim Jessop (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X R4)
2021: Baldev Chager/ Ravi Soni (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5)
2022: Karan Patel/Tauseef Khan (Ford Fiesta Rally2)
