Rally Driver Tinashe Gatimu makes her remarks during the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Safari Rally 2025 Sponsorship launch at Kencom on January 30, 2025.
Youngster Tinashe Gatimu can’t wait to team up with her mother Caroline Gatimu when the 2025 World Rally Championship Safari Rally revs off at City Hall Way in Nairobi on March 20.
“Competing against my mother is an amazing experience we will be driving a Subaru Impreza GC8 car. She inspires me a lot because she is a rally driver, and I look forward to learning from her experience. I already know her as my mother, and getting into the car together was the simplest of tasks,” the 20-year-old said.
She is happy to get sponsorship from KCB, saying it allows her to concentrate on preparing for the competition instead of shopping around for a sponsor.
“I am very grateful to KCB for the sponsorship. I can now focus on preparing for the competition, and to fly KCB’s flag high,” Tinashe, who will be competing in the national category for the third year, said. Tinashe is pursuing a diploma course in Business Technology at Strathmore University, also plays basketball for Strathmore Swords in Kenya Basketball Federation women’s Division One League.
KCB will sponsor the 2025 World Rally Championship Safari Rally, in addition to funding four renowned Kenya National Rally Championship rally drivers.
KCB has pledged to donate Sh209m in total for the Safari Rally and the four drivers combined. The deal was announced on Thursday by KCB CEO Paul Russo.
“We are happy to extend our support to the Safari Rally, and four drivers who have been selected to be part of the team. KCB will give a total of Sh209million,” Russo said.
Russo added: “We are asking Safari Rally organisers to arrange for the spectators to get closer to the competition. The drivers will get Sh30 million to help them get ready for the competition.
Also present were Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, Principal Secretary Peter Tum, Safari Rally Kenya CEO Charles Gacheru, and a host of local rally drivers.
“It is my great pleasure to welcome KCB to this year’ Safari Rally. Safari Rally is a big name in Kenya, and gives the country very good publicity,” Mvurya observed.
The Safari Rally will be the third round of the 2025 World Rally Championship calendar. It will be run on March 20-23 in Naivasha and Nairobi.
African Rally Championship winners Karan Patel and Tauseef Khan lead the list of four crews sponsored by KCB. The rest are Nikhil Sachania/Deep Patel, Evans Kavisi/Absolum Aswani, and Tinashe Gatimu/Caroline Gatimu.
Patel will drive a Skoda Fabia car, as Sachania competes in a specially prepared Skoda Fabia car.
Kavisi and Gatimu will drive Subaru Impreza cars.
The World Rally Championship Safari Rally will have a total of 21 competitive stages. The competitive stages will be 384.86 kilometres, while the transport distance will be 1,403.63km.
The competition will be flagged off from City Hall Way in Nairobi on March 20, from where the cars will head to the first Super Spectator Stage at Kasarani. From Kasarani, the cars will head to the first perce ferme at Naivasha, followed by an overnight stay. Action proper will start the following morning.
