Va va vroooom! Safari Rally fans enjoy action at Kasarani stage

A chance meeting with rally ace Karan Patel two years ago inspired two boys from Mradi in Kasarani, Nairobi to dare dream big.

The iconic Safari Rally had just returned to the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar in 2021 after an 18-year hiatus, and the two teenagers were thrilled to catch the action at the Super Special Stage at Kasarani.

Like other rally fans, Clinton Ochieng and Emmanuel “Tuk Tuk” Juma hurriedly made their way to the venue.

They happened to meet Karan, and playfully greeted him without expecting much of an acknowledgement. After all they were just young boys in the hood, while Karan was part of the top rally drivers whom they had never imagined could pay attention to them.

“He responded to our greetings, to our surprise, and he told us his name. He even bought us ice cream,” Ochieng said about their meeting two years ago.

“He encouraged us to dream big so that one day we could become renowned rally drivers. He told us to believe in ourselves and we will make it.”

“What is your dream? He asked the boys. “If you have talent you must work at it so that you can achieve your goals.”

These words of encouragement remained with the two friends. Ochieng and Juma said in an interview on Thursday that they are confident that one day that dream will come true.

And the two boys were back at Kasarani on Thursday hoping to meet Karan again but they were disappointed that their mission failed. They were unable to meet the man who has given them so much hope even when things around them look bleak.

Ochieng, Juma and a group of their friends chatted heartily on the fringes of the fenced off Super Special Stage as the rally machines cruised by at the speed of lightening, raising a cloud of dust. Their faces beamed with delight as they looked skyward to watch a helicopter that hovered over the special stage.

“This year’s event is hi-tech. The rally is being shown live on a huge screen near our home and I am so happy to see a helicopter very close by,” one of the fans, Suleiman Wachira, said.

After the interview, the boys ran off to continue with their merrymaking at Kasarani that was teeming with rally fans.

On the route, Karan, the Kenya National Rally Championship title holder and runner-up in the 2022 African Rally Championship, leads the Kenyan charge for glory in the rally that is touted as one of the toughest in the world. The rally proper begins Friday in Naivasha.

Karan makes no secret of his ambition to become one of the best rally drivers.

The Ford Fiesta R5 driver hopes to finish in a better position after finishing eighth in last year’s WRC Safari Rally.

Another rally fan, Craig Ian, a 21-year-old tattoo artist, said that his mother introduced him to the Safari Rally.

“My mother used to tell me about how the rally used to pass through our rural home in Murang’a. I know she must also be watching it somewhere here in Kasarani. I am a big fan. Last year I travelled to Navaisha with five friends and we had a good time,” he said.

Jackline Njeri from Ruiru was also at Kasarani to watch the rally and also hawk some goods.

“I have followed the rally since I was young. I have really enjoyed myself today,” she said.