It’s time we breathed life into the local rallying scene
Jasmeet Chana and Ravi Chana in a Mitsubishi Evo in a past rally. By finishing in second overall position at Kenya Motor Sport Club rally, they have secured the 2023 Kenya National Rally Championship title with 194 points.
What you need to know:
- In the past, one event in the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) series attracted more than 50 cars, but the situation now dire.
- We hardly see more than 15 cars participate in each of the Kenya National Rally Championship events.
The standards of motorsports in Kenya have gone down in the last few years.
In the past, one event in the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) series attracted more than 50 cars, but the situation now dire.
We hardly see more than 15 cars participate in each of the Kenya National Rally Championship events.
The East African Safari Classic Rally attracted more than 60 cars from across the globe. That shows the number of participants in the KNRC series is at the lowest.
Soon after being elected, Kenya Motor Sports Federation Chairman Maina Muturi is on record saying he will channel his effort towards ensuring entries in the competitions rise.
The entry fee for competing in a Kenya National Rally Championship event is Sh25,000.
The FIA International Competition License costs Sh30,000, while the National Competition License costs Sh20,000. With a FIA Competition License, one can participate in International Rallies across the globe.
With the National License, one can only participate in the home rounds of the Kenya National Rally Championship Series and African Rally Championship events.
A separate license worth Sh40,000 is available to competitors who participate in other rounds of the motorsports events in the country, apart from KNRC events. These include Autocross, Motocross, Hillclimb, and Rallycross.
***
Jasmeet Chana and Ravi Chana clinched the 2023 Kenya National Rally Championship crown.
Karan Patel and Tauseef Khan won the 2023 African Rally Championship title.
“I want to do the African Rally Championship again next year. I also want to do a couple of European Rally Championship events as I plan for the 2024 season,” Patel told Nation Sport after being crowned the African champion.
***
FIA have introduced compulsory rules for those taking part in the Karting Races. Riders must wear FIA-approved shoes and gloves when competing in the FIA-approved karting.
***
Bandama Rally will kick off the 2024 African Rally Championship event with its round on 24/25 February 2024.
***
World Rally Championship Safari Rally will be the second round of 2024 World Rally Championship. The event will be held during the Easter holidays (March 30 - 31). Monte Carlo will open the 2024 World Rally Championship event on 27/28 January.
