The Equator rally is scheduled to go off the weekend of 2-3April 2022 in Naivasha Kenya. It is going to serve as the second round of the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) following Ivory Coast that Zambia’s Leroy Gomes won. The event will cover a competitive distance of 185.32km.
For Kenyan national drivers, it will be their third round on the KNRC (Kenya National Rally Championship) calendar. There are twenty three competing crews with Leroy Gomes and navigator wife Urshilla Gomes looking to add another ARC victory in their bag. Gomes has not won registered a win on Kenyan soil before so he is looking to make this one his first. The Equator rally will serve as a dry run for the WRC Safari rally slated for June.
Among the foreign competing crews, besides Gomes racing team in a Ford Fiesta, is Rwanda’s Gianca rallye team’s Giancarlo Davite navigated by Sylvia Vindevogel in a Mitsubishi Evolution 10. This will serve as Davite’s first competitive event in the ARC. The only driver representing Uganda is Rai racing’s Amaanraj Rai being navigated however by a Kenyan, Gurdeep Panesar, in a Skoda Fabia. This is Rai’s first competitive event in the ARC this year, who is selective of the events he participates in. Those are the only three foreign crews competing in the event.
All the remaining slots are filled with Kenyan drivers, going for the home advantage in the event. Looking to add on his wins this season, is Tauriam racing’s Karan Patel navigated by Tauseef Khan in a Ford Fiesta. Patel has won the previous two KNRC events in the Kajiado rally and Nakuru. Also looking for a podium win is CRS racing team’s Jasmeet Chana with his co-driver brother Ravi Chana in their Mitsubishi Evolution 10. Coming off his third place finish in the East African Safari Classic is legendary Kenyan driver Ian Duncan of Minti motorsport; not competing in the ARC category, Duncan will be in his Nissan 240RS Classic. He will be navigated by Tej Sehmri. In another classic car will be Raaji Bharij navigated by Jasnell Ghataure in a Ford Escort MK1.
Other competitors include: Arrow rally team’s Aakif Virani with co-driver Azhar Bhatti in a Skoda Fabia, Synergy Gases rally team’s Paras Pandya navigated by Falgun Bhojak in a Mitsubishi Evolution 10, bringing back knowledge from the WRC Rally Sweden is McRae Kimathi navigated by Kioni Mwangi in a Ford Fiesta, also in a Ford Fiesta is FIA/WRC Rally star programme’s Jeremy Wahome navigated by Victor Okundi. Also from the FIA/WRC programme are Hamza Anwar navigated by Adnan Din in a Mitsubishi Evolution 10, and the only female driver, Maxine Wahome navigated by Murage Waigwa in a Subaru Impreza.
Shakedown is scheduled for 01st April and it is an opportunity used by drivers to test their cars on the terrain similar to the rally before the main event. It is to take place at Ndulele conservancy off the Moi north lake road adjacent to the Loldia airstrip on a 5.4km track. Spectators were given seven spectator areas for the event, the first one at Naivasha for the shakedown, zone 2 at Soysambu start zone 3 at its end, zone 4 at Elementaita, zone 5 at Sleeping warrior stage, zone 6 and 7 at Longot gate and Sawela gate in Kedong.
The Equator rally in 2021 was won by Carl Tundo/Timothy Jessop in their Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 with a time of 2:34:08.8. In second place was Tejveer Rai/Dawe Gareth also in a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5, in third place was Uganda’s Jas Mangat/Joseph Kamya in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X R4. Giancarlo Davite came in fourth place in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, and Hamza Anwar/Ismail Riyaz in a Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4D in fifth place. Yasin Nasser/Ali Katumba finished 18th in a Subaru Impreza WRX STi4D. After its completion, the third event will take place in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa rally scheduled for the first week of May. Fans are looking forward to seeing their drivers this time round and see who will come out on top at the end of it all.
