Alastair Cavenagh leads 42 drivers

SERIES leader Alastair Cavenagh will lead the big field of 42 drivers during the weekend’s KCB Simba Savings Rally in Meru.

Cavenagh, who leads the 2010 KCB Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) with 190points, is in fact the road sweeper for 34 drivers enlisted in the main class.  The 2WD class has attracted eight drivers led by 2008 Champion Leonardo Varese.

According to Additional Supplementary Regulations (ASRs), reconnaissance “recce” is scheduled take place on Thursday from 6am to 6pm and continues on Friday up to midday.

Rally cars will go through scrutineering at the National Oil service station on Friday morning paving way for flag-off outside the KCB Meru Branch at 2pm. The 2.6KM spectator stage will be held at the ASK Meru Showground beginning 3.03pm on Friday. Rally proper takes place on Saturday in Maua, Nkubu and Meru areas.

Legendary driver Ian Duncan is seeded second followed by veteran Azar Anwar and Peter Horsey who is the new kid on the block.

As Africa region’s Pirelli Star Driver, Horsey has shown a very steep increase in pace since he was exposed to the World Rally Championship (WRC) rounds of Portugal and Turkey.

Defending Champion Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo is seeded 5th ahead of 2008 Kenya Champion Baldev Chager. Tundo sounded quite febrile as he put final touches to his preparations.

“I haven’t had a chance to rally in Meru properly yet but if the roads are anything like Embu and Nanyuki, then they will be good as long as the roads are closed properly,” said Tundo.

Apart from the hiccup of not finishing the KCB Safari Rally, Tundo is happy with his title defense so far. 

The 2010 KCB KNRC tussle is still very close between the top six cars of Cavenagh, Chager, Duncan, Tundo and Peter Horsey and Lee Rose. Chager, the Subaru N12 driver, has been struggling this season but sits quietly in the second spot. Points and consistency win the Championship, he says.

The KCB Simba Savings Rally makes up the fourth round of the 2010 KNRC series which has so far been tricky with rains changing the tunes of the normally dry events.

Other than the main class, drivers will be seeking to up their ante at various KNRC divisions.

The few drivers who have shown promise in Division 2 this year are category leader Alex Horsey and Asad “Kalulu” Khan. Division Two also has the likes of Ben Muchemi and Anthony Nielsen.

The regular influx of the foreign drivers is giving the Division Two a run for their money. Jas Mangat of Uganda and Olivier Costa from Rwanda have shown keen interest in the KNRC but will be absent in the Meru event.