Kabras Rally Team’s Onkar Rai posted a second day’s benchmark time to snatch the Top Fry Classic Rally lead from Baldev Chager in Laikipia county yesterday.
Onka, cruising in a Porsche 911 navigated by Gareth Dawe who was flagged off at the Naibor start point for the first phase of the competitive section in fourth place, claimed the second leg in a 05:48:49:3, 02:34:0 seconds clear off Boldy.
Who lost vital time, after his car was stuck in the mud along competitive section six moment before it was scrapped after it was rendered impassable following heavy rains that pounded the section.
“We’ve had a washout in the section of Rumuruti which occupied a bigger section of CS6, that was cancelled from leg 2. It’s almost like that the roads will be muddy in the third leg but drier towards the afternoon,” said Frank Tundo, clerk of the course.
“I had t cancel the section as two rivers were high and even burst their banks, rendering the section impassable.” Added Tundo
In third place, Carl Tundo, in a Triumph TR7, clocked 05:54:50:9 drifting away from Onkar by 03:55:3 minutes blaming the wet route conditions for his troubles.
A handful cars, three in total, couldn’t make it for the start of the second day for one reason or the other, notable among them was South African duo of Lola Verlaque co-driven by her dad Edward Verlaque, who was taken ill in the opening leg, though hopeful of making it through treatment, in time for the third leg today.
As well as Kenyan hopeful, Fergus Robley who’d teamed up with Charles Wangombe after their VW Beetle broke down irreparably forcing them to bow out of the rally.
Today, the cars will revisit day ones’ route, though in reverse mode. Which will see them
Smooth gravel roads that wind around the expansive ranches north of Naibor into Il Polei before they head past DolDol airstrip and snake through huge jumps and blind corners onto Ole Naishu onto Lol Daiga, which demands bravery and pinpoint accuracy in the delivery of pace.
Among the cast of foreign drivers, South African Geoff Bell navigated by Tim Challen, is the crowd favourite after steering his Team Magnum Datsun 240Z into a remarkable sixth place ahead of Briton Andrew Siddal who’s paired up with Alex Lee also who drove the second Datsun 240Z to a top ten place finish.
