Locals, cattle force rally to be called off

There were mixed reactions from drivers after the East African Safari Classic Rally (EASCR) organisers cancelled stage 11 and 12 on Sunday.

Clerk of Course Raju Chaggar said the sections were voided on safety ground.

“The stage went live with 11 cars, which completed the section as per itinerary at competitive speed. Clerk of Course deployed a sweeper helicopter to try and assist clear the conditions on the ground. The cancellation was made after hearing reports from the 11 drivers who completed the stage,” Chaggar told Standard Sports.

The cancellation was received with mixed feelings by the competitors.

“We went through the first Stage 10 and took it quite gingerly, because it was very tricky and then the second Stage 11 was very fast. At the start of the third Stage 12, it seemed dangerous with a lot of Bodas bodas (motor-cyclists) and there was a whole lot of commotion,” former Kenyan National Rally Championships (KNRC) winner Lee Rose said.

Continental rally champion Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo approved the cancellation of Stage 11 which run from Mwingi to  Zombe due to human traffic, but felt the organisers could have redirected Stage 12 that went from Kyululu market to Ithimba.

Raaji Bharij is yet to comprehend what happened but he strongly believes it was for the good of the drivers and fans.

“It was difficult to accept, but I think the right decision was made because we need to make sure at the end of the day, everyone needs to be safe, including the spectators,” said Bharij.

Competition’s defending champion, Kris Rosenberger of Austria, had already tackled Stage 11 when he got the alarm that it was out of classification.

“We had some punctures earlier on Sunday, but the discouraging part is that the marathon day was cut back. There were three stages, we did two of them, and they cancelled our time which I don’t understand,” he said.