Newcomers enlist for Karting event

Oscar Pilipili

Three new drivers have joined the Rift Valley Motor and Sports Club (RVM&SC) Karting Championship series.

The trio will be in action during the seventh round action slated for Solai asphalt racetrack in Nakuru on August 15.

At the same time, race officials for the event have been named. Renzo Bernardi is the Clerk of the Course, while Karin Bernardi has been appointed Secretary of the event as well as the Time Keeper.

The Chief Technical Steward and Chief Scrutineer will be Keith Henrie.

The three new drivers joining the Club championship are Elly Mwendwa on Kart Number 15 in the 60cc Class, Paddy Macharia- racing Kart Number Six also in the 60cc Class and Patrick Kairu, who has enlisted in KF2 Class in Go-kart Number 38.

The event’s programme is set to begin at 8am with signing on, drivers’ briefing, official practice and racing from 10.45am. According to the event’s officials, the races will be run in clockwise direction.

PREPARATIONS ON

At the same time, participants in the event have continued with their preparation in earnest.

Series leader, Damon Oosterik, hopes to maintain his lead in the 50cc Class against Prabjot Saimbi, Mahir Amin, Yuvraj Matharu and Satjote Saimbi. Others in the 50 Class are Thomas Gitau, Xavian Walimohamed, Jadini Nzomo and Ergi Caslli.

Rafe Trundell will be going flat-out in a bid to safeguard his 60cc Class lead. In the 60cc Class are Jason Oosterik, Sofia Hansen, Gunnadi Khoda, Harkamal Singh and Ryan Bailey among others.

Tush Mavji and Sameer Nanji will face-off in the KF3 Class. Dilip Dinesh also hopes to keep his Team Magic Two team-mates, Bhavik Soni and Chirag Soni at bay.

Dilip has been a hard nut to crack to crack for the Soni siblings. Dilip has been aggressive since moving up from KF3 to KF2 class this season.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton says he is excited by the intense competition for the Formula 1 drivers’ championship - with five men in contention to win the title.

The top five drivers are separated by 20 points going into the summer break with Red Bull’s Mark Webber in top spot after he won the Hungarian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s Hamilton told his website: "We’ll resume as if it’s the start of the year, with everything to play for.

"None of the top three teams are really behind on points. That’s exciting!"

With seven races to go, Hamilton has 157 points, four points behind Webber, while Webber’s team-mate Sebastein Vettel is third on 151 points, McLaren’s Jenson Button is fourth on 147 and Ferrari’s fifth-placed driver Fernando Alonso is on 141 points.

Prior to Hungary, Hamilton had led the championship since the eighth race of the season in Canada after collecting back-to-back wins in Istanbul and Montreal but the 25-year-old has not topped the podium since.

A transmission problem forced him to retire in Hungary but the 2008 world champion is confident McLaren can still be competitive.

"I know we can come back even stronger in the final seven races," said Hamilton.

"We have some very promising developments in the pipeline, and we’re making progress in lots of other areas, too.

"We have dug deep before, and I know absolutely that we will dig deep once more."