Rallying: Rai wins Top Fry Nakuru Rally at Rift Valley Club

Onkar Rai clocked one hour 28minutes and 4.3seconds to retain the Top Fry Nakuru Rally yesterday at Rift Valley MotorsSports Club in Solai.

Rai, who drove a Skoda Fabia and was a member of Kabras Team, suffered two punctures in the first section of the rally where he was overtaken by teammate Baldev Chager before they checked in for inspection at Gicheha Service Park in Rongai.

“It was tough retaining the title after we suffered two punctures that made us get overtaken by Chager,” he said.

Chager co-driven by Ravi Soni in a Mitsubishi Evolution 10 trailed in one hour28 minutes 20.7seconds ahead of former national champion Ian Duncan co-driven by Anthony Nelson.

Charger, fourth placed in the first leg of Kenya National Rally Championships last December, said the weather conditions were quite challenging.

“The hot and dusty conditions made us anxious earlier in the day.  

“But we were determined to improve on our timings compared to the completion last December,” said Chager, a member of the victorious Kabras Team.

Duncan and Anthony Nielsen, who were the second off the ramp in a Mitsubishi Evolution 10 car Number One, finished third after managing one hour, 14minutes and 14.8 seconds.

Manvir Baryan and Drew Sturrocks in a Skoda Fabia came fourth in 1.15.43.3 ahead of former three time national champion Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo and his co-driver Tim Jessop.

Tundo said his Mitsubishi Evolution 10 had brake failure in the first section.

Meanwhile, Belgian driver Thierry Neuville negotiated the snow and ice to hold onto the lead at the midway point of the day in the Rally of Sweden yesterday.

Neuville, in a Hyundai i20, held a 5.9sec advantage over Irish driver Craig Breen in a Citroen C3. Neuville’s Hyundai teammate Andreas Mikkelsen was 17sec further back. [Ben Ahenda and Agencies]