Guru Nanak Rally: Bengi hopes for good show

Eric Bengi raises the dust during a test drive in Stoni Athi recent. He's seeded first in Kajiado. [Courtesy]

Kenya National Rally Championship Premier Class driver Eric Bengi has kick-started preparations for the 2019 KCB Guru Nanak Rally slated for October 20.

The former Group N and Two Wheel Drive champion has been using the National Autocross series to perfect his lines on tight and twisty sections.

“We have been in autocross firstly to have some fun. It’s a healthy way to spend a Sunday. Secondly, it’s a bit of practice on the tight and twisty characteristic of circuit racing. It’s sometimes a challenge for a rally marathoner to master this type of course. You need a complete mind shift. This is why we are keen on some autocross events,” Bengi said.
The Menengai Cream sponsored Bengi said will ge racing in Nanak to put up some competition!

“I am definitely not the slowest, and I want to benchmark with the best in the game! We had a considerable repair period after Nanyuki. Guru Nanak Rally is usually a very good event for us over the seasons and we are hoping to have good tidings this time round. Our plan is to drive sensibly for a decent finish, which we have really missed on a number of events,” he said.

This year’s Guru Nanak is the sixth round of the Kenya National Rally Championship. The event will be organised by the Sikh Union Club.

This year’s KNRC has been to Nakuru, Kajiado, Naivasha, Nanyuki, Mombasa and now the Guru which will run around Lukenya region.

Meanwhile, Stig Blomqvist, the 1984 world rally champion, is among the star drivers set for the ninth edition of the East African Safari Classic Rally on November 27 to December 6.

The world rally star of the 1980s celebrated his 73rd birthday in July and is back to the historic rally in a Team Tido Race4Health Porsche 911.

Blomqvist, who also won the British Rally Championship in 1983, is yet to name his navigator for the 2019 event which will traverse picturesque stages around Kenya and Tanzania.

Belgian Stephane Prevot in car no 3 guided Blomqvist to victory in the 2015 edition of Safari Classic. But Prevot will reunite with Oman’s Joey behind the wheel of a Nissan 240RS. The coveted title is jointly held by Richard Jackson of Britain and Carl “Flash” Tundo of Kenya.

Kabras Sugar Racing, Tuthill Porsche and Team Tido are, by and large, the front-runners for the title jointly held by Carl “Flash” Tundo of Kenya and Richard Jackson of Britain.

The Kabras line up for 2019 Safari Classic is a three-car Porsche 911 team of Baldev Chager and the Rai siblings Tejveer and Onkar.