NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 6, 2023 – Jeremiah Wahome has won his first ever Kenya National Rally Championship event, defeating McRae Kimathi to take victory on Rallye Sports Club (RSC) Machakos Rally as Jasmeet Chana rounded out the podium.
Navigated by Victor Okundi in a Ford Fiesta Rally 3, Wahome won by 07.7 seconds to take an early lead on the Kenya National Rally Championship log.
It was a result of historical significance as Wahome- who finished fourth overall in the 2022 African Rally Championship standings-became new leader in the 9-leg series.
And it was a Ford Fiesta Rally3 1-2 finish with Kimathi Junior (McRae) also celebrating his career best KNRC in second place.
McRae also won the Power Stage which was a repeat run of the 15.08km Phinny Stage where the top three drivers earned bonus points.
Wahome, who has competed in various open-wheel formulae, including the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship and F3 Asian Championship, ran second fastest on the power stage while Ugandan Yasin Nasser chalked up third fastest.
Uganda’s Nasser finished fourth overall thus failing to claim his maiden win on Kenya soil.
Nasser was aiming to become the second Ugandan to win the event since late Ugandan Riyaz Kurji and Syed Kadri claimed the victory in their Subaru Impreza in 2006.
Nasser ran the Machakos event behind the wheel of his new Ford Fiesta which he had only tested in an autocross championship back home in Uganda.
Kimathi and Wahome are steering the M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta R3 and are eligible to score points in the newly introduced KNRC Rally3 Championship.
Aakif Viraji in a Skoda Fabia Rally 2 was one of the early pacesetters prior to his exit in the fourth stage (the initial run of the Phinny stage)..
Virani, who made a comeback after sitting out of the second half of the 2021 season, set the fastest time on CS1 Machakos People Park stage.
The event was flagged off from Machakos People’s Park where organizers RSC ran a 6.45km Super Special before running the rest of the event at Lisa Farm.
The second round of the Kenya National Rally Championship heads to Voi on the weekend March 18-19. The event
MACHAKOS RALLY RESULTS-KNRC ROUND1
1.Jeremy wahome/Victor Okundi (Ford Fiesta R3) 1:59.39.13
- McRae Kimathi/Mwangi Kioni (Ford Fiesta R3)1:59.46.17
- Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana (EVO10) 2:03:34.13
- Yasin Nasser/Joseph Kamya (Ford Fiesta) 2:06.00.14
- Eric Bengi/Murage Waigwa (EVOX) 2:07.24.90
- Kush Patel /Mudasar Chaudry (Subaru Impreza) 2:14.48.57
- Rajveer Thethy/Wayne Fernandes (Subaru Impreza) 2:17.51.21
- Rashminder Bhabra/Devan Bhundia (Datsun Violet) 2:28.14.35
- Daren Miranda/Linet Ayuko (Subaru Impreza) 2:28.51.01
- Rion Smith/Riyaz Ismail (Ford Fiesta) 2:36.51.75
