FIA Rally Star bank on experience as ARC Rwanda preps intensify

FIA Rally Star team navigators believe the outfit’s knowledge of Africa Rally Championship (ARC) Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally could give them an advantage on this weekend's gravel stages.

 The four-car Safaricom-KQ sponsored team will pilot the state-of-the-art M-Sport Poland prepared Ford Fiestas classified under Rally3 in the 2022 FIA Rally Pyramid.

Save for Jeremiah Wahome who will be making his Rwanda debut this weekend, the rest of the drivers will be returning to the fabled Mountain Gorilla fixture for the umpteenth time.

Mwangi, who will be calling the pace-notes for Junior WRC star McRae Kimathi is nevertheless urging the FIA youngsters to remain focused and disciplined throughout the running of the Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC) organised round. 

Speaking at Kigali's Radisson Blu Hotel & Convenvention Centre, navigator Mwangi Kioni says the navigators will be key to the team's performance.

"Between us navigators, we have competed on vastly different conditions in Rwanda, so we have good knowledge of how the gravel situation plays out.

I do believe navigators' input will be key, especially for those who have done the event before. 

All in all, it will also boil down to good preparations. We have done Rwanda once before; we did it last year and I realise the stages are still the same.

Basically, it is a very quick event. We racked up a podium here last year in third overall position, so we hope we can repeat the same this weekend especially after a bad run on ARC Tanzania," offered Mwangi.

Hamza's co-driver Adnan also concurred that 'navigator sleekness’ will be the real deal in Rwanda this weekend: 

“Experience will definitely play out in Rwanda. But then again, we have to remain consistent. It has been an amazing journey navigating the FIA Rally Stars.

I have personally enjoyed every bit of it with Hamza on the I must admit that we have gelled really well. I have always said that Hamza is one of the quickest young drivers in Africa at the present, so I have very high expectations of him this weekend," Adnan said.

Wahome's navigator Victor Okundi while agreeing with his co-navigators says he expect a lot of fun in Rwanda because from the many videos that he has been analysing, it is a really fast rally with many long straights and wide roads

ARC RWANDA PROGRAMME

21 September Reconnaissance 2 PASS starts for all competitors – Day 1

22 September Reconnaissance – Day 2

22 September Scrutineering (including component sealing), Fitting of tracking and Administrative Checks 

23 September Compulsory Drivers’ Briefing at KCC

23 September Ceremonial Start at Kigali Convention Center

23 September Free practice and Qualifying stage at KCC 

23 September Publication of QS provisional classification and Selection of start position plus Publication of Starting List for LEG 1 at KCC 

07:00 24 September Start of LEG 1 at KCC 

 24 September End of LEG 1 At KCC

20:00 24 September Publication of Start List for LEG 2

25 September Start of LEG 2 

25 September End Rally 

Final Scrutineering

25 September Podium & Prize giving at KCC

FIA AFRICAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER TANZANIA 

1 Leroy Gomes (ZMB) 102pts

2 Karan Patel (KEN) 75pts

3 =Giancarlo Davite (RWA) 38pts

=Jeremy Wahome (KEN) 38pts

5 Hamza Anwar (KEN) 34pts

5=Yasin Nasser (UGA) 34pts

7 Jas Mangat ( UGA) 30pts

8 Mcrae Kimathi ( KEN) 28pts

9 Jasmeet Chana ( KEN) 21pts

10 Gurpal Sandhu (TZ) 17pts

11 Maxine Wahome (KEN) 15pts

12 Kaka Mahender Singh Jr (UGA) 13pts

13 Rio Smith (KEN) 9pts

14 Paras Pandya (KEN) 7pts