Team Bushbabes eyeing ninth victory in 2023 Rhino Charge

Team Bushbabes of Car 19 will be looking to decorate their cabinet with a ninth victory in the upcoming 34th edition of the Rhino Charge set for what the organizers have named ‘a beautiful secret place in Kenya’ on June 3. 

The boundless Team Bushbabes will be making their 13th appearance in the annual off-road 4x4 challenge, and they will be looking to speed past the strong opposition in their Coup Des Dames category.

Speaking to the media, Bushbabes driver Sabina Contos expressed her excitement at participating in this year’s set piece, noting that the competition has had a positive impact on environmental conservation.

“We are back and excited to participate in our 13th charge. It has been an honor to continuously show up for this worthwhile course for raising awareness of environmental conservation, which is something we are passionate about,” Contos said.

The team has received a tremendous boost from Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) who are also sponsoring Car 25 and Team Hippo.

“We are also glad to be partnering with KBL as we share similar values of promoting inclusivity and diversity in motorsport,” Contos concluded.

The 2022 edition of Rhino Charge saw a total of 64 teams take part in the event held at Mosiro, Kajiado. They managed to raise a total of Ksh156 million which was invested in the conservation of mountain ecosystems around Mt Kenya, the Aberdares, and Mt Eburu Forests.

So far, the annual Rhino Charge has raised over Ksh1.9 billion. It has also built 650km of electric fence and through the fencing program, more than 80,000 families are being protected from the dangers of human-wildlife conflicts.

The Rhino Charge is an annual off-road 4×4 competition held in Kenya in which entrants are required to visit 13 checkpoints scattered over approximately 100 km² of rough terrain within a 10-hour period.

The event is organized in order to raise funds to support the activities of the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust, an NGO which works towards a noble cause: the conservation and protection of Kenya’s mountain range ecosystems, the so-called “Water Towers”.

The Trust was committed to saving the dwindling Rhino population in the Aberdare National Park, as well as mitigating human-wildlife conflicts around the National Park.

On 4 February 1989, 31 competing vehicles entered the first event which was won by Travers Allison in a Suzuki jeep. Whilst the first Rhino Charge raised only KES 250,000, this amount increased tremendously over the years.