KCB SAFARI RALLY - DAY 3

RAUTENBACH WINS KCB SAFARI RALLY

Young Zimbabwe driver Conrad Bautenbach, the 20-year-old junior World Rally Championship (WRC) driver achieved the feat of his father 15 years ago by winning the Kenya leg of the Africa Rally Championship.

The KCB Safari is also counting as the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge which concluded in the Athi plains.

Reutenbach moved into the lead yesterday after overnight leader of Saturday s first leg Andrea Navarra of Italy in a Fiat Punto suffered a puncture in the beginning of the second round which cancelled his six seconds lead over the Zimbabwean.

Rautenbach s father Billy Rautenbach beat Kenya s best in 1992 Caltex Equator Rally, then also a round of the ARC.

The young tear away who started the second leg six second behind the Italian Navarra was throughout the day involved in a tight and fierce fight with Kenyan Carl "Flash" Tundo in a Subaru Impreza.

 In the end he finished the rally with a cumulative time of 2 hours 30 minutes 43 seconds, according to the provisional results.

Tundo finished in 2:32.54.The Kenyan was through Saturday learning the cars, an ex-Alistair Cavenagh N10 but yesterday he was gaining lost ground but lost it out in the final sprint.

He was most impressive at the second round of the East Africa Portland Cement super special stage where an estimated 10,000 spectators turned up and continued to party long after the rally which is sponsored by the KCB.

Navarra finished third in 2:34.04 to give the Fiat its first IRC manufaturers points.

Former Africa champion Muna Singh from Zambia finished fifth behind Hidieki Miyoshi, winner of the ARC opening round in Tanzania last month. Miyoshi, winner of the 1996 Group N title of the Safari Rally.

Baldev Chager lost out in the overall title chase but he excited the fans at the super special stage with his hard charging style in a Subaru Impreza N12, promising to deliver even in better style as the season progresses. He finished sixth overall.

Asad Anwar was seventh ahead another Kenyan Sammy Aslam, navigated by Nation motoring correspondent Abdul Sidi in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 finished eighth. 

Among notable retirees yesterday was Ugandan driver Riyaz Kurji whose Subaru continued to misfire forcing him out in the morning session.

Kuji restarted the Safari following Super Rally rule which allows one to continue racing the following day after retiring but the car which suffered.

Crowd favorite Ben Muchemi limped into the finish with broken front drive shafts and broken rear windscreen. 

The Safari Rally has re-invented itself following five lean years and the IRC round of the rally helped improve the event following filming by EuroSport.

Though held in short sections, the safari lived to its reputation as the toughest battle by man and machine against the elements of nature.

At least Steve gacheru s car burst into flames which spread a bush fire in dry Savanna in Elmentaita area on Saturday.

Provisional results

Conrad Rautenbach/Peter Mash, Zimbabwe, Subaru Impreza, 2:3043; 2. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop, Subaru Impreza, 2;32.54; 2. Andrea Navarra/Guido/ d Amore, italian, Fiat Punto, 2:34.04; 4. Hidieki Miyoshi/Hakaru Ichino, Japan, Mistubishi Lancer EV9, 2:40.03; 5. Muna Singh/David Sihoka, Zambia, Subaru Impreza, 2:42.51; 6. Baldev Chager/ Farak Yusuf, Subaru Impreza, 2:44.43; 7. Asad Anwar/Nick Patel,Mistubishi Lancer Evo 8, 2:4522; 8. Sammy Aslam/Abdul Sidi, Mistubishi Lancer Evo 8, 2:45.30; 9. Patrick Emonstpool/Benoit Daubie, Subaru Impreza, 2:49.49; 10. Susheel Shah/Mohammed Kana, Subaru Impreza, 2:56.19.

Rautenbach regains lead after CS 15
11.03.2007
Zimbabwean Junior WRC driver Conrad Rautenbach regained the lead as cars completed the first loop in Leg 2 of the 2007 KCB Safari Rally.
Rautenbach, son to former Zimbabwean driver Billy Rautenbach, was all smiles at regroup in with only a loop standing in his way.
The Zimbabwean lost his grip on Day Two s lead to Italian Andrea Navarra in Elementeita on Saturday but the latter dropped to third after the first loop amidst an excruciating puncture. With Navarra dropping to third, Kenya s Carl Tundo trailed the leader by a 1.57.43minutes margin.
On the first stage this morning - a fast and flowing 10-kilometre stretch - Navarra s rhythm was interrupted by some spectator traffic on the road. Nonetheless, he maintained his advantage over the following stage, which was much rougher and rockier. Conditions were dry and hot again today. "It s not at all easy; I understand now why the Safari has traditionally been such a big challenge," said the 36 year-old Italian. Following his team mate Umberto Scandola s problem yesterday, the Abarth team is taking particular care to make sure that Navarra s Grande Punto does not ingest too much gravel and sand. However, today s stages are on the whole less dusty than those of yesterday, so this should be less of a problem.

KCB SAFARI RALLY DAY 2 - NAVARRA TOPS DRAMATIC DAY
Fiat works team driver Andrea Navarra took the overall lead in KCB/IRC 2007 Safari Rally in an incident packed day of action at Lake Elementaita Lodge, Naivasha.
Navarra navigated by Guido D Amore guided the tiny but fast Grande Punto S2000 1 through a treacherous afternoon section to overhaul long time leader 20-year-old Zimbabwean Conrad Rautenbach who came second 21seconds adrift.
Kenya s Carl Tundo who was lying second after CS6 ended the day third 1.47s behind Navarra to keep the country s flag flying high in the foreigners onslaught.
"The competition was difficult but the car handled very well and had no problems with the dust," Navarro said.
The three time Italian Gravel Challenge champion however expressed displeasure in the afternoon s session saying that the grading of the road graded by organisers ahead of the event wrecked havoc on cars.
"They should not do this again next year since we experienced many ruts in the second session," the Italian added.
Rautenbach expressed similar sentiments although he was delighted by a performance that saw him lead through CS 6 before a broken suspension halted his charge for the lead. At one point, the young Zimbabwean navigated by veteran Peter Marsh had opened a minute gap.
For Tundo who was navigated by 2005 navigator s champion Tim Jessop, the performance of his latest acquisition, ex-Alistair Cavenagh s Subaru N10 surpassed his expectations but chose to remain modest on his chances.
"It was good, rough and hot but the second round really gave the car some pounding. Am waiting patiently to see what tomorrow (today) brings."
Uganda s hopes were rekindled when veteran ace Emmanuel Kato stormed the field with a brilliant second section run in the afternoon to finish fourth overall. Until then, he was nowhere in the top ten. A beaming Kato said, "We had problems with suspensions in the morning but the afternoon went smoothly."
Muna Singh, the 2005 Africa champion came fifth 6.49m behind Navarra in a Subaru Impreza N10 followed by seasoned Safari campaigner and Japanese privateer Hideaki Miyoshi in a Mitsubishi EVO 9.
It was particularly a tough outing for Miyoshi who saw his car suffer two successive punctures and he was quick to term the second leg of yesterday s action "dangerous"
A trio of Kenyans, Sammy Aslam, Baldev Chager and Asad Anwar occupied the next three places respectively with the Rally Babes sister act from South Africa Lola and Megan Verlaque in an Impreza N10 propping the top 10.
The rally continues in Athi River with seven competitive stages before returning to Nairobi for the finish.
LEADER BOARD AFTER CS 11
1. Andrea Navarra/Guido D Amore- (Fiat)- 1.46.06h
2. Conrad Rautenbach/Peter Marsh-(Impreza N10)-1.46.27h
3. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop- (Impreza N10)-1.47.43h
4. Emmanuel Kato/Moses Matovu-(Impreza N10)-1.52.45h
5. Muna Singh/David Sihoka- (Impreza N10)- 1.52.55h
6. Hideaki Miyoshi/Hakaru Ichino-(EVO 9)- 1.53.09h
7. Sammy Aslam/Abdul Sidi-(EVO 8)-1.56.20h
8. Baldev Chager/Farakh Yusuf-(Impreza N12)-1.56.42h
9. Asad Anwar?Nick Patel-(EVO 7)-1.57.08h
10. Lola Verlaque/Megan Verlaque-(Impreza N10)-1.59.12h

BULLTIN 12
BIG NAMES TUMBLE
As Kenyan duo escape unhurt in fire incident
Following in true Safari Rally tradition, big names were sent crashing out in hot and dusty conditions during yesterday s 10 stages of the world s toughest rally.
One of Kenya s big hopes for victory Alistair Cavenagh and Des Page Morris in a Mitsubishi EVO 8 was the first big casualty when his car broke the drive shaft in CS 2 forcing his retirement.
Italian ace Luca Betti followed suit when his rally came to an end in the same stage moments later after he rolled his Subaru Impreza N12. Betti and navigator Frederic Miclotte however escaped unhurt.
Ugandan ace Riyaz Kurji s storming start was cut short in CS 3 when he broke both suspension arms. "I broke my first arm in CS2 after hitting a rut but the car was good to continue. On the next stage however, I hit another rut and suffered a puncture and the car couldn t take it anymore and had to retire."
Another of Kenya s great prospects Lee Rose also bowed out disappointed after his Mitsubishi EVO 8 s engine folded after serious overheating problems.
The biggest victim of the rocky, dusty and rut filled course was the first of two Fiat Grande Punto S2000 1 works car of seeded driver Umberto Scandola who retired while leading on the road after his radiator became clogged with dust.
However, owing to the SupeRally rule, most of the retirees will participate in today s action in the spirit of raising entertainment value of Safari. Cavenagh and Kurji confirmed they would take part.
It was sad moment for all native duo of Steve Gacheru and Dennis Kinoti when their new Impreza caught fire and the inferno damaged four acres of land in the last stage before final service.
The two escaped unscathed but smoke billowed from the crash sight in a mishap caused by a fuel pump.
In total 46 cars started with 15 casualties meaning that 31 vehicles will make a date with the final day of an event that lived up to its name as the toughest rally.

BULLETIN 11

FIRST FIAT GRANDE PUNTO S2000 RETIRES
Umberto Scandola was lying in a strong second place prior to being forced into retirement with overheating problems.
Two-time Kenya champion Lee Rose joined the list of casualties also with serious overheating problems midway through the Wheatlands section.
It is thought that the Grande Punto s radiator clogged with sand and savannah grass as Scandola was running first on the road - leading to the car overheating. Abarth s engineers were waiting for the crew to return to service in order to find out the full story.
There were no such problems for his team mate Andrea Navarra, who returned to final service with his Grande Punto leading the IRC classification fully intact.
After final service, the crews face a 124 kilometer long road section back to parc ferme in Nairobi.

BULLETIN 10
Kenya s Carl Tundo roared into Safari title contention at the end of the first loop around Lake Elementaita by coming in second a minute behind leader Conrad Rautenbach.
Tundo who won this event in 2004 and driving an ex-Alistair Cavenagh Subaru Impreza N10 was not even among the top four a stage earlier but a blistering run in CS 6 catapulted him to second ahead of Italy s Andrea Navarra s Fiat Grande Punto S2000 1 that stepped a place to third.
It s a tight race for second since only eight seconds separate Flash Tundo and Navarra.
Navarra s compatriot, Umberto Scandola in a similar Fiat dropped from third to fourth with Japanese driver Hideaki Miyoshi s Mitsubishi who was second after CS 5 dropping to seventh.
Also appearing in the picture is 2005 ARC champion, Muna Singh, who moved up to fifth a place above reigning Africa champion Patrick Emontspool.
Kenyans Baldev Chager and Asad Anwar held their own finishing eighth and ninth respectively but face an uphill task in upstaging the leader s gap of almost 10 minutes.
LEADER BOARD AFTER CS 6
1. Conrad Rautenbach/Peter Marsh- Subaru Impreza N10 (52.26m)
2. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop- Subaru Impreza N10 (53.41m)
3. Andrea Navarra/Guido D Amore- Fiat Grande Punto S2000 1 (53.49m)
4. Umberto Scandolla/Luigi Pirollo- Punto S2000 1 (56.32m)
5. Muna Singh/David Sihoka- N10 (56.38m)
6. Patrick Emontspool/Benoit Daubie- N10 (59.02m)
7. Hideaki Miyoshi/Hakaru Ichino- EVO 9 (59.07m)
8. Baldev Chager/Farakh Yusuf- N12 (1.01.05h)
9. Asad Anwar/Nick Patel-EVO 7 (1.01.28h) BULLETIN 9

ZIM RAUTENBACH EXTENDS LEAD

Zimbabwean 20 year-old Junior WRC driver Conrad Rautenbach has opened a commanding lead after the 15.32Km CS 5 Wheatlands stage.
The Subaru N10 Impreza driver is enjoying a 1.23minutes cushion from Italian Fiat S2000 driver Andrea Navarra who has lost 50.45minutes. Umberto Scandola was pretty fast in third having lost 53.16minutes. Japanese Hideaki Miyoshi who was the overnight leader trailed him by a 2.46minutes margin.
Miyoshi was the overnight leader after the 1km Uhuru Park stage on Friday with a 50seconds overnight lead. His team coordinator Azar Anwar said the Japanese wasn t hard on it as he is pacing to strategize ion his game plan.

BULLETIN 8
SPECTATORS THRONG ELEMETEITA
In spite of connection problems to Lake Elementaita Lodge owing to massive road works in the major Nairobi-Nakuru highway, huge masses thronged for the first day of 2007 KCB/IRC rally.
Some drove but majority of ordinary rally lovers trekked for kilometers to catch a glimpse of rally action around Lake Elementaita Lodge that had the service park and special spectator stage.
The two Fiats Grande Punto S2000 1 of all Italian crews of Andrea Navarra/Guido D Amore (car No 3) and Umberto Scandolla/Luigi Pirollo (car No 8) drew the largest applause owing to their sheer speed.
Many spectators could not believe that such small machines could wield so much power. That s world class for you and it is the signal that Safari is back where it belongs on international stage.
The two Fiats are supported by a 28-man strong service crew.

Day 2 - BULLETIN 6 - BETTI, CAVENAGH, KURJI BOW OUT

Luca Betti of Italy, Kenya's Alastair Cavenagh and Riyaz Kurji became the first major casualties as the KCB Safari Rally entered Leg 1B in Elementeita.
Luca Betti bowed out after his Subaru Impreza N 12 machine rolled on CS 2. Both Betti and his navigator Fredric Miclotte came out unscathed.
They are expected rejoin the rally tomorrow under the SupeRally rule that allows drivers to restart the subsequent leg after retirement.
Cavenagh also retired on CS 2 after breaking his drive shaft. Ugandan Riyaz Kurji retired on CS 3 after breaking both lower suspensions arms.

Japanese driver, Hideaki Miyoshi navigated by Hakaru Ichino in a Mitsubishi EVO 9 laid down the challenge in this year’s KCB/IRC Safari Rally by winning the first competitive spectator stage at Uhuru Park yesterday.

Miyoshi, who has finished Safari fifth, eighth and 10th in 1995, 96 and 99 respectively when it counted as a WRC series event exhibited to an elated crowd at Uhuru Park that he has not lost his magic as yet as he navigated the winding course in 50 seconds.

Another supporter’s favourite Zimbabwe’s WRC junior driver Conrad Rautenbach whose screeching and spinning on hairpins had Uhuru Park in raptures came second in a Subaru Impreza N10 a second behind the winner.

The first Fiat Grande Punto S2000 1, a car billed to be the star attraction in Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) series making its global debut in world motor sport came third driven by Italian Andrea Navarro who left KICC in pole.

Asad Anwar in an EVO 8 underlined Kenya’s threat when the younger brother to national champion Azar by ranking fourth tied with Rautenbach and Navarro in a time of 51 seconds.

Compatriot Lee Rose in yet another Mitsubishi (EVO 8) came fifth with Ugandan ace Riyaz Kurji (Impreza N10), seed one driver and Italian Umberto Scandola (Fiat Grande Punto), Kenyan pair Baldev Chager (Impreza N12) and Alistair Cavenagh (EVO 8) and Zimbabwe’s James Whyte (EVO 6) rounding top 10 places.

RESULTS

1.        Hideaki Miyoshi/ Hakaru Ishino (EVO 9) 50s

2.        Conrad Rautenbach/Peter Marsh (N10) 51s

3.        Andrea Navarro/ Guido D’Amore (Fiat) 51s

4.        Asad Anwar/Nick Patel (EVO 7) 51s

5.        Lee Rose/Piers Daykin (EVO 8) 52s

6.        Riyaz Kurji/Sayed Kadri (N10) 53s

7.        Umberto Scandola/Luigi Pirollo (Fiat) 53s

8.        Baldev Chager/Farakh Yusuf (N12) 54s

9.        Alistair Cavenagh/Des Page Morris (EVO 8) 54s

10.     James Whyte/Phillip Archenoul (EVO 6) 55s