Kobil Rally to set off NRC race

Moshi. The Tanzanian National Rally Championship (TNRC) 2017 is scheduled to embark on a fresh challenge this weekend as the country’s top drivers gear up to face yet another exhilarating year in motorsports.

The Kobil Rally 2017, organised by the Kilimanjaro Motorsports Club (KMSC), is set to raise the curtain on the new racing season over the weekend.

It attracted a dozen drivers during its initial registration.

Defending champion Jamil Khan will once again look to set the pace after a scintillating run last year, which landed him his maiden crown.

Two-time national champion Dharam Pandya, who is also vying for his third career title, will once again pair up with Awadh Bafadhil in the hot seat to propel their prospects for glory.

The platform will also welcome 2007 champion Ahmed Huwel, who is looking to beat the young drivers to this year’s top honors after a long awaited absence from the sport.

Pandya and Huwel have envisioned great ambitions this year as they both registered for the African Rally Championship (ARC) in a bid to represent the country on the continental stage and take a step towards a greater stage.

The Rally HQ has been stationed at Bristol Cottages in Moshi, Kilimanjaro and vehicle scruteneering will take place on Saturday March 4 at the Glaciers Pub to commence the formalities of the event.

The rally will then run towards Sanya Juu to cover competitive sections at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro on the March 5.

Club secretary Tumaini Yarumba briefly remarked on the event preparations:“The club has decided to run the rally on a new track this year, we have a highly motivated team behind the rally and a great sponsorship from Kobil. As always, we are braced to set up an exciting and safe event for drivers and fans. We shall use the electronic timing system for this event and humbly request fans to follow safety instructions at all times.”

Event chairman Mashaka Juma also outlined the itinerary of the event, “The first loop will run through Sanya North and Nyumba Moja to cover a staggering 51 km of competitive stages. The second loop will cover 19.8 km. The loops will be repeated in the same order for the second round to amass a total competitive rally just under 142 km around the highlands.” Controlled reconnaissance is scheduled for tomorrow from 0600hrs to 1800hrs for all participants. Arusha’s delegation will be spearheaded by the evergreen veteran Gerard Miller who is favourite to mount a stern challenge for the podium in this event. Former champion Gurpal Sandhu is also set to power his way in his Mitsubishi Evolution X to bag early points in the season. Veteran Jayant Shah will feature in his classic Porsche 911 to run in the 2WD category.

The host clubs’ ace drivers Gurjit Dhani, Rajpal Dhani & Ajminder Dhani are set to miss out on the elite opening event due to unforeseen commitments and will pave the way for other drivers to take pole position in the event. Gurjeet Singh Dhani has undisputedly won the KMSC event on three consecutive occasions in the recent past. Other than the Hari Singh Rally Team, notable absentees include 2016 Runner up Randeep Singh Birdi, Tufail Amin, Isaac Taylor, Shaneabbas Fazal, Azim Somji and Erfan Aladin.

The race has also attracted the likes of Preetam Gandamal, Jamil Shahbhai, Naeem Daud and Binesh Haria who are dubbed as the chasing pack for this event. The number of participants is yet to meet the organizer’s expectations but could go higher as the deadline approaches. The Kobil Rally is co-sponsored by MM Signs, 2M Media, Keys Hotel, Knight Support, Delina Group, Africa Swahili Media, Alfa Zulu and Red Bull.

The National Rally Championship is an annual competition held by various motorsports clubs across the country and is overseen by the Automobile Association of Tanzania (AAT). Drivers and navigators from within and across the borders earn points based on their positions after crossing the finish line. The points tally accumulated at the end of the year is used to determine the national champion in both categories. The cars used during these events are also categorized according to their capacities and modifications into groups; Group N, Group S and 2WD.