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Driver Wahome speeds to maiden victory in KNRC

Tuesday, February 7th, 2023 10:30 | By
Driver Wahome speeds to maiden victory in KNRC
Jeremy Wahome (right) with his partner Victor Okundi during a past rally. They emerged the winners in the Machakos leg of Kenya National Rally Championship. PD/EDWIN OTIENO

Jeremiah Wahome won his first-ever Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) 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 KNRC log.

It was a result of historical significance as Wahome- who finished fourth overall in the 2022 African Rally Championship standings-became the new leader in the nine-leg series.

It was a Ford Fiesta Rally3 1-2 finish with Kimathi Junior (McRae) also celebrating his career-best performance after settling for 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.

Behind the wheel

Uganda’s Yassin 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.

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 before 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 the CS1 Machakos People Park stage.

The event was flagged off from Machakos People’s Park where RSC ran a 6.45km Super Special Stage then proceeded to the rest of the event at Lisa Farm.

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