A total of six Zimbabwean motor rally crews were part of a strong field of 18 drivers that were flagged off at the Zambia International Rally which revved off in Lusaka on Saturday.
The event is the third on the FIA Africa Rally Championship (ARC) circuit following the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge and the Sasol South African rally that have already seen the pieces in the continental drivers’ chart jigsaw puzzle falling in place.
The Zimbabwean chargers include defending ARC champion Jamie Whyte and his co-driver Phillip Archenoul (Subaru Impreza N10), Conrad Rautenbach and Nicolas Klinger (G-Fuel Ford Fiesta S2000), Craig Green and Mike Exton (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX).
Local female driver Laureen Marufu will be co-driven by Zambian female navigator Tinky Naidoo in her Toyota Corolla RSi, Chase Attwell (Toyota Auris S2000) and veteran driver Richard Robinson and co-driver Collin Schreiber complete the Zimbabwean contingent in Zambia.
The three-day event hotel will today move to Chisamba north of Lusaka with the competitors taking part in five competitive stages, each to be run twice before resuming tomorrow morning on the same circuit.
From Chisamba the drivers will move to Lusaka around the Barn area and later ramp finish at Intercontinental Hotel, which is also the headquarters of the rally.
However, the rally proper started with the spectator friendly special stage at the Lusaka Motor Club yesterday before being preceded by the ceremonial flag off at the Intercontinental Hotel.
Zambia’s Mana Singh is the defending champion of his home rally and yesterday said he will make use of home advantage to subdue the Zimbabwean duo of Rautenbach and Whyte who are lying first and second respectively in the ARC championship.
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The Zambian champion, who is 26 points off the pace in third position with 24 points, said victory on home soil would put him in a good position to challenge the African title he last won in 2005.
“We want to take advantage of being at home to make some points because when we go to East Africa, it’s anybody’s game,” said Muna who did not hide his desire for him and compatriot Mohamed Essa to grab the first two positions.
Muna has bagged the Zambian title in the last two seasons and on both occasions he had to pip Essa to the crown on the very last day of the event after staying in billowing dust raised by his Madison team-mate on the opening two days.
Essa, on his part, has no illusions about the challenge ahead and is only hoping his Madison-sponsored Subaru WRX does not misbehave like it did in South Africa when he failed to finish the Sasol rally.
Apart from the Muna-versus-Essa rivalry, the rally also marks the emotional return of Rautenbach who won the 2008 event but the youthful driver never returned the following year to defend his crown.
Rautenbach who leads the African charts with 25 points apiece in Zimbabwe and South Africa will be joined by reigning ARC champion, Whyte in the quest to mount the winners’ podium.
Making his debut appearance in this year’s Zambian rally is South African Schalk Burger junior in the land where his father spent years as a rival to the retired legend Satwant Singh in their heyday.
Others who will be flying the Zambian flag in the rally include Ashish Patel and evergreen Paul Monge who will be hoping for a better finish this year and prove that he is not just a make weight entry on a route he is all too familiar with these days.
