Attwell out of Kenyan rally

Rally which is scheduled to start on Saturday in Mombasa.

According to reports from Nairobi, Kenya, Attwell has pulled out of the grueling nine-day rally due to the delay in the arrival of his car’s spare parts.
Attwell was to be navigated by South Africa’s Eddie Verlaque but they are reported to have withdrawn from this event together with the latter’s daughter Lola.

In fact, reports from Nairobi yesterday indicated that there have been two withdrawals from the event in Lola Verlaque of South Africa and Attwel from Zimbabwe after the spare parts of their cars failed to arrive in time for the event.

Lola was to be navigated by her sister Megan in a VW Golf 1 while their father Eddie was to navigate Attwell also in a similar car make.
Attwell, who last took part in a competitive motor rallying event six years ago, was expected to come out of retirement and represent Zimbabwe in this year’s Kenya Airways East African Classic Safari Rally.

This year’s Kenya Airways East African Classic Safari Rally, which runs for nine days over a total competitive distance of 4 000 kilometres in East African country, had attracted 51 entries from Kenya and around the world. The entries included Attwell and the Verlaques but the number has now been reduced to 49 following the late withdrawal of the two teams.

While Attwell and the Verlaques are no longer taking part in this event, the Nairobi Star reported yesterday that one of south Africa’s top motor rally drivers Geoff Bell will now be carrying the “Southern African flag” in this tough nine-day rally.

Bell, who lives in Steenberg, South Africa, has already arrived in Kenya ready for the Kenya Airways East African Classic Safari Rally starting in Mombasa on Saturday.
Bell, who partners Kenya’s Tim Challen in a Datsun 260Z, is to test the car in Nairobi before proceeding to Mombasa for acclimatisation.

Bell is no stranger to the scenic and historic Safari Classic Rally roads as he has navigated many drivers in Kenya including the legendary Vic Preston Junior. He competed in the inaugural Safari Classic in 2003 in an Alfa then in 2007 he drove a Datsun.

In 2009, Bell and Challen were in a Datsun 180B finishing 10th after crashing into a tree on the second last day. The South African participated in last year’s Rallye Du Maroc in Morocco and finished third overall.

Event Director Surinder Thatthi said yesterday that the other drivers from outside Kenya were expected to start arriving in the country yesterday.
All but one of the containers carrying classic cars and spares have already checked in at the Mombasa port, Thatthi said.

Surinder said: “There is one story of a container which was from Hamburg. The ship carrying the Mercedes Benz 450SLC of Gunther Krosenseder was supposed to have come from Durban to Mombasa but was redirected to the Seychelles. Now it can only get here on the 17th and this is a disaster. The crew are very upset,” Thatthi told the Nairobi Star.