Busy times for Zim drivers

next two months in which they are expected to compete in three big international events in Zambia, Kenya and Uganda.
Rautenbach of the G-Fuel Team and Jialing’s Whyte are two of Zimbabwe’s three representatives in this year’s tough eight-legged FIA African Rally Championship series, which is already two rounds old.
The 2011 FIA ARC series opened in March with the staging of its first round – the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally in Harare – and was followed by round two of the continental competition – the Sasol Rally in Nelspruit, South Africa, during the second weekend of April. These two events saw Rautenbach and Whyte emerging as the early pacesetters in this year’s ARC Drivers’ Standings with the former sitting on top of the table with 50 points while the latter is lying in second place with 33 points.
Rautenbach and Whyte are expected to continue with their battle for the top honours in this year’s FIA ARC series when they compete in round three of the competition – the Zambia International Rally – during the weekend of May 20-22 in Lusaka. They will be joined in Lusaka by fellow Zimbabwean Craig Green who is also registered for this year’s ARC series but is yet to pick up any points after the first two rounds of action. And after competing in Lusaka, Rautenbach and Whyte are likely to proceed to Nairobi, Kenya, for the fourth leg of the series – the KCB Safari Rally Kenya – which is set to run from June 17 to 19 in the East African country.
The KCB Safari Rally of Kenya will soon be followed by the KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally, which will be the fifth round of the ARC series and will be staged during the weekend of July 15 to 17.
And according to reports from Uganda, Rautenbach and Whyte are both expected to compete in this year’s KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.
The two Zimbabwean drivers are expected to travel to Uganda in July after having first competed in the Zambia International Rally (May 20-22) and KCB Safari Rally of Kenya (June 17-19).
A Ugandan newspaper, The Monitor, reported yesterday that Rautenbach, Whyte and top Zambian motor rally driver Muna Singh are all expected to grace this year’s KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally from July 15 to 17.
The Federation of Motorsport in Uganda also announced yesterday that the Districts of Mukono, Kayunga, Lugazi and Buikwe would play host to this event. The selected Districts were inspected and found fitting for this grueling ARC event.
“We have fully submitted the requirements to the Federation of International Automobiles (FIA) and we are awaiting for their approval later this week,” said George Kagimu of the FMU at the launch of the KCB Rally Jjaguza campaign in Kampala. Kagimu also revealed that a sprint at the Lubiri Circuit would kick-start the rally before drivers head into the named Districts.
“We chose those routes because we are aiming at 100 percent closed routes to avoid any obstacles. We have also beefed-up our security and requested Local Council officials in the area to work with us in ensuring safety for both the natives and their properties,” he added.
But it is the expected presence of the current ARC series leader Rautenbach, the reigning African champion Whyte and Zambia’s Singh which will add more colour and stiff competition to this year’s KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally. The event is one of the most popular sporting events in Uganda and it usually attracts a huge crowd of more than 10 000 people for the opening and closing Super Special stages.