adminfor the Westgate Rally.
The Westgate Rally, sponsored by Pioneer Panelbeaters and Guard Alert, is the fourth round of the Zim-Zam Rally series which also brings together top motor rally drivers from Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Mike Exton, one of the event’s organisers, said yesterday that apart from the Zambians, they were expecting most of the top local drivers to take part in this event which will start at 10am on Saturday at the Westgate Shopping Mall.
“The Westgate Rally is going ahead as planned and we are expecting to have an entry of eight cars for the normal rally and eight more for the pick-up trucks section.
“We are looking at having 10 stages at this event which is the fourth round of the Zim-Zam Rally series,” Exton said.
But two-time African champion Jamie Whyte will be missing from the starting line-up on Saturday.
The 51-year-old driver said yesterday that he has decided to give this Saturday’s race a miss and will let his navigator Phil Archenoul compete with his (Whyte’s) young brother Sean.
“It’s been a long and hard season for me, and I’ve decided not to race on Saturday.
“I’ll let Phil (Archenoul) race with Sean and I will join their service crew,” Jamie Whyte said.
Sean, the 2010 national motor rally champion, will be joined in the Westgate Rally by Jamie’s son Rowan.
Rowan is following in his father’s footsteps by taking up motor rallying as a sporting career.
He will have young Craig Archenoul as his co-driver in a Subaru Impreza at the Westgate Rally on Saturday.
Craig Archenoul is the son of Jamie Whyte’s navigator Phil and it will be interesting to see how these youngsters will fare on Saturday.
The Whytes and the Archenouls are likely to be joined in Saturday’s race by other top local motor rally drivers such as Craig Green, Big “Bigs” Chitima, Jess Watson and Sherwin Evans.
Exton, who navigates for Green, was also looking at taking part in this event but he has ruled himself out of Saturday’s race due to some injuries he sustained during a motorcycling fun ride in Nyanga last weekend.
The seasoned navigator broke his collarbone and two ribs when he fell off his bike during the Nyanga fun ride.
And in Exton’s absence, Green is likely to have Colin Schreiber as his navigator.
Schreiber, a likeable character, usually navigates for the “granddad” of local motor rallying – Richard “Mahobho” Robinson – but the latter is away in New Zealand, watching the Rugby World Cup.
From Zambia, Exton said, they were expecting one of that country’s top drivers Mohammed Essa to travel down to Harare for Saturday’s Westgate Rally.
“Mohammed Essa is likely to come down here for this event but we are not sure about (the availability of that country’s other top driver) Muna Singh,” Exton said.
Essa has always been a regular feature in local motor rallying events and his presence will bring some stiff competition to Saturday’s event at Westgate.
The Westgate Rally will finish in the afternoon at Sables Motorsport Club in the Eastlea area of Harare.
Online Reporter