adminopening round of the FIA African Rally Championship series next year.
This event, which was traditionally staged during the last weekend of August over the past years, was first switched to the month of March this year, coming in as the season-opener of the eight-event 2011 FIA ARC series.
And after the successful staging of the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally in March this year, this motor rallying event will once again act as the opening round of the 2012 ARC series.
The FIA World Motor Sports Council recently approved the 2012 FIA ARC calendar and it will see the season opening with the staging of the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally in and outside Harare during the weekend of March 16 to 18.
Also retaining its place in the ARC series for next year is the Sasol Rally South Africa, which has been pencilled in for the weekend of April 19 to 21.
The Sasol Rally made its debut appearance in the ARC series in April this year in which it came in as the second round of the tough continental motor rallying competition following the staging of the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally the previous month.
This event (the Sasol Rally) was held in the Nelspruit (Mpumalanga) area of South Africa and Motorsport South Africa are likely to take it back there again for next year’s second round of the ARC series.
After the Sasol Rally, the 2012 FIA series will move to Zambia for its third leg, the Zambia International Rally, which has been slated for the weekend of May 11 to 13.
The popular KCB Safari Rally of Kenya, which will be held in the East African country from June 8 to 10, will once again come in as the fourth leg of next year’s ARC series.
It will be followed by the fifth round of the competition – the KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally – which is scheduled to be staged from July 13 to 15.
The weekend of August 24 to 26 has been reserved for the sixth round of the 2012 ARC series – the Kobil Rally of Tanzania – in the East African country.
The Central African country of Rwanda will then host the penultimate round of the series – the KCB Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally – from September 13 to 15.
The Indian Ocean island of Madagascar will then host the eighth and last round of the competition from November 16 to 18.
But it is the return of the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally in the month of March next year that is set to generate more interest in the event and the sport of motor rallying in general in this country.
When the event was switched from August to March this year, it attracted a good entry of 16 local and foreign drivers.
In fact, four foreign drivers – Giancarlo Davite of Rwanda, South Africa’s Schalk Burger (Jnr) and the Zambian duo of Muna Singh and Mohammed Essa – made it into the starting line-up for this year’s event.
They were joined by 12 top Zimbabwean motor rally drivers who were led by Conrad Rautenbach and two-time African champion Jamie Whyte.
The other Zimbabwean drivers who took part in this event were Craig Green, Chase Attwell, Jess Watson, Richard “Mahobho” Robinson, Stuart Haddon, Big “Bigs” Chitima, Ian Howden, Rowan
Whyte, Laureen Marufu and Michelle Yorke.
And for the first time in its 40-year history, the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally this year created a lot of interest among the local sports fans who came in their hundreds at the Rainbow Towers in
Harare to watch its finishing Super Special stage.
They all came to witness an exciting finish to this event, which was won by local favourite Rautenbach ahead of his fellow countryman Jamie Whyte while Rwanda’s Davite settled for the last podium place.
2012 FIA African Rally Championship calendar
March 16-18 – Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge
April 19-21 – Sasol Rally South Africa
May 11-13 – Zambia International Rally
June 8-10 – KCB Safari Rally Kenya
July 13-15 – KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally
August 24-26 – Kobil Rally of Tanzania
September 13-15- KCB Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally
November 16-18 – Total Rally International Madagascar
Online Reporter