adminmotor racing drivers in Zimbabwe, last took part in a motor rallying event May last year when he competed in the same Zambia International Rally where he had fellow Zimbabwean Gareth Dawe as his navigator and the duo did well to finish in third place.
Since then, Whyte took a “back seat” and was never involved in any major motor rallying event both at home and outside our borders.
And the 53-year-old two-time African motor rally champion is set to get back on the road again when he competes in the third round of the 2013 African Rally Championship series — the Zambia International Rally — which is scheduled to be staged in and around Lusaka from May 17 to 19.
Whyte confirmed yesterday that he will be competing in next weekend’s Zambia International Rally where he will reunite with his tried and trusted lieutenant Phil Archenoul — the navigator who helped him to win the African motor rally championship for two years on the trot in 2009 and 2010.
Another top Zimbabwean motor rally driver Sherwin Evans will also be heading up north to compete in this year’s Zambia International Rally.
But the spotlight will once again fall on Evans’ compatriot Whyte who will be out to win his first Zambia International Rally title next weekend.
Whyte said yesterday that he received “a special invitation” from the organisers of the Zambia International Rally to compete in this year’s event.
He also revealed that he will receive some appearance fees from the organisers of the Zambian event, which has never happened to him in the past.
“I’ve received a special invitation to compete in this year’s Zambia International Rally. It’s going to be an all expenses paid for trip for us because they (the organisers of the rally) are going to pay for everything. In fact, they have indicated that they will pay for our insurance, accommodation, food, fuel, entry fee and on top of that they will give me US$500 as an appearance fee and this has never happened to me before.
“So, it’s worth going there to race and I will be having Archie (Phil Archenoul) as my navigator. I will also be taking with me Lewis Bindu and Nicholas Maringahosi as part of my technical team,” Whyte said.
And after spending almost one year “in the wilderness”, Whyte is looking forward to taking part in next weekend’s Zambia International Rally and he just can’t wait to get behind the wheel of his favourite Subaru Impreza which helped him to win back-to-back African motor rally titles in 2009 and 2010.
“Yeah, it’s been a long time since I last competed in a motor rallying event. The last time I took part in a motor rallying race was right around this same time and it was in Zambia where I competed in the Zambia International Rally with Gareth Dawe who navigated for me.
“Since then I haven’t been on the dirt and I just can’t wait to go back there to showcase my motor rallying driving skills.
“In fact, I’ve won almost all the big motor rallying events in Africa. I’ve been to Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, and I’ve emerged triumphant there on several occasions but I’ve never won in Zambia. I always finish either second or third and I aim to win it (the Zambia International Rally) this time around.
“Zambia has always been one of my favourite hunting grounds and I’m quite confident of pulling off a surprise win there next weekend… I’m really itching to take part in this event,” Whyte said.
Although Whyte will be competing in next weekend’s Zambia International Rally as one of the foreign entries, he is not registered for this year’s African Rally Championship series and will not score points at the Zambian event.
“I’m only going to compete in the Zambia International Rally this year because it’s now too expensive to take part in the African Rally Championship series,” Whyte said.
And Whyte will next weekend be out to emulate fellow top Zimbabwean motor rallying driver Conrad Rautenbach who won the Zambia International Rally in 2011 on his way to winning the African championship.
Mohammed Essa of Zambia won it last year, second was Muna Singh’s son Jassy Singh, also from Zambia, and third was Whyte in his Subaru Impreza.
Essa is reported to have acquired a Subaru N2010 R4 from Prodrive. It arrived in Lusaka on May 1 and set for launch tomorrow. It had a brief appearance at the fifth edition of Lusaka Happening Motor Show on Sunday doing a few stunts.
The car was initially scheduled to have arrived in Lusaka before last month’s Sasol Rally in South Africa (the second round of the 2013 FIA African Rally Championship) — it didn’t make it because shipping was delayed thus Essa had to hire former Zambian champion Paul “Poncho” Monge’s Subaru N12B, ironically the same car he used to do last year’s Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally and the Sasol Rally in South Africa as he was waiting for the arrival of his Subaru N12B also from Prodrive which won him his maiden Zambia International Rally, Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally, Rally of Tanzania and FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) titles.
He sold the car to former Uganda champion Susan Muwonge in February.
This year’s Puma Energy Zambia International Rally is the third round of the 2013 FIA African Rally Championship.
It will have a ceremonial start or ramp start next week on Friday afternoon at Lusaka Inter-Continental Hotel (which is the rally headquarters) heading to Lusaka Motor Club in the Lusaka Show Grounds for a 1.54km Super Special Stage (each car two runs, slow cars starting first) then overnight halt back at Inter-Continental.
Next Saturday and Sunday’s stages will all be run on Graham Ray Farm in Chisamba on the outskirts of Lusaka. There will be 10 stages on Saturday (in sets of two stages then service) and six stages on Sunday (in sets of three stages then service).
It is the same venue for last year’s Puma Energy Zambia International Rally but different stages.
Leading the foreign drivers will be Rwanda’s Giancarlo Davite (Mitsubishi EvoX). The organisers expect one driver each from Kenya and Uganda and about five drivers from Zimbabwe to be led by double African champion (2010 and 2011) Whyte.
About 15 Zambian drivers are expected to start with the top local drivers being Essa, Zambian champion and current National Rally Championship leader Jassy Singh (Muna’s son driving Muna’s former Subaru N10) and Paul Monge (Subaru N12B).
Zambian youngster Toofail Taj Dalal will make his rally debut in a Prodrive-built Subaru GC8 recently acquired from Tanzania.
Entries close this weekend.
Zambian crews will recce (convoy) this weekend and foreign crews next week on Wednesday and Thursday.
Meanwhile, Temba Mazvimbakupa of the Zimbabwe Motorsport Federation has called on his federation to revive motor rallying in this country.
His call came after the ZMSF said they were not in a position to stage any local motor rallying event this year due to the dwindling numbers of the participating vehicles.
“I am praying for the return of motor rallying in Zimbabwe . . . I vividly remember those epic vehicle manufacturer battles between Subaru and Mitsubishi, the three-way Donnybrook Super Special stage, boy it was adrenalin pumping.
“Hopefully new financially muscular sponsors will come on board before our top rally drivers decide to sell their machines, I mean one Mitsubishi is gone and sadly another might go soon. Who can blame the guys, it’s just too expensive to let the rally cars sit in garages. Be that as it may, the good news is that drag racing and main circuit racing are fast becoming popular and guess what if you combine the two?, rallying is the ultimate fun.
Rallying will be back in Zimbabwe and don’t you ever forget that,” Mazvimbakupa wrote on his Facebook wall yesterday.
Online Reporter