2008 ARC STANDINGS

1- Muna Singh      (Zambia)      16 pts

2- Jamie Whyte    (Zimbabwe)  15 pts

3- Hideaki Miyoshi (Japan)      11 pts

4- Jas Mangat      (Uganda)      8 pts

5- Lola Verlaque   (S. Africa)     6 pts

The number of foreign drivers in this year’s KCB Safari Rally has risen to twelve according to the latest reports on the ARC website.

After the recent entry of the Uganda’s trio; Emma Katto, Jas Mangat and Riyaz Kurji, it took the number of foreign participants to 12 and the total number to 53.

The KCB that is set to run from June 27-29 is the third leg of the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) calendar.

The current ARC leader Muna Singh (Zambia) leads a foreign pack that also involves Hideaki Miyoshi (Japan), Jamie Whyte (Zimbabwe), Jon Williams (SA), the Verlaque sisters (Rally Chicks) from South Africa and Rwanda’s sole flag bearer Olivier Costa among others.

Rwandan driver Olivier Coast has expressed interest in participating in the rally however, he’s yet to confirm it. The event which is considered by many to be one of the world’s toughest rallies will cover a total of 668.79km, of which 296.07km is competitive.

It was first held from May 27 to June 1, 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1960, it was renamed the East African Safari Rally and kept that name until 1974, when it became the Safari Rally. The event was part of the World Rally Championship calendar for many years until being excluded due to lack of funding & organisation in 2003.

Since 2003, the event has been part of the African Rally Championship organized by the FIA. It is currently known as the KCB Safari Rally after its sponsor, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB).

Shekhar Mehta is the most successful driver in the event after five outright victories (1973, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982).

Ends