RWANDA will host the African Pirelli Young Star Drivers Championship finals which have been set for September 11-13. The Rwanda Automobile Association (RAA) president Dismus Kayibanda told Times Sport recently that the Pirelli-sponsored event will be held alongside the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally. “It will be a great opportunity for us to host this event in Rwanda. It will be a three-championship event held at the same. “The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla rally will be both an African Rally Championship event, a national rally event but it will also act as the Pirelli Youth Championship,” Kayibanda confirmed. The Pirelli Championship is expected to gain momentum this year following success last year, which saw South Africa’s Jon Williams becoming the first winner of the series driving a ST2000 Volkswagen Polo. Kenyans Alfir Khan and Peter Horsey fell at the last hurdle after a spirited battle. More young drivers, who fall within the age limit allowed to contest the Pirelli series, are expected join the championship this year. Tanzania’s Randeep Birdi won the first round of the Pirelli Rally Star Africa challenge in Tanzania during the Kobil Rally of Tanzania last month. Second overall and also a qualifier was Mathieu Adrianjafy from a lesser-fancied rallying nation of Madagascar, who could be the driver to watch in Kenya (for the Safari Rally) in April. Other Pirelli contenders, brothers Alex and Peter Horsey failed in their attempt to qualify for the Pirelli Young Star Drivers Championship finals in Rwanda after mechanical failures in both their new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and Evolution VIII machines respectively. Zimbabwe born James Whyte and Phil Archenoul won the Kobil Rally of Tanzania in the other challenge. Kayibanda further added the local federation is looking forward to finding possible and potential sponsors who will make the event a success. However, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) has assured the local body of sponsorship but both parties are yet to go down into details to confirm the details. Meanwhile, the World Motorsport governing body, FIA re-admitted the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally as a reserve event in the 2009 Africa Rally Championship. The Rwanda rally had been scrapped off the calendar for failure to stage the event last season. The local rally body, applied for re-admission, citing financial difficulties which they have now solved, and FIA approved the inclusion of the event in the 2009 calendar that was launched last year. Ends
