Five-time Kenya National Rally Championship Two-Wheel Drive Champion Leonardo Varese carries an air of confidence into this weekend’s KCB Guru Nanak Rally as he tackles one of his nostalgic hunting grounds.
The Nairobi-based driver was peerless in his 2WD Class on the technical Nanyuki gravel in October, where he had returned from a two-year sabbatical. He led his class throughout to win his first race in two years.
Varese said his mission this weekend is to survive the long energy-sapping stages in Il-Bissel. He will have a two-pronged approach to the race; finish the Sikh Union Club-organised round and test his Sportpesa-sponsored Toyota Auris 2WD car in readiness for next season.
“Guru Nanak is one of my favourite events on the KNRC calendar. However, we have won the 2WD there just once.
"Because it’s usually the last decisive event of the season, we have had to back off a bit. In 2009, Guru Nanak came before Mombasa and so we it attacked all the way.
"This was the event Charles Hinga miraculously rolled on top of a Masai boy when we were both fighting for the championship,” Varese recalls.
The multiple Kenya 2WD champion in 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2017 will team up with his long-standing friend and schoolmate at Brookhouse, Kigo Kareithi.
Varese and Kigo, better known as “Leo and KV”, started off their racing careers in a VW Golf GTI and upgraded to an ex-David Horsey Corolla before acquiring his current Toyota Auris.
“Preparations for Guru Nanak are in top gear. In fact, we kick-started our campaign for Guru Nanak on our comeback in Nanyuki in 2021. We felt that we needed to shake off a few cobwebs and after the first stage, the rust was off,” Varese said, adding that he is still developing his Auris for 2022.
Clerk of the Course Onkar Kalsi while announcing the revised itinerary noted that the event will feature a two-stage loop which will be repeated twice to make up a cumulative competitive run of 154km.
The longest stage is Il -Bissell which totals 60km and the shortest is the 16km Kudu run. The Bissell stage will be a real test of speed and endurance.
