Following their stellar performances on WRC3 Class during the WRC Safari Rally in Naivasha over the weekend, the FIA Rally Star Kenyan quartet of Maxine Wahome, Jeremy Wahome, Hamza Anwar and McRae Kimathi will visit two World Rally Championship rounds in Estonia and Greece for specialised training.
The trip, being sponsored by Safaricom, seeks to help the Kenyans, who swept all the podium places in Naivasha, get more exposure in a competitive setup as they gear up for the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) participation in Tanzania, Zambia and Rwanda.
Apart from their visit to the two Europe-based WRC events, the Rally Stars will also offer moral support to their colleague and compatriot, Kimathi, who is running a full campaign in the Junior WRC category. During their visits to Rally Estonia and Acropolis the drivers are expected to have first-hand experience with tips from European experts.
Kimathi Jr. has already undergone multiple training sessions with M-Sport Poland, who also build the Ford Fiesta Rally3 car, the only car in the category at the moment.
Meanwhile, Safaricom have rewarded Maxine with Sh1m for her WRC3-winning display — alongside navigator Murage Waigwa — where they clocked 5.20.21 hours, effectively becoming the only lady driver on the category and the first female Kenya driver to win the category.
“I am very grateful to my sponsors Safaricom and Kenya Airways for believing in me and offering me amazing support, which enabled me to feature and win in this year’s Safari Rally. I feel proud to be the first female rally driver in the country to win in the WRC3 category,” said Maxine.
“This is indeed a great milestone in my rallying career and I want to encourage more young ladies to join me in this field.”
Maxine is the newest driver in the Safaricom and Kenya Airways stable under the FIA Rally Star Programme, a global initiative that seeks to identify, train and develop talented drivers aged between 17 and 27.
Jeremiah Wahome navigated by Victor Okundi and Kimathi Jr, navigated by Mwangi Kioni in Ford Fiesta R3 finished second and third in the WRC3 category and 19th and 21st overall respectively.
Unfortunately, Anwar retired at the 18th stage due to mechanical problems.
“I am delighted for the splendid performance from our four youngsters at the just concluded WRC Safari Rally. They promised to make us proud and, indeed, they delivered,” said Safari CEO Peter Ndegwa.
"They have proven their resilience in the sport and confirmed to the world that Kenya has a great future in motorsport. As Safaricom, we will continue encouraging and supporting our young people to Go Beyond in their careers."
Last year, Safaricom sponsored Maxine ‘Riding queen’ to the tune of Sh3m during the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) and autocross competitions.
She also participated in the WRC Safari Rally, Voi, Machakos and Ramisi rallies as well as autocross events in Mombasa and Nairobi. She also competed at the ARC Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.
