NAIROBI, Kenya, March 15 - The hills around Athi River and Lukenya will reverberate with the roar of turbo charged machines as KCB Bankika Rally gets underway on Sunday.

Two-times former champion Carl “Flash” Tundo leads the bumper provisional list comprising of 52 drivers. A total of 40 drivers have entered the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) category with 13 others enlisted in 2WD.

According to event itinerary, the Kenya Motor Sports Club (KMSC) organized rally will be flagged off outside KCB Ongata Rongai branch on Sunday beginning 9am.

A total of eight stages will be run around Kitengela, Stony Athi, Mathatani, Lukenya and Athi River totaling 145.60Km of competitive mileage. The rally, co-sponsored by Pelican, Identisys, ALS, iWay Africa, Keringet and Car Track, has a liaison distance which is 32.59percent of the 216km total.

ROAD SWEEPER

The Dalbit Petroleum-sponsored EVO9 of Tundo will be sweeping stages seeking to atone for a disappointing season in 2010.

Tundo will be followed in the order by fast-rising Kick Energy (Kenya) sponsored youngster, Peter Horsey, who is teaming up with Dez Page-Morris in the crowd-pulling “Moto Moto”-their modified Datsun Debe pickup.

BATTLE OF FUEL TITANS

Fans will be handed a bonus as they bear witness to some volatile rivalry of Fuel Companies.

“Oh! It’s a very big battle this year. I mean literally all the top drivers are sponsored by Fuel Companies and each one of us would like our Companies to win,” said three times champion Azar Anwar of Oilibya Racing.

Other top drivers include defending champion and series leader Alastair Cavenagh of Dalbit Petroleum Team who is back with Gavin Laurence in their Mitsubishi EVO9, Baldev Singh Chager and Azar both from Olibya Racing, Jas Mangat from Uganda and Ian Duncan- now on his second outing in his National Oil Mitsubishi EVO9.

Fresh on his inaugural victory of the season in Voi where he led the rally from start to finish navigated by his brother Adrian, Cavenagh is back with the championship winning navigator Gavin Laurence. “I am back with Gavin and we hope we can start the season from where we left off last year. I am sure that Ian will be a much greater force to be reckoned with this time round now that he has gotten used to the car and we look forward to a good fight with Tundo, Ian and the others,” said Cavenagh.

FORMULA TWO

The Formula Two class also promises thrills and spills. Adnan Suhail and Absalom Aswani are raring to go in their Daihatsu Special. Defending Champion Leonardo Varese is back after skipping Voi and so is former Champion Kirandeep “Deep” Chana (VW Golf GTi). “Haraka Mamas” -the all-new ladies crew comprising Joan Nesbitt and Dr Tamara K Jones (Toyota Tercel RSI)- are spoiling for a fight after an exciting debut in Voi. Voi 2WD winner James Kirimi and Nadeem Kana from Mombasa are also set to ruffle feathers in their VW Golf Gti cars.

Joel Muchiri and Riyaz Ishail finished second in Voi in just their fourth rally and hope to maintain their 100% finish record this time round! Gurmit Thethy is teaming up with Depinder Kalsi in their VW Golf GTi.

2011 KCB Bankika Rally Map/Route

2011 KCB Bankika Rally Draft Itinerary