The 2026 Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) season commenced with a strong performance from SportPesa Racing, as the duo of Leonardo Varese and Kigondu KareithiPlayer·Kigondu Kareithi secured a second-place podium finish in the Specially Prepared Vehicles (SPV) class. Their consistent driving also earned them a commendable seventh position in the overall standings at the opening round held on Saturday, August 1, at Stoni Athi.
Varese and Kareithi, navigating their Toyota GR Yaris Rally3, completed the challenging rally in a total time of 02:09:28.7. This result marks a significant start to their 2026 campaign, providing valuable championship points as they continue to develop their new vehicle.
The SPV class victory went to Javed LotaPlayer·Javed Lota and Konaine YakubPlayer·Konaine Yakub, who finished fourth overall in their Subaru N10. The overall winner of the 2026 KNRC Round One was 17-year-old Amaan GanatraPlayer·Amaan Ganatra, partnered with navigator Mudasar Chaud. Driving a Mitsubishi Evo 9, Ganatra clinched the overall victory and Class N title with a time of 01:52:03.1. Rajveer Singh ThethyPlayer·Rajveer Singh Thethy and James MwangiPlayer·James Mwangi secured second place overall, while Issa AmwariPlayer·Issa Amwari and Dennis MwendaPlayer·Dennis Mwenda completed the overall podium.
SportPesa Racing's preparation for the KNRC opener involved extensive development and testing of their Toyota GR Yaris Rally3. The team had previously debuted the car at the 2026 WRC Safari RallyCompetition·WRC Safari Rally earlier in the year and further refined its performance at a Shell National Autocross & Autocross Plus event. Varese noted that the team was still in the early stages of understanding the car's full capabilities, having driven it at approximately 60 percent during the Safari Rally.
Following their performance at Stoni Athi, Leonardo Varese expressed confidence in their progress.
"We're still in the early stages with this car. We only drove a couple of stages during Safari, and Safari was not really an event where you can push and do a lot of work on the car," Varese stated. He added, "But today we got faster and faster as the event progressed, and we were very comfortable with the pace. The car handled very well, and the small modifications we made before the rally to strengthen it worked perfectly."
Kigondu KareithiPlayer·Kigondu Kareithi, Varese's navigator, also shared his satisfaction regarding the championship's return after a two-year hiatus, acknowledging the crucial support from sponsors in revitalizing the sport.
This strong start positions Varese and Kareithi favorably in the early 2026 KNRC standings. The team will aim to build on this momentum as they continue to refine their performance with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally3. The second round of the KNRC is scheduled to return to the Stoni Athi stages on September 19-20, 2026.
This article was generated with the help of AI. Learn more.
