PRESS RELEASE

 

CUMMINS NATIONAL KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP (ROUND 6 OF 8)

 

EXPECTATIONS RUN HIGH AS CUMMINS KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP MOVES TO NORTH COAST

 

Following the glitz of the just ended 2007 Brookside AMU Continental Motocross Championship, the Cummins National Karting Championship gets gutsy in North Coast with Mombasa Motor Club (MMC) hosting the sixth round of the series on Saturday, August 25.

Not only will the Coast round offer competitors a rare feeling, it promises some fireworks as youthful drivers seek to outdo each other in the hot and humid atmosphere of the Coast.

This year’s Cummins Karting has given riders an opportunity to sample varied conditions firstly at Nairobi’s GP Karting Track and Rift Valley and Motor Sports Club (RVMSC) Solai track in May.

Organizers MMC, with the guidance of its new chairman Roy Mackenzie, will run three heats preceded by official practice in the morning session that will determine grid positions for the competitors.

The concrete track is about 1500ft (500 metres) long with a width of 20ft (5 meters). It is adjacent to Severin Sea Lodge in North Coast.

Mackenzie said the event offers young drivers a really good feeling with numerous track challenges expected to spice up the occasion.

“The surface is smooth and a maximum of 14 go-karts are allowed on the track. The short starting straights, a fast 200 degree bend, which lets you feel the high cornering acceleration, and sharp corners are just some of the interesting features at Mombasa Go-kart track,” Mackenzie said.

Clerk of the Course will be the experienced Reto Casanova who is the Director of the Mombasa Go-Kart.

The event is also expected to shape the Cummins championship with Nairobi riders testing the might of their Coast opponents. The 60cc class promises some fireworks with Ali Mirza relishing a go at the home event. Coast Pekee’s Mirza will enjoy the home track advantage against the ever improving Nairobi’s Michael Kimonye, who has now come to terms with his Comer Kart; that dragged him quite a bit with a series of reliability gremlins. “The kart has been giving me a hectic time at previous races but it’s encouraging that the problems have been sorted out once and for all,” Kimonye the reigning Junior GP champion said.

 

 

The two will renew their rivalry as they plot to catch up with Championship leader Dilip Dinesh of Team Magic and Davide Bernardi who is smarting from his 65cc win at the just ended 2007 AMU Brookside Championship at Jamhuri Park in Nairobi.

Dinesh and KENOL Team’s Ali Aslam (50cc) consolidated their leads in the fifth round of the Cummins National Karting Championship staged at GP Karting racetrack in Nairobi on July 8.

Ali, son to former Autocross and Group N champion Sammy Aslam also driving for the KENOL Team, won the 50cc cadet class despite finishing second in the third and last heat last month.

Dilip, better known as “Fat, Fast and Furious” claimed the 60cc GP Junior class after winning all three heats at stake.

And having already taken some impressive scalps in previous rounds, Dilip now leads the Cummins National Karting series with 230 points.

Dilip was impressive in his lap times. He set the fastest lap time in the third heat when he returned 33.57seconds.

Davide and Adil Khan –both spurred on by the AMU Championship success- are serious contenders in the Coasts race. Adil has been impressive in the last race after finishing fourth overall. Like Bernardi, he is smarting form third position in the 2007 Brookside AMU 65cc class where Kenya made a clean sweep.

Bernardi has been one of Dilip’s strongest challengers this season though he hasn’t clicked in the last two rounds. He beat Dilip to second overall position in the second round last March when he worked his way up the grid in March’s second round to pull through in awesome fashion. Ali Mirza will be seeking to improve on his third overall position, interestingly, on the home turf.

The 50cc should also be a bumper-to-bumper affair. Ali Aslam, who stretched his lead to 237 points, hopes to eclipse the likes of Sameer Nanji whose third overall place in the July 8 race saw him cling onto the second spot with 198 cumulative points.

Sarfaraz Khan who finished second in the last race is one of the drivers to watch. He hopes to push Nanji and Aslam to the limit in his Team Magic kart. Safaraz’s second saw him close the gap to 11 points behind Nanji.  Others in this class are Guenardi Khoda and Jason Oosterick who hope to move up the ranks in the standings.

STANDINGS

50cc cadet class
1. Ali Aslam                               237points

2. Sameer Nanji                        198

3. Sarfraz Khan                         187

4. Kyle Foster                            41

5. Jason Oosterick                     39

 

60cc GP Junior Class

1. Dilip Dinesh                           230

2. Davide Bernadi                     178

3. Ali Mirza                               165

4. Michael Kimonye                  155

5. Tush Mavji                           155

6. Azaad Manji                         115

 

 

Mombasa Motor Club

P.O. Box 99491 - Mombasa

Round 6 Saturday 25th August 2007

Mombasa Go Kart Track

Additional Supplementary Regulations

KMSL Permit No:  229

 

Program:

Entries Open                      Wednesday 15th August 2007

Entries Close                      Saturday 25th August 2007

 

Program Race Day Saturday 25th August 2007:

Signing On, Scrutineering and Weigh In                           12.30hrs - 13.15hrs

Entries Close                                                      13.00hrs

Drivers Briefing                                                   13.30hrs

Official Practice                                                             13.45hrs – 14.15hrs

Official Heats                                                     14.30hrs

Posting of Results                                                         16.00hrs

Prize Giving                                                                            17.00hrs

 

 

Kenya Motor Sports Foundation
P.O. Box 66122
Nairobi 00800
Kenya
Metropolitan Estate, No. 11
Off Riverside Drive
Tel: (+254-20)  4453330 or 3003049
Fax: (+254-20) 4453331
Email: info@motorsportkenya.com
Website: www.motorsportkenya.com