When the deputy president of Kenya comes to take on WRC2 pacesetter Oliver Solberg at his own game, you know the country’s government is taking the sport seriously.
OK, so the on-stage battle between the Škoda Fabia RS-mounted duo didn’t have quite the same intensity as Solberg’s fight with Toksport team-mate Gus Greensmith on last week’s Safari Rally Kenya.
It was, after all, in the virtual world where Rigathi Gachagua went up against one of the World Rally Championship’s finest young talents.
Rather than Kedong and Soysambu, it was the Kenya Academy of Sports in Nairobi where the contest took place, as a spotlight was shone on the newly inaugurated Talanta Motorsport Academy.
Kenya is keen to leverage the success of the Safari Rally’s WRC return and establish itself as the heart of African motorsport, with Talanta Motorsport Academy part of that plan.
International motorsport on a continent with nearly 1.5 billion people is currently very limited. Formula E was previously a regular visitor to Morocco, and staged a race on the streets of Cape Town in South Africa last year, but there is no African round on the current calendar.
Nor is the Intercontinental GT Challenge scheduled to visit in 2024, having previously included South Africa’s Kyalami 9 Hours on its program. That leaves Safari Rally Kenya as Africa’s motorsport beacon.
“Motorsport is special to Kenyans,” said deputy president Gachagua, “and with the rich history of these successful events like the Safari – which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year – Kenya is laying the foundation of soil, growing and grooming its talent.
Several WRC drivers visited the brand new academy, aimed at giving Kenyan youngsters a shot at developing their motorsport skills
“We’re rebuilding and positioning Kenya as a motorsport hub and factoring in talent and investment on a global scale.”
FIA Vice-President in charge of Africa Rodrigo Rocha said: “There should be no barrier to engaging in motorsport and this Academy creates an enabling environment for the less privileged children.”
Solberg’s father Petter watched on as Oliver did battle with the deputy president. He has fond memories of the Safari Rally from the early years of his WRC career and is keen to inspire young Kenyans to follow in the wheel tracks of Safari WRC winners Shekhar Mehta and Ian Duncan.
The 2003 World Rally Champion said: “I finished the Safari fifth twice, in 1999 and 2000, and retired in the 2001 and 2002 editions. My advice to aspiring Kenyan drivers is that they should never give up as nothing is impossible.”
