Charan Thethy and his son Rajveer Thethy were among those crowned the 2023 RX Motorsport Kenya champions as the season came to a dramatic end at the WRC Kasarani SSS racetrack on 19 November.
Charan, a former Kenya Two-Wheel Drive Rally champion, beat a strong field comprising Ian Duncan, Asad Anwar, Carl Tundo and Frank Tundo in the season to lay his hands on the title.
Charan’s son, Rajveer, who is one of the countr’’s finest young drivers in circuit racing, got his mitts on the coveted junior championship with vim and vigour.
Charan and his son, sharing a Subaru GC8, also propelled team 7-70 Motorsport to overall championship victory in the team Category.
Others representing 7-70 Motorsport were Eric Bengi and Caroline Gatimu, who tackled the season-closing RX3 behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Evolution 9.
Also crowned champions in the individual categories were Jose Sardinha (2WD), Karamveer Singh Rooprai (RX Cubs) and Eric Bengi (Champions). Bengi beat Carl Tundo and Baldev Chager to the Champions category title.
Rajveer was all smiles after the season-closing third race meeting which visited the Kasarani race track for the first time.
Rajveer remarked: “This journey wouldn’t have been the same without the incredible support from everyone who stood by us. A special note of appreciation to my dad, a relentless force behind the scenes, working tirelessly into the late hours to ensure our car was in peak condition.
“The synergy among us in the team was truly remarkable. Eric Bengi, the champion; Caroline, the driving force;and Charan Thethy, the legend. Each one played a crucial role in steering us towards victory.”
In Sundays final, Carl Tundo emerged the winner in the Open Class category. Charan came first in the Legends category with maximum points whilst Jose Sardinha beat Yusuf Pasta of Mombasa Roadtainers Racing to win the Two-Wheel Drive final.
In the RX Cubs final, former Autocross Bambino champion Yuvraj Rajput emerged the winner but had to contend with playing second fiddle to Karamveer whose second overall earned him the coveted championship.
The weekend’s race meeting was attended by the Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and Kenya Motor Sport Federation chairman Maina Muturi.
The CS expressed his delight at the trajectory that the motorsports in the country was taking, especially in nurturing young drivers.
Namwamba said: “There is no doubt that motorsport is on the up. We must continue to raise the bar because we cannot be hosting WRC Safari Rally without a strong national championship.
“We must have a robust, competitive sustainable national championship. Sports is about fans. We want to see people out here, families having fun, enjoying the thrill of a great weekend out.
CS Ababu urged the organisers to continue investing in talent development at young age. “I’ve seen incredible young talent all around the RX. We have a strong pipeline, a conveyor belt of really talented juniors. Continue to nurture these gems for a better tomorrow.”
He added: ‘We want to see our motorsports back in the big league. We are delighted that the rally is back to Easter weekend and I have no doubt we are going to have an incredible Easter. Count on the government’s support from President William Ruto to our ministry and across all levels of government.”
