- SportPesa Racing driver Leonardo Varese and his navigator Kigo Kareithi are set for the opening round of the 2026 Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC).
- The 254 Motorsports Club will host the season opener at Stoni Athi Grille from July 31 to August 1.
- Varese and Kareithi will tackle the demanding Stoni Athi stages while continuing to develop and test the locally built Toyota GR Yaris Rally3.
SportPesa Racing driver Leonardo Varese and his long-time navigator Kigo Kareithi are ready for the opening round of the 2026 Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC).
The 254 Motorsports Club will host the season opener at Stoni Athi Grille from July 31 to August 1, with the event expected to attract a strong field after the Motorsport Kenya Federation (MK-F) waived all entry fees for the opening round.
Leading online gaming firm SportPesa will be fully represented at the event as veteran Varese and Kareithi prepare to tackle the challenging terrain while continuing to test the locally built Toyota GR Yaris Rally3, which they will campaign this season.
“Yes, Kigo and I are driving the Yaris GR,” Varese confirmed ahead of the event.
“We are racing under the vast SportPesa sports sponsorship programme. As part of developing the new car to its full potential and for rally conditions in Kenya, we shall be taking part in KNRC Round 1. We are looking forward to further run tests on the new car at Stoni Athi.”
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SportPesa Racing duo Varese and Kareithi set for KNRC Round 1 test
The team tested the Yaris GR at the last Shell National Autocross & Autocross Plus event, but Varese believes there is still plenty of work to do.
Having debuted the machine during the 2026 WRC Safari Rally earlier this year, Varese says the team is still discovering its full capabilities as they head to the rocky stages of Athi.
“We are still learning the car. In the Safari, we were driving at 60 per cent. The car is pretty much standard. We are doing the developments and testing. But it has huge room for improvement,” he added.
The Toyota GR Yaris Rally3 is a modified prototype inspired by the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Championship (WRC) cars.
Varese and his co-driver are no strangers to success on the rally scene.
The 54-year-old is a six-time Kenya National Rally Championship 2WD champion, having dominated the category for more than a decade. He won national titles in 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Over the weekend, the duo, alongside other competitors, will contest an event run entirely on gravel competitive stages, while the liaison sections will feature a mix of tarmac and gravel.
Crews will tackle seven special stages covering 139.70km within an overall route of 158.91km.
The itinerary features three stages repeated once and another stage run twice. Chui 1 and Chui 2 each measure 19.10km, while Simba 1 and Simba 2, at 27.89km apiece, will provide the longest and toughest tests of the rally.
ALSO READ: SportPesa earns special praise ahead of WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2026
The route is rounded off by three spectator-friendly runs; Spectator Stages 1, 2, and 3.
The final pass will serve as the Power Stage. At 15.24km, it is the shortest test on the itinerary but could prove decisive as crews chase valuable bonus points.
For Varese and Kareithi, the fight for early championship momentum will be just as intense as the battle against the clock.
Victory would earn them 30 points, while second and third place are worth 24 and 21 points respectively.
The points scale extends to 14th place, with every classified finisher beyond that receiving one point, placing a premium on consistency across all seven stages.
Competitive action gets underway on August 1. All cars must be in Parc Ferme by 7am ahead of the mandatory drivers’ briefing at 7:30 a.m. The first crew will leave the ceremonial ramp at 9am, tackling three demanding sections separated by two service halts.
The first car is expected at the finish control at 3:21pm, followed by final scrutineering and the second Stewards’ Meeting.
Provisional results will be published at 4:45pm., before the prize-giving ceremony at Rally Headquarters once the final classification has been confirmed.
Varese and Kigo are back on track with solid backing from leading online gaming firm SportPesa, who earlier this year came on board with a massive KSh 40 million sponsorship.
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