- Title: KENYA: MIXED FORTUNES FOR ASPIRING RALLY DRIVERS AT ONE-DAY RACE DRIVING SCHOOL.
- Date: 2nd June 1977
- Summary: 1. GV PAN: as car races along track TO other cars at side of track, near Nairobi, Kenya. 0.10 2. SV PAN: driver Mbugua Mathu walks to car, puts on helmet and gets in. (2 shots) 0.26 3. CU: Mathu adjusts crash helmet. 0.29 4. GV PAN: Mathu indicates right and pulls out to left to drive away. 0.38 5. BACK VIEW Mathu driving. 0.43 6.
- Embargoed: 17th June 1977 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NAIROBI, KENYA
- Country: Kenya
- Reuters ID: LVA589LLO1WDRS3TO7NBJ6LDBKLU
- Story Text: Kenya's budding rally drivers had a chance to test their skills last Saturday(28 May). Any driver with a road-worthy car willing to pay a modest fee was able to go along to a new racing driving school at the Embakasi track near the capital, Nairobi. But not all the drivers did quite as well as expected.
SYNOPSIS: All the cars were checked before they were allowed onto the track. Five professional instructors were on hand for the 21 drivers who turned up. Mbugua Mathu is a 26 year old Nairobi banker and has been driving for five years. He took his Alfa Sud to the Embakasi circuit along with his compulsory crash helmet.
After a slight adjustment to his crash helmet, Mr. Mathu was ready to get under way. But he wasn't quite sure exactly which was his way.
The Professional instructors accompanied the novices for their first five laps of the circuit. Then the new drivers were allowed to go solo and put into practice all they had learned. Unfortunately, some drivers soon discovered the hazards of motor racing. No doubt there were embarrassing moments for the drivers who returned home with their not-so new cars.
The organisers of the one-day driving school hope the occasion will stimulate interest in production car rallies. Kenya has one of the world's most famous motor rallies and some of those taking part at Embakasi last week may one day be among the top rally drivers. But Mr. Mathu said at the end of the day that he will stay out of the professional races this year and concentrate on banking.
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