KENYA ENTRIES WIN INTERNATIONAL CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE

Cars and motorcycles prepared in Kenya captured the top awards in the Celtel East Africa Concours d'Elegance which had a strong international flavour with entries from England, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Uganda.

A Ford Escort classic rally car entered by Historic Motor Sport Limited through Mars Auto Garage, the company's representative in East Africa, was the first ever car entry from England. The 1970 Ford was a focal point for spectators at the Nairobi Racecourse but the pale blue 1952 MG TD of Julia Wilcock emerged victorious.

The Ford Escort was placed second in the classic rally car class which was won by Mike Kirkland's immaculate flame red Datsun 240Z. The Ford will be crewed by Ian Duncan and Saleem Haji in the Safari and legendary rally ace Juha Kankkunen will drive the Datsun 240Z. The Andy Forwarders Services Limited sponsored Alfa Romeo GTV from South Africa was another attraction at the Racecourse and this sleek coupe will be piloted by Roddy Sachs in the Safari.

In the overall car classification, only one point separated Julia Wilcock's MG TD sports car from the glistening white Nissan 160 J of Sati Gata-Aura. The Nissan earned the highest score during the judging process, but the MG TD received more bonus points for age. Sati Gata-Aura had the satisfaction of capturing the prize presented by Alan Bobbe's Bistro for the best external finish. The 1934 Railton of Malindi enthusiast Rob Hellier was placed third.

Competition for the top motorcycle places was very close fought with a mere six points separating the best seven machines. For the past two years competitors from South Africa have taken home the Car and General trophy for the best motorcycle. This was a wake up call for Kenya's Concours bike brigade who have raised their standards of preparation to new heights. Local entrants captured the top four places and the best outsider was Harare based Bob Rose who was placed fifth with his 1928 Rudge Whitworth.
The top two wheeler was the 1958 BMW of Karl Pleitz who scored his first victory in the Concours having been a regular competitor for three years. He finished two points ahead of Sati Jabbal's 1931 Jap Speedway and Sati also took third place with a 1951 Triumph Thunder Bird.

For the third successive year South African Airways sponsored Michael Milner-Smyth, the Chairman of the Vintage Motorcycle Club of South Africa, to contest the Concours. In 2004 he captured the motorcycle crown with a 1924 Douglas.

This year he fielded a 1928 BMW which was placed seventh overall and first in the over 900 c.c. class. Second spot in the "Super Bike" category went to Rick Agagliate's 1941 Indian Scout and Les Sim of South Africa was placed third with his Indian Powerplus. This machine was made in 1917 and earned the distinction of being the oldest bike ever to appear at the Racecourse.

By the time Bill Parkinson, the Chief Judge, and his team were assessing the up to 1,300 c.c. touring car class children were taking donkey cart rides, watching magic shows and making full use of the bouncing castle. Spectators circulated between the car judging line, the highly prepared Concours motorcycles in the Racecourse parade ring, the Charity Market and Auto Expo where they viewed a selection of almost all the new cars, pick-ups, 4 x 4s and motorcycles available in Kenya. The CMC Motors Group 1952 VW Beetle tied with Paul Chemgorem's 1956 model in the up to 1,300 c.c. class. The CMC entry was awarded first place on the basis of age.

The large saloon cars pulled the crowds to the Caltex ramp where judges assessed the underside and Concours fans started filling the grand stand seats. The 1965 Rover of Rajesh Patel won the up to 3,000 c.c. class and Kevit Desai's 1968 Jaguar 420 scored a repeat victory in the big saloon category. Arun Pandit's Jaguar S which was also made in 1968 was placed second and the beautiful 1951 Rolls Royce of Rajesh Lakhani took third spot.

Among the most admired entries were the sports cars and David Githere's 1966 gleaming red MG Midget took the runner up award in the 1,600 c.c. class. The replica (copy) of an Alfa Romeo 1750 Gran Sport 1930s road racing car built in Kenya by Cassini and Tonolo Sametract was allocated the award for the most elegant car in the vehicle beauty contest.

The seven "golden oldies" contesting the class for cars made up to December 31st 1940 were far and away the most popular machines with the Concours crowd. These ranged in size from the huge 1933 Rolls Royce limousine of Moez Nathoo to the diminutive 1936 Austin 7 of Simon Mutai which was placed fourth.

Rarities included the 1924 Fiat of Thika motoring enthusiast Maurice Frost and a 1930 Hotchkiss prepared in a Gilgil farm workshop by the Hughes family which earned a meritorious award. The class winner was the 1934 Railton of Rob Hellier followed by a 1928 Ford Tudor owned by John Wroe and prepared by Sheikh Motors Limited. Third place was taken by Simon Fisher's very rare 1934 Alvis Firefly of which only 90 examples remain in the world.

Shortly after the completion of judging, the Concours crowd was treated to a parade of all the Concours cars and motorcycles. Spectators in the grandstand rose to their feet to cheer the competitors with wild applause for the 12 giant motorcycles ridden by members of the Uganda Bikers Association. The cavalcade of some of the best kept vehicles in Africa ranged in age from the 1940 Indian Power Plus motorcycle of Les Sim and the 1924 Fiat of Maurice Frost to gleaming sports cars from the 60s and 70s.

Earlier in the day costume judges Liz Njaga and Kaz Lucas awarded the top fancy dress prize to Sati Gata-Aura for his traditional Japanese outfit to showcase his 1977 Nissan 160J. A formal wedding party presented by the Lakhani family with their 1951 Rolls Royce earned the runner up prize and Walter Serem linked his 1973 VW Beetle pickup with a ghost busters theme to take third place.
Costumes of a very different kind were a great attraction in the grand finale presented by African Heritage Design. Spectators remained in the grand stand to enjoy a Pan Africa Festival which featured ceremonial clothes from around the continent, traditional dresses and a spectacular acrobatic display.

At the end of the afternoon a senior motor trade executive remarked, "A splendid Concours d'Elegance. A demonstration of what can be achieved by team work and a great credit to Celtel, the Alfa Romeo Owners Club, the Jockey Club and volunteer motoring enthusiasts."