The Talanta Motorsport Academy is the latest addition to the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS), based near the site of the rally’s opening stage at Kasarani in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi.
The academy was launched by Kenya’s deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, who described the project as a major milestone in Kenyan sporting history. Kenya has a rich motorsport history through Safari Rally Kenya, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year.
The new initiative will be supported by the Kenyan government and corporate partners.
World Rally champions Ott Tanak and Petter Solberg, and WRC2 star Oliver Solberg attended the inauguration of academy on the eve of the African nation’s biggest global sporting event.
The trio met some of Kenya’s emerging talent at the launch offering advice to country’s next wave of aspiring drivers. Local rally legends Karan Patel, Patrick Njiru, Abdul Sidi and Azar Anwar were among those in attendance.