Michuki Hinga Emerges Winner as Shell AutoX Rally Hits Machakos
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Michuki Hinga and navigator Dennis Yaya emerged winners of the 2WD Non-Turbo Senior Car category as the fifth round of the 2026 Shell AutoX Rally Championship concluded at Stoni Athi, Machakos County.
Hinga clocked 10:39 minutes to take the top spot in the category, finishing ahead of Adriano Varese, who posted 11:45 minutes, and Tariq Rashid, who completed the course in 12:11 minutes.
The fifth round, organised by the 254 Motorsports Club, featured competitors across several categories, with Ankush Shah taking the 4WD Turbo Car Restricted category after recording the fastest time of 09:41 minutes.
Eann Bengi won the Cadet Junior 2WD Non-Turbo Buggy category in 10:43 minutes, while Myles O’Neal topped the Alpha Junior Buggy category in 26:05 minutes.
In the Beta Junior Non-Turbo Buggy category, Allan Bengi finished first in 12:29 minutes, followed by Sean Njumbi in 13:14 minutes and Mohamed Rayyan in 25:08 minutes.
Nazim Shah won the Senior Non-Turbo Buggy category in 11:28 minutes, ahead of Leo Kangethe at 12:12 minutes and Amal Shah at 14:07 minutes.
In the Open Class, Javed Lota won in 09:45 minutes, with Junaid Shah second in 09:56 minutes and Ahil Khan third in 10:17 minutes.
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Strategic Purpose of the Shell and AutoX Partnership
Vivo Energy Kenya Marketing Manager Joanne Nyaga said the collaboration with AutoX involves more than just sponsoring the championship and pointed out the aspect of the sport helping to spotlight Kenyan talent and delight enthusiasts.
“Shell’s continued partnership with Autocross is about more than putting our name on a championship. It is about celebrating performance, supporting Kenyan motorsport talent and creating memorable experiences for the fans who make this sport what it is,” Nyaga said.
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Promoting Shell Performance
She added that this year’s Shell V-Power 5th edition would be yet another platform to promote Shell’s performance credentials as well as support Kenya’s motorsports fraternity.
Vivo Energy Kenya, through its Shell brand, is the title sponsor of the seven-leg 2026 AutoX Rally Championship, which runs from February to November.
The sponsorship comes as the second year in a row of Shell being the title sponsor after the company was involved with the championship in the 2025 season.
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Kenyan rally driver Michuki Hinga with his teammate at a rally event in Kenya. PHOTO | Michuki Hinga