Saturday, September 12, will see girls take centre stage because the Rwanda Vehicle Membership (RAC) hosts the inaugural Ladies in Motorsport Rally, an occasion geared toward celebrating and selling the rising participation of ladies within the sport.
The rally, which kinds a part of the Nationwide Rally Championship, shall be held in Gako, Bugesera District. 9 vehicles are anticipated to compete throughout six levels masking roughly 130 kilometres alongside the Nemba, Kamabuye and Gasenyi routes.
Beneath the occasion rules, each competing crew should characteristic no less than one lady, both as the driving force or co-driver.
Among the many main contenders is Queen Kalimpinya, the 2025 Nationwide Rally Championship winner and one among Rwanda’s most outstanding feminine drivers.
Different notable entries embrace Sandrine Isheja, who will co-drive for Giancarlo Davite; Aurore Kayibanda, who will associate with Eric Gakwaya; and Arielle Gahiga , who will compete alongside Chris Banange.
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A brand new era of feminine opponents
The occasion highlights a rising group of ladies making their mark in Rwandan motorsport.
Alongside Kalimpinya, opponents resembling Isheja, Kayibanda, Gahigi and Jess Mugabo characterize a brand new era of ladies more and more taking on roles as drivers and co-drivers.
Isheja has established herself as a promising co-driver, having competed alongside Giancarlo Davite and frequently featured amongst Rwanda’s main rally crews.
Kayibanda can also be rising as one of many nation’s notable feminine co-drivers. She was recognised because the Greatest Feminine Driver on the Nyirangarama Nationwide Championship Rally in March.
Gahigi is one other rising title on Rwanda’s nationwide rally scene and can compete alongside Banange in Saturday’s occasion.
Mugabo, in the meantime, continues to construct her status as a feminine co-driver, competing alongside Salvator Dusingizimana and contributing to the rising presence of ladies within the sport.
Their growing involvement displays a gradual shift in a self-discipline that has historically been dominated by males.
A commendable rise of ladies in motorsport
For Kalimpinya, Saturday’s occasion presents an necessary platform to extend the visibility of ladies in motorsport and encourage extra to take up the game.
“I’m very comfortable as a result of we’re seeing a lot of girls in motorsport,” Kalimpinya stated.
“Not simply within the area, we’ve extra girls in motorsport and within the organisation. Motorsport isn’t only a male-dominated trade anymore. We’re seeing extra girls on the monitor.”
Kalimpinya started her motorsport profession as a co-driver earlier than transferring into the driving force’s seat. She believes overcoming concern and constructing confidence are important for girls seeking to enter the game.
“Particularly for girls, I might say braveness — the braveness to take part,” she defined. “It’s a really harmful sport, and never quite common.”
Nevertheless, braveness is just not the one problem going through aspiring feminine opponents. The monetary value of competing stays a serious barrier, with vehicles, security gear and mechanical help requiring vital funding.
“Since you want a automobile, gear and a mechanical group behind you, that’s all very financially demanding,” Kalimpinya stated.
She known as for extra companions and sponsors to help girls who’ve the eagerness and ambition to compete however lack the monetary assets to take action.
The initiative is being managed by the Rwanda Vehicle Membership, which initially organised a single annual occasion earlier than increasing its actions as curiosity in girls’s participation in motorsport continued to develop.
RAC management stated registration stays open to girls who want to enter Saturday’s rally.
As extra girls take their locations behind the wheel, within the co-driver’s seat and throughout rally operations, the Ladies in Motorsport Rally is predicted to supply an necessary platform for advancing feminine participation and strengthening the following era of Rwanda’s motorsport group.
