From left to right: Tom Muriuki, Jowi Odero-Jowi, Surinder Thatthi

TPi Rally Team Hosts FIA World Council Member

Hurst, TX, June 26, 2006 – Surinder Thatthi, FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile/International Automobile Federation) World Council member, took time out of his busy schedule to meet with Texas-based Rally America Championship rally driver Jowi Odero-Jowi and former Kenya National Rally Championship and Africa Rally Championship navigator Tom Muriuki. Thatthi, who is also the FIA Africa Region Coordinator/Chairman of the Confederation of African Countries in Motorsports (CACMS), Chairman of the FIA Africa Rally Championship, Director of the East African Safari Rally Classic and four time FIA Africa Rally Championship winning navigator, was in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area for a very brief period of time. He was on his way to Indianapolis, IN where he was to  perform race steward duties for the US Grand Prix Formula 1 race.

Over lunch at a local restaurant the trio spent time reminiscing about past experiences in the Kenya and Africa Rally Championship series and catching up on the whereabouts of mutual friends. They discussed the future of World Rallying in general, but more specifically the current state and future of rallying in Kenya and Africa(the FIA Africa Rally Championship). Thatthi showed a lot of interest in the format of rallying in the United States. He asked Jowi about his level of involvement, his current standing in the championship and his future plans/aspirations. Jowi informed him that his participation was minimal at best; he had just recently made a come back after a six year layoff from rallying. He told Thatthi that, with the right backing, he would like to contest one (or both) of the championship series in the U.S. and also has interest in contesting events in the Kenya National Rally Championships. Jowi also mentioned that, with the right backing, he would like to contest the FIA Africa Rally Championship and FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship series.