Kevit Desai’s 1968 Jaguar 420 wins 2023 Africa Concours D’Elegance
By Barry.Silah, September 25, 2023
Former Industrialization Ministry Principal Secretary Kevit Desai was named overall winner in the 23 Golden Africa Concourse de Elegance in his 1968 make Jaguar 420 which scored a total of 277 points at the Ngong Racecourse on Sunday.
Desai had his 41-year-old ride score big points mostly on external finish (77) and Engine Maintenance (58).
In second place overall, under the automobiles section, was Gayling May in a 1967 Alpha Romeo Sprint scoring a total of 269 points. His biggest scores were in the exterior area and interior finish where he earned 75 marks.
His car also was graded high due to engine cleanliness and underside maintenance. The Alfa Romeo also opted for a score of 56 on boot standard and a six on roadworthiness.
Third place in the autos category went to Vitafoam Products Limited in a 1966 MGB make, with an overall score of 261. The standout features as per the judges on the call were: the external and interior finish (72), and the engine standards (48). The MGB was also graded a strong 6 on roadworthiness and 38 for Underside.
Fourth place went to Kamene Wanday in an Alfa Romeo Spider-1972 make. Kamene’s rise amassed 26 points total.
Her car scored 37 marks for underside maintenance, the exterior finish scored 70 marks while the Interior boot got 52 points.
Tumaini Muthiga won the Meritorious Award based on the judge’s discretion in the autos category, while David Odhuno picked the Meritorious Award in the motorcycle category for the big effort on his bike.
Meanwhile, Dominique Antoine of the Uganda Bikers Association won the best overall award for his 1925 Triumph 550 SD bike. He accumulated a total of 183 points for his troubles. Some of the key aspects of his win included: external finish (44), engine mechanical (49) and trim (41) for the 45-year and above sub-category.
In second place was Russell Hughes with the Italian brand – Ducati 65T (1952). His total score was 182 points with an impressive 49 marks for engine standard and 46 for external finish. Additionally, he got 40 marks for the trim.
Closing out the podium spot was David Odhuno in his 1989 Yamaha Super Tenere which collected 173 pints total. His bike mostly won marks on engine maintenance (43 marks), external finish (47 marks) and trim (45 marks).
This year’s edition had 67 automobiles on show and 41 motorcycles. Winners were awarded their prizes by the Italian Ambassador to Kenya H.E.Roberto Natali.