Newly crowned Kenya National Rally Championship winner Jasmeet Singh Chana, aka Iceman, is taking a relaxed approach to this weekend’s SUC Guru Nanak Rally, despite the Sikh Union round being one of the events on his wish list that have remained elusive.
“I am under no pressure whatsoever and this is the first rally of the year I will be relaxed,” Chana said.
Winning the fabled Guru Nanak Rally has for the longest time remained on Iceman’s bucket list but the former two-wheel drive champion hopes this year it can come to fruition.
This weekend’s Guru Nanak is sponsored by CFAO Motors who are also providing a Toyota GR Hilux that will be leading the way as route opener.
Chana added: “Guru Nanak is an event associated with Sikhism so it’s a rally I have always approached with vim and vigor. I would like to thank Rubis Energy Kenya for the support and trust they have offered us in our title campaign.”
Chana is one of the few drivers in the history of the KNRC to win virtually all titles in the lower tier series championships.
With an apparently insatiable appetite for success, Chana finally got his mitts on the coveted KNRC diadem with two rounds remaining during last month’s KNRC 7 KMSC Rally.
His fairy tale achievement was a welcome relief to the Nairobi-based auto mechanic who had lost this coveted title to Karan Patel in Voi on homestretch last season.
Last year, Chana went into the season-closing fixture (Guru Nanak) at the Teita Sisal Estates with a nine-point advantage over Karan only to miss out on the all-important podium and title much to his chagrin.
His participation at this year’s penultimate Guru Nanak in Soysambu on Sunday is a mere formality as he already got the KNRC title in the bag.
Chana already has most of the KNRC titles including Two-Wheel Drive, Group S, Group N, Division One, Division Three and a handful of podium finishes under his belt.
Leaving broken records in his wake, the driver is ushering in a new era of KNRC hoping to win more titles in the foreseeable future.
Chana is a second generation driver who at childhood was inspired by his father Kulwant Singh Chana. He has also learnt the ropes from his elder brothers Ravi and Jaswinder Chana who competed before him.
“It takes years for rally drivers to build the skills to race at 200kph over asphalt and gravel but as a second generation ace driver, one needs to be quick, and they need to understand the vehicle, read the surface and know the route layout from recceing with the co-driver,” he explained.
“It’s been a hard year but we managed to seal the title well in time. I thank Rubis Energy for trusting me and my family, brothers and wife.”
