Jasmeet Chana, aka Iceman, celebrated a triumphant win in the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) classification at the Safari Rally, but he also plans on conquering the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC).
Chana’s Rubis Energy Kenya team of Jasmeet and his brother Ravi Chana overcame setbacks, including car issues on Friday, to secure the KNRC win and fourth in the FIA African Championship (ARC).
“We’re pleased with the win; we wanted a podium in ARC as well, but we had some issues with the car that set us back,” he said.
When asked about plans for the ARC, Chana replied, “We’re planning to… if all goes well, we want to tackle all rounds.”
Chana’s strong performance at the Safari Rally has sparked hopes of a strong showing in the ARC. The team’s next target could be the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally, the next round of the ARC.
Chana is one of the few drivers in the country to win virtually all categories of local competition, including the KNRC in 2023.
Meanwhile, KCB team driver Nikhil Sachania breathed a sigh of relief after securing second place in WRC3 at the Safari Rally.
“It was a big relief to bring the car back home,” he said. The Kenyan driver faced a tough first two days, but his team’s hard work paid off. “The boys worked really hard on Friday night, and it’s awesome to be here,” Sachania added.
The rally was a learning curve. “It has been a very, very tough rally. Last year was a bit forgiving, but this year there were lots of lessons to learn,” he said, highlighting the need for high-standard car setup and preparation.
Sachania’s next target is defending his ARC3 title. “With the help of KCB, we will be able to tackle the ARC3 again, so yes, that’s on the table at the moment,” he said.
In another development, Kenyan rally driver Aakif Virani is considering a tilt at the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) this year, following a solid performance at the Safari Rally.
Virani, competing in the WRC2 category, finished eighth overall, second in the KNRC, and first in the ARC3 Masters category.
Speaking to the press, he explained the challenges faced during the event: “We had to push a little bit because the time difference between me and Karan was 7 minutes, so with the penalty that we got yesterday (Saturday), Samman was getting closer to us. We kind of managed the gap between us and Samman.”
Virani also revealed that he missed a passage control due to the rains, resulting in a 10-minute penalty. “We just got a restart because of that. But we finished first in ARC Masters, second in KNRC, eighth in WRC2, and second in KNRC, so it’s not a bad result.”
With title ambitions, Virani is taking a measured approach, saying, “We take each event as it comes, one event down, and we keep moving. I think we might give ARC a go this year.”
Kenya National Rally Championship final classification Top 5
- Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana (Ford Fiesta R5)
- Aakif Virani/Zahir Shah (Skoda R5)
- Karan Patel/Tauseef Khan (Skoda R5)
- Nikhil Sachania/Deep Patel (Ford Fiesta Rally 3)
- Naveen Puligilla/Musa Sheriff (India) (Ford Fiesta Rally 3)
