Nairobi — Jasmeet "Iceman" Chana says his sensational performance in the season so far has inspired him for more of the same as he braces up for Mombasa Rally on the weekend of September 9-10.
The Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) leader admits that his recent victory in the high-altitude Eldoret round also bolstered his chances for a maiden KNRC title.
Iceman currently enjoys a 67-point advantage on the 2023 KNRC log ahead of McRae Kimathi (79) while rally youngster and round 1 winner Jeremiah Wahome sits third with 54 cumulative points.
He now heads to round six in Mombasa with "a definite spring in his step".
Iceman believes what he achieved in Eldoret is really good motivation for him ahead of the upcoming Mombasa Motor Club (MMC) round, adding that he has found confidence and good settings for his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.
Mombasa Rally-one of the oldest and the season's only sea level event rounds- will be hosted at Mombasa Cement factory grounds in North Coast's Vipingo.
"Our aim as I said is always going to drive at our best. The pressure is not on us. The pressure is on my competitors. The essence is to make sure that we are at the podium finishing and gaining more points," said Jasmeet,
Iceman says previous Mombasa rounds have been fun to drive for him and he has a feeling this year's event will be fine too.
"If the stages in Mombasa are good, we will attack for sure. Only recce can tell what the stages are looking like, but in our mind we'll always play safe. I hear there are night stages in Mombasa which are really exciting."
"Having not won a championship and being the leader is somewhat scary, because you don't know what will happen. That's why we threw caution to the wind to make sure the car is in good nick; as we also drive with mind and not to overdo things."
Iceman continued: "Immediately after Eldoret, the car was stripped down and was put back together. We are trying to keep it in good shape. The win in Eldoret was important for our campaign. Going forward, it's very important to now finish every event in the top position."
"I would like to thank the Rubis Energy Kenya Limited for coming on board and supporting my championship bid. It's been a great deal for me to get a corporate sponsor since the WRC Safari Rally, and this has made a big difference to my championship campaign. The results are there," Iceman expounded.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Meanwhile, Clerk of the Course Roy Mckenzie has introduced night stages. According to Mckenzie, the night stages will consist of 2 stages of 22km each with intermediate holding between the 2 stages.
Mckenzie who is also the MMC Chairman remarked: "The Stages will be held on Saturday, from 8pm onwards. The rest of the Itinerary will continue on Sunday. Following the end of the 2 night stages cars will go straight to the overnight Parc Ferme inside the Mombasa Cement Factory."
KNRC STANDINGS AFTER ELDORET
Jasmeet Chana 146points
McRae Kimathi 79
Jeremiah Wahome 54
Kush Patel 49
Nikhil Sachania 44
Carl Tundo 39
Karan Patel 34
Amman Shah 33
Hamza Anwar 26
Ian Duncan 25
