After years of persistent efforts, the Chana brothers, Jasmeet and Ravi, have finally clinched the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) title with two rounds to go.
The Nairobi-based siblings secured second place in the Kajiado Rally held in Il-Bisil, while Samman Vohra in a Skoda Fabia Rally 2 celebrated his first KNRC victory.
Samman, navigated by Alfir Khan, completed the rally in 01:36:36.8, outpacing Mitsubishi Evolution’s Chana brothers, who finished second in 01:43:45.8. McRae Kimathi in a Ford Fiesta secured the third spot with a time of 01:45:57.3. However, Samman’s triumph was overshadowed by the Chana brothers’ title victory on this dry and dusty day.
With an unassailable 196 points, the Chana brothers had effectively sealed their championship campaign and also met the newly introduced 50 per cent participation threshold for the nine-leg series. Their fifth-place finish in the Kajiado round was sufficient to secure the title.
Jasmeet’s achievement places him among the few drivers in Kenya to have won in almost all KNRC categories, including Division 3, 2WD, Group N, and Group S.
The Chana brothers now join the esteemed list of Kenyan rally legends who have claimed the prestigious national rally title, including Baldev Chager, Alastair Cavenagh, Lee Rose, Karan Patel, Patrick Njiru, Carl “Flash” Tundo, Rory Green, and others.
Jasmeet expressed his delight, saying, “It’s such a great feeling emerging the champion in a very successful year with my elder brother. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Karan Patel, the outgoing champion, opted for his old Evolution X in the Kajiado Rally, as he is preserving his Fiesta for the penultimate round of the FIA Africa Rally Championship in Zambia later in the month. Unfortunately, an overheating issue forced him to retire from the event after SS1.
Notably absent from the Kajiado Rally was youngster Hamza Anwar, who will be pursuing his junior ARC Championship title in Zambia. Hamza attended the rally to provide moral support to his cousin Sahabaz Anwar, one of the three drivers who participated in the Clubman category.
The Clubman entrants completed only half of the 161km route course. Kush Patel, Karan’s younger brother, also faced boost issues and decided to retire from the rally.
