Manvir ready for rally action after nasty accident in 2019
Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 28.01.21. | 11:21
Reigning African Rally Champion targeting February return to action after recovering from 2019 accident
Three-time African Rally Champion (ARC) Manvir Baryan is likely to be back to active rallying when the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) revs off in Nakuru Rally on the weekend of February 20 to 21.
Manvir suffered a nasty accident in his last race in November 2019 at a KNRC event in Meru and has been out of action since. The Multiple Racing Team (MRT) driver, in his Skoda Fabia R5 rolled several times in the fourth competitive stage of the competition and was airlifted to Nairobi for treatment.
Horrific crash at the Meru rally. Video courtesy of @Helofaman . Driver is Manvir Baryan from the Multiple Haulers Team. pic.twitter.com/2M9efau2vS
— Francis Gaitho (@Kenyafootball) November 9, 2019
He had suffered a hairline fracture of the pelvic but his long-time navigator Drew Sturrock emerged unscathed. The accident forced the two to miss out on the last rounds of the 2019 KNRC in Eldoret and Guru Nanak. The latter, scheduled to be the final leg of the 2019 season was canceled due to bad weather conditions.
The 2020 season was called off after two events due to Covid-19 pandemic and even then, Manvir was yet to enter any. Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo won the season opener, Guru Nanak Rally, with reigning champion Baldev Chager carrying the day in the second leg held in Nyahururu.
Speaking to the FIA, the international motorsport governing body, the 2017 Kenya Motor Sports Personality-of-the-year says competing in the ARC has helped him become a better driver as each rally presents a different challenge.
#FIAPureMotorsport – How does Manvir Baryan, who has won the African Rally Championship the last three years, approach the challenges of ARC?
— FIA (@fia) January 27, 2021
The fifth full EP of FIA Pure Motorsport The Restart: https://t.co/JfCGtnG3w3 #Motorsport #Rally #AfricanRallyChampionship pic.twitter.com/oxnp3bOCo3
“In South Africa, you’re driving in the forest, in Zambia, it is on farms, the roads are always rough and you are experiencing extreme climates. The ARC rallies are always a challenge for both the driver and the car. Additionally, doing local championships helps to get extra time in the car,” said Manvir who is rumored to be coming back in a new car.
While the StarTimes’ Sports Personality of the month of June 2018 has spoken to FIA about the ARC, it is expected that he will also race in the KNRC. He is seeded fourth and will be first off the ramp in the WKMC Eldoret rally slated for June 5 to 6.
Each of the top eight seeded drivers will start first on road in each of the eight rounds of the series for fair play. The rotation system is to make sure that the same driver does not open the stages in all rallies.
ARC Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally kick-starts the continental series on March 20-21. Equator Rally set for April 24 to 25 makes a comeback to the ARC. It replaces the Safari Rally which has since been elevated to World Rally Championship (WRC) status.
Equator Rally was previously the official ARC round for Kenya on the ARC continental rally series prior to the dropping of Safari from WRC in 2003. With Safari’s elevation, Equator regains its original status after being defunct for 19 years. It will also count towards the third round of the Kenya National Rally KNRC.
