Thethy, Karangatha renew rivalry as National Autocross championship returns

The fourth round of the KCB National Autocross championship goes down on Sunday, 11 July at the Jamhuri Racing track where, among the highlights of the day is the stiff competition, expected between (Two- Wheel Drive) 2WD Non-Turbo category leader Rajveer Thethy and second placed in the ranking Sam Karangatha.

Thethy, who will be steering a Daewoo 1500cc 2WD NT car, is confident he can boost his title bid with victory on Sunday but acknowledges it will be a tough feat given the round one winner Karangatha is breathing down his neck. 

Third placed Sameer Nanji is also expected to put up a brave fight in his VW Golf GTI in the Kenya Motor Sports Club organized leg. 

The Class also welcomes Azfar Malik who will be making his debut behind the wheel of a Toyota Levin 2WD NT.

Safina Khan of Tams Racing is also in the mix in her championship winning Toyota Vitz. She will be sharing the Vitz with her son Ahil Khan.

"The car is ready and tested so we are just waitingfor action. I am very confident in the car and in my driving skills and we are going for the championship. We anticipate quite a challenge from Karangatha and the fact that I have beaten him twice he will come hard at me but I hope to gain an advantage over him with a win.

Jamhuri is my favourite and most-driven-on track and so I know what to expect, where to push and where to take it slow. My experience in driving this car gives me confidence going into the weekend competition,"said the 2015/2016 junior champion. 

Karangatha who won the season-opening leg says he is preparing his Subaru Leone and hoping for a good result. 

"Competition is quite tight at the moment with Thethy driving a Daweoo and Sameer driving a VW Golf GTI. We have one win from Waterfront, while the leader took the win at Kasarani and Eldoret. Let's see how the championship battle evolves at Jamhuri. We have taken some advice from Azar Anwar Motorsport to setup the car better. We are also hoping to get additional sponsors on board as the season progresses," said Karangatha.

Meanwhile Lovejyot Singh, who won against a deep field in Autocross 3 held in Eldoret to maintain his lead in the 4WD Turbo Class will be looking to extend his lead when he takes on experienced drivers among them Eric Bengi and Karan Patel who are fresh from competing in the World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally.

Singh has scored 55 points on his Subaru Impreza with his rival Bengi on 35 while Sahib Omar a close third with 32 points.

"I am happy the season is restarting, final preparations are being made on both the buggy and rally car. We did few tests over the weekend to clear the webs off. I hope the organisers will Grade the Track because its so rough especially the brigde," Singh said. 

Meawhile, 2WD Turbo Class leader Zameer Verjee will face stiff opposition from Ankush Manoj Shah, Qahir Rahim and Noor Rehman.

"I haven't driven in a while but I am looking forward to a full season with lots of fun and quick pace," said Verjee. 

KCB Bank Kenya are the title sponsors of the 10 leg Championship. The 2021 Autocross started at The Waterfront in Nairobi's Karen, Kasarani WRC Safari stage and Harton Grange racetrack in Eldoret before the suspension of sporting activities.