RALLY Rathod looking to shake off the rust ahead of WRC Safari Rally
Minesh Rathod is looking to dust off a few cobwebs ahead of next week’s World Rally Championships (WRC) Safari Rally event in Naivasha.
The Nairobi based driver will be making a comeback after a long hiatus having not competed since the 2019 Eldoret Rally where he was a finisher.
“Due to Covid-19 situation we could not rally so we took a break from the sport.
We also missed out on ARC Equator Rally because due to personal reasons. So, yes, we feel rusty and we will need to shake off the rust,” Rathod told People Sport.
He added: “My aim will be to finish among the top drivers running R4 type of cars and get a clean finish.
We started preparations a month ago and did a strip rebuild to ensure everything is okay.
We have fitted a new engine and gearbox because Safari requires the car to be in tiptop condition.”
Following an initial test drive in Thika last weekend, Rathod is racing against time to rectify all areas which needed to be fine- tuned.
‘We have checked the suspension of the car and it’s working well. The suspension needed an upgrade with the new spec of springs.
We are currently running the Reigas suspension which require constant checks after events.
What we are checking are just a few small things that needed to be fined-tuned,” said Rathod who is a former 2WD contender and winner of the 1600cc class in EA Safari Classic.
Rathod will be going out for another test run this weekend as well.
“This weekend’s test will now give us an concrete idea what to expect in our final phase of preparations.
So we should be good to go early next weekend,” he said.
The Safari Rally Kenya is co-sponsored by KCB Bank Kenya, Safaricom and Toyota Kenya among others.
Kenya is hosting the iconic event after a 19 year hiatus.
