Division One champ Nikhil savours FIA disability grant
Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) Division One leader Nikhil Sachania has every reason to smile, thanks to the safety equipment grant he has received from the FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission.
The reigning three-time Kenyan SPV champion now has a certified safety fuel tank from ATL which is one of the items that are needed for a car to be eligible for the World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally.
The paralegic driver is also working on putting in an RS diff, a standard part available for the EVO.
“The fuel tank is a certified FIA tank and a very big boost for my Safari aspirations next year. It is great to have the FIA help support and promote disabled drivers across the globe,” said Sachania.
The FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission offers support to disabled drivers through the no-cost supply of a range of safety equipment.
Available to disabled drivers who participate in at least five races per year sanctioned by their National Sporting Authority (ASN), the grant is intended to make motor sport more accessible without compromising safety.
The FIA created the Disability and Accessibility Commission to ensure accessible racing and motoring across both the Sport and Mobility pillars.
“In terms of teamwork, we do have more time to fine-tune the car for 2020 events once the Covid-19 restrictions are eased.
The pandemic situation has given us more time to look back and better our car. I recently received a fuel tank from FIA to help me take part in our home WRC event. We are trying to fit all components in the car,” he added.
Sachania was hoping to make his WRC Safari debut next month but due to the global health emergency, he has more time to rework his hand-controlled SPV Mitsubishi Evolution X.
“The year 2020 was supposed to be big for us with the WRC coming back after an 18-year hiatus.
Our hopes this season were to wrap up our 2020 KNRC campaign in the top 10, defend the SPV title, participate in WRC Safari and hopefully win the Division One drivers and co-drivers titles for the first time.
In the two rallies we have taken part in this year, we posted very strong results.”
