Kenya’s Karan Patel will rely on his previous experience of the Safari Rally to make an attempt against the foreign crews in the WRC2 category.
Safari Rally Kenya runs from 22-25 June in Kenya’s rift valley town of Naivasha. It is the seventh round of the 2023 World Rally Championship.
Patel, in the Ford Fiesta Rally5, will lead the Kenyan pack in a battle against foreign crews including last year’s WRC2 winner Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Oliver Solberg, Martin Prokop, Grégoire Munster among others.
“I am a bit nervous for sure. But we did get a good test of our pace from the 2022 Safari rally. We had Kajetan who was quite fast, outpacing us significantly.
“So it gives me a good idea of what I need to do this year and how I need to drive to keep up with the pace,” said Patel in an interview with Motorsport 411 podcast.
Last year, Patel ended the event prematurely after mechanical issues on leg one. He would resume for leg two only to be disqualified for a breach of technical regulations.
However, the Kenyan national champion has put all that in the past and is now focused on proving getting the best from this year’s round.
“I am willing to perform and prove myself because this is the time and the opportunity to do it. This is something I can do and the most important thing is that we do our best,” he added.
Other Kenyan crews in the WRC2 category will include Carl Tundo, Aakif Virani, Samman Singh Vohra and Piero Cannobio.