Nikhil Sachania, the fearless paraplegic rally driver, is gearing up to defend his WRC 3 title at the upcoming WRC Safari Rally Kenya.
The Nairobi-based driver is almost ready to hit the dusty roads of Kenya, with his Ford Fiesta Rally3 undergoing final preparations in the Kenyan Capital.
“We are almost there,” Sachania said in an interview. “The car is prepared, just a few more things before we are ready for the rally. It’s the same car we used last season, and we won the WRC3 category. We hope to push for the same this year, although it will be a bit more challenging with more competitors on board.”
Sachania believes the visitors have more experience than him, but is banking on local knowledge to give him an edge.
“We are in contention for the overall ARC overall title as well. It’s a new season, and a lot can happen in rallying. Our main goal is to keep it consistent and clean.”
The reigning ARC3 Champion is keen on taking lessons from last year’s Safari performance, where he won the WRC 3 category, came fifth in ARC, and first in ARC3.
“Last year, we had a close chance to win the overall title, but our commitment and life situation weren’t in our favour. We finished the Safari event, won the WRC 3, and that’s a huge motivation to defend that win.”
With the support of KCB, Sachania is confident of replicating last year’s performance. “Chemistry between my navigator, Deep Patel, and I is good. We’ve been together for about 7 years now. We trust each other in the car, and we’ll have some test drives in the coming weeks to fine-tune our skills.”
The WRC Safari Rally Kenya is shaping up to be a thrilling event, and Sachania is ready to put on a show.
