Rookie driver Ankush Manoj Shah says he has a feeling of anticipation going into the seventh leg of the KCB Kenya National Autocross Championship which is slated for Batian View, Nanyuki on Sunday.
The karting racer turned autocross driver joined buggy racing this year in an ex-Tejas Hirani two-seater Rage machine which he now hopes to steer to respectable podium positions in the Two Wheel Drive Non-Turbo Buggy Class.
Sunday's event will go down as Ankush's first-ever race in the Mount Kenya region and he's overly excited about it.
"We have talked to the people who have raced there before and the feedback is quite positive as we count down towards our debut in the Nanyuki leg. We just needed to get the finer details on the surface of the track, the amount of type pressure we need to tackle the demanding terrain there, and indeed what to expect; so we have gathered some useful background information."
"I have been having issues with my ECU but we managed to get that remapped and sorted out. So far the season has been going well. I’m in the second position behind leader Zameer Verjee," he added.
After the sixth race at Jamhuri Park Nairobi, Ankush stripped down the buggy to ensure that all is well ahead of Nanyuki. The essence as of now is getting more seat time and perfecting my driving lines."
Ankush says he is working towards new race limits, and indeed improve by every race meeting. "The Rage Buggy was acquired locally and previously driven by Tejas Hirani. It's performing really well right now despite the teething we had to contend with earlier in the season. In the last race at Jamhuri, I managed to take third position despite a few errors that I made. After Jamhuri we stripped down the buggy and had a thorough going over just to ensure everything is in good working order. Luckily, there were no major damages from the last race."
Autocross 7 will be run in compliance with the National Competition Rules of the Kenya Motorsports Federation (Appendix E) together with Supplementary Regulations under the International Sporting Code of the FIA.
The event will be organized by Nanyuki Rally Group (NRG) under the stewardship of Bimal Patel.
The event will count towards the 2wd Non-Turbo (car and buggy), 2wd Turbo/ Supercharged , 4wd Non – Turbo, Bambino, Pee Wee, 4wd Turbo/ Supercharged, Open, Quad Bikes and the Junior 2wd Non – Turbo.
Signing on and Scrutineering will take. Place on Sunday from 07:00 onwards. This will be followed by the Drivers Briefing at 08:45 Hrs. Official Practice shall commence at 09:00 Hrs.
Official Heats begin at 10:00Hrs. Drivers will run four heats of which the "best of three" will count. towards the final classification.
