Kenyan racing youngster Karan Patel ‘KP’ crashed out in the penultimate stage of WRC Catalunya Rally in Spain after four days of flat-out action. The event saw the last two legs run exclusively on asphalt.
And after his last outing in the World Rally Championship, Karan confirmed he will be tackling the season-closing Guru Nanak event which brings down curtains on the eight- round 2016 KCB Kenya National Rally Championship next month. KP took a break from the KNRC earlier in the season to concentrate on the World Rally Championship.
He became the third Kenyan young driver this season to compete overseas after Tejas Hirani in the FIA RX LItes World Rally Cross Championship and UK-based Jeremy Wahome, who participates in the British Formula 3 Championship as a member of the Chris Dittmann Racing Team. The former East African 85cc Motocross star and 2014 double champion in KNRC Division 3 and Group ‘S’ in an ex-Baldev Chager Subaru hatchback participated in five rounds of the World Rally Championship in Poland, Portugal, Germany, Finland and Spain—running a Ford Fiesta in the Drive Dmack Fiesta Trophy (DDFT) category.
Karan becomes the second generation youngster to do so after Peter Horsey, who ran in five Europe-based WRC rounds in the then 2009 Pirelli Star Driver Championship.
“Spain was my last rally in Europe this season. I must admit I have learnt a lot and I hope to show Kenya what I have grasped during Guru Nanak Rally. Catalunya was all good especially with the fast and furious tarmac sections on the last two days. Unfortunately, we crashed out on the repeat run of SS18 Pratdip which was the second last stage of the rally Sunday morning. Both me and my British codriver (Phil Mill) were okay.
“Day Two was tough with 6 stages. We did a 39-km stage twice which was very muddy in the morning and dry in the afternoon and it was very rough just like some of our Kenyan stages. We picked up a puncture 8km from the finish of the last stage on Friday so we had to slow down a lot and get to the finish because we thought it was better if we did that rather than change it in the stage,” said Karan.