• Rally fans across the continent will be keenly following the performance of Skoda R5 which swept the ground with all its opponents.
• Baryan and Sturrock completed the 274.05 kilometre Ivory Coast event in 2hrs 51mins and 30 seconds.
Image: FILE
Kenya’s back-to-back continental champion Manvir Baryan and his British partner Drew Sturrock have arrived in South Africa well in time for this weekend’s FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) round of South Africa.
Baryan, who became the first non-South African to win the York Timber Rally of South Africa, previously Sasol Rally, will be the man to beat this weekend in his crowd-pleasing Skoda Fabia R5.
Rally fans across the continent will be keenly following the performance of Skoda R5 which swept the ground with all its opponents. Following Manvir’s dominance over the past two ARC seasons, Zambia’s hopeful Leroy Gomes has also acquired a Ford Fiesta R5 in his bid to march Manvir’s blistering pace. Gomes is understandably pushing for a podium this time round in his new contraption.
Manvir said: “We are really excited to be back in South Africa after a great performance last season. I’m hoping to keep up with the competition this weekend and hopeful pray for a good result,” said Manvir.
Fans in Zambia WhatsApp groups are in the meantime bantering over the outcome in South Africa. They foresee renewed volatile battle pitting Manvir against South African Botterill Guy, who powered a Toyota Etios R2 to second last year and Gomes, who piloted a Mitsubishi Lancer evolution to the fourth position.
A Zambian fan wrote: “Rats come different species...not that one from the maize field...Manivir has the rat from the maize field...Leroy is a tamed rat and Skoda is an untamed rat.”
Another Zambian wrote: “With all the two attempts that Gomes racing team tried on this new machine (Ford R5), the third one will be a whitewash trust me.” Manvir, who is seeking to complete a hat-trick of continental championship wins tops the African Rally Championship log after the season-opening 45th Rallye Bandama of Ivory Coast.
Baryan and Sturrock completed the 274.05 kilometre Ivory Coast event in 2hrs 51mins and 30 seconds. They took an early lead in the ARC standings with 50 points. Local Maxime Abondio secured a distant second position: 16 mins and 41 seconds slower than Manvir. Day One leader Gary Chaynes, who was a head-on favourite to pose a challenge to the Manvir, had his Mitsubishi Evo-X turbo hinder his pace.
He dropped out in stage three and with that, went any chance of defending his Bandana rally win. Gary Chains is a former ARC champion despite retiring in Safari Rally.
The Safari Rally, which is the only event on the continental calendar Manvir has yet to win, will be a World Rally Championship candidate event on the first week of July.