Sahib Omar and Kunal Patel were crowned 2019 champions as the Kenya National Autocross Championships came to a dramatic end at Mombasa Cement Factory racetrack in Kilifi County.
Despite failing to run the last heat due to a miss, Nairobi’s Sahib retained the 4WD Turbo title after a good battle with the eventual class winner and coast champion Nashad Kara. Third overall place was enough for Sahib to savour back-to-back titles in a season he swept the ground with all his opponents.
Sahib had accumulated an unassailable lead in class going into the last round but was compelled to run the season-closing Mombasa round ostensibly to meet the 80 per cent threshold for championship success.
“The track was really wet in the first two heats but it improved in the third. We had a miss in the third heat and decided not to risk; so we skipped the last heat. All in all, it is a good feeling retaining the title. Next year, I will try to do a few KNRCs as well as target a hat trick of championship wins,” said Sahib. Nanyuki’s Kunal Patel celebrated his maiden Championship in 2WD Turbo Class after winning the last round.
Kunal had his campaign effectively sewn up when his closest challenger Shalien Mughal retired after getting stuck in the first heat. Kunal, who led at penultimate stage and Shalien, were separated by 7 points going into the last round.
Shalien was hoping to win the class then pray that Kunal finishes outside the podium. This, however, came a cropper due to Shalien’s early morning gremlins. The first two heats saw drivers tackle a wet and slippery track as a result of the early morning downpour.
Kunal was all smiles after securing his career-best performance. Amit Vaja won the Open Class while Illiyun Mughal won Bambino Class.
