Team to drive locally-built Porsche 911 in Classic Rally
Raaji Bharij's Ford Escort during a past race. PHOTO | ANWAR SIDI |
What you need to know:
- Bharij and veteran navigator Sehmi are optimistic of giving other competitors a run for their money.
- The car, owned by Bharij’s 46-year-old co-driver Sehmi, has been built from scratch at the backyard of his home in Kilimani, Nairobi.
Former Pirelli Star rally driver Raaji Bharij and his partner Rajay Sehmi have entered a locally-built Porsche 911 car for the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally set for November 23 to December 1.
Bharij and veteran navigator Sehmi are optimistic of giving other competitors a run for their money. And Bharij is relishing the prospect of driving a locally-built Porsche and to go down in history as the first driver to compete with such a car in the rally.
“Unfortunately, because of budget constraints we could not fit the power steering. I wish we could have it because it would conserve a lot of energy on a long rally. For now my plan is to get as strong as I can so I have power steering in my arms rather than the car,” Bharij enthused.
The car, owned by Bharij’s 46-year-old co-driver Sehmi, has been built from scratch at the backyard of his home in Kilimani, Nairobi.
The two finished sixth in a Ford Escort Mk1 in the 2015 edition of the Safari Classic Rally. They are sponsored by Intra Africa Assurance for the rally.
“Being long term supporters of motorsports locally, we are proud to be associated with Raaji and Rajay as a result of their magnificent past record. We are also proud to be associated with a crew in the Safari Classic which has a reputation of being the world’s toughest rally,” Muthoni Gacheche of Intra Africa said in Nairobi while announcing the company’s sponsorship for the two.
Rajay has been navigated by number of drivers in previous editions of the Safari Classic Rally, among them Raju Patti in a Toyota Corolla in the 1998 WRC Safari, Diamond Lalani in a Toyota Land Cruiser in the 2000 edition of Safari Classic Rally, and Shahid Essaji in an Evo 4 in the same race.
