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L. MathekaManvir set to miss ARC season-opening rally
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 15.04.21. | 08:26
In an interview with FIA in January, Manvir had express his desire to get back to the driver's seat for ARC
Reigning Africa Rally Championship (ARC) title holders, Kenya's Manvir Baryan will not be in action for this season's ARC opening leg the Equator Rally. According to the seeded entry list released by Kenya Motorsport Federation (KMSF), the three-time ARC champion will not be part of the 35-car action that will double up as the second Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) leg after Nakuru Rally held in February.
#FIAPureMotorsport – How does Manvir Baryan, who has won the African Rally Championship the last three years, approach the challenges of ARC?
— FIA (@fia) January 27, 2021
The fifth full EP of FIA Pure Motorsport The Restart: https://t.co/JfCGtnG3w3 #Motorsport #Rally #AfricanRallyChampionship pic.twitter.com/oxnp3bOCo3
His long-time navigator Drew Sturrock will instead suit up for the man and machine action alongside Kabras Sugar Racing's Onkar Rai who will on the driver's seat. This is the second time this season the duo will race together as Sturrock navigated Rai to a third-place finish at the KNRC season-opening Nakuru Rally as Kabras Sugar Racing raced to a podium sweep with Baldev Chager and Tejveer Rai coming in first and second respectively.
Manvir's last action was in November 2019 at a KNRC event in Meru where he did not finish as he suffered a horrific crash, his Skoda Fabia R5 rolling several times in the fourth competitive stage of the rally forcing him to be airlifted to Nairobi for treatment.
#KCBRSCMeruRally2019 Manvir Baryan ends his rally in a high speed crash ???? pic.twitter.com/M4tRMjvcWW
— Official Motor Sport World Ke (@MotorsportWKe) November 9, 2019
While his navigator, Sturrock, escaped unscathed Manvir suffered a hairline fracture of the pelvic. The two missed the 2019 KNRC event in Eldoret which served as the final leg of the season. Guru Nanak was cancelled due to bad weather.
Manvir Baryan car rolls at Nkunga Forest in Meru. Dude has been airlifted to Nairobi for check ups but he's is okay. pic.twitter.com/UGQQ40vH0s
— Newton Mutuma (@NewtonMutuma9) November 9, 2019
The 2017 Kenya Motorsport personality of the year also missed the 2020 season-opening Guru Nanak Rally won by Carl 'Flash' Tundo as well as the second leg held in Nyahururu won by reigning KNRC champion Baldev before the season was suspended and later cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In an interview with FIA in January, Manvir had express his desire to get back to the driver's seat for ARC and many had anticipated his participation at the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally which was set to be the ARC season-opening event on March 20 to 21 but has since been cancelled due to the Covid-19 situation in Rwanda.
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