NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 23 – Rising star Rajveer Thethy believes his new navigator Linet Ayuko will bring a wealth of experience to the team having already accomplished significant feats.
Ayuko, a multiple Safari Rally finisher and Kenya’s Navigator-of-the- Year 2021, will team up with Rajveer for Nakuru Rally, the fourth round of the Kenya National Rally Championship slated for Baringo on the weekend of August 2-3.
The event will be organized by Rift Valley Motor & Sports Club (RVMSC) run with the theme of “Racing For Peace In Baringo”.
Rajveer has decided to offer a seat opportunity to an experienced lady co-driving star Ayuko to join him on Nakuru Rally to deliver the much-needed guidance and mentorship.
Helping develop young budding talent into the KNRC has been a long-time objective of Ayuko who has co-driven several drivers on the KNRC front and achieved a number of accolades.
While eager to see how their partnership pans out in Baringo in a race dubbed “c”, Ayuko was quick to exalt the efforts of Rajveer, who has contested eight career KNRCs alongside Wayne Fernandes.
“The opportunity to mentor a rising star is truly remarkable. It allows me to contribute my knowledge and experience to the development of a promising driver. His potential is evident, and I am eager to witness his continued growth in the sport. I look forward to working closely with him and providing guidance as he navigates his journey,” Ayuko says.
She continued: “My expectations are consistently focused on ensuring the driver successfully completes the race and reaches the ramp. I prioritize fostering a collaborative and enjoyable work environment that enables us to deliver an exceptional performance and create a positive impression for our sponsors. My primary objective for the forthcoming Nakuru Rally is to witness the driver excel and achieve an outstanding finish.”
Rajveer, on his part, said he is thrilled to be partnering with Ayuko in the fabled Nakuru round.
“It will be my first time partnering with her (Linet) and I’m overly excited because she brings a wealth of experience and has achieved significant feats in the rally world. I’ve heard that there will be a tarmac stage in the rally, which sounds very exciting,” said Rajveer.
Rajveer added:. “This will be a fun new challenge, especially since our car is set up for gravel stages. It will be tricky to make up time on the tarmac stage, but we’re looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity to adapt and perform under different conditions.”
Nakuru will be Rajveer’s first rally of the 2024 KNRC season, and his plan is to get more seat-time in the car and secure good finishing positions.
He quipped: “One of my goals is to achieve a podium finish alongside the R5s. ”
In 2022 Rajveer became the youngest competitor to take part and finish the Mini Classic Rally in Eldoret.
It was a surprise drive, as he took over Evans Kavisi’s place in the event driving a Datsun PA10, It was Rajveer’s first time driving a car with a weber engine and no power steering and also his first time sitting with Absalom Aswani.
Rajveer has participated in seven career KNRCs so far. He’s a two times junior autocross champion in 2015 and 2016.
In 2021 Rajveer was crowned the Autocross champion in the 2WD NT Car Category.
He made his KNRC debut during the season- closing KCB Guru Nanak Rally in Il-Bisil finishing 8th overall and 2nd in Division Two Class.
RAJVEER’S RALLY STATS
2023
- SUC Guru Nanak Rally with Fernandes Wayne *Subaru Impreza ) Retired
- Eldoret Rally with Fernandes Wayne (Subaru Impreza) 5.th overall
- RSC Machakos Rally with Fernandes Wayne (Subaru Impreza) Retired
2022
- East African Mini Classic Rally with Aswani Absalom ( Datsun Violet 160J) -24th overall
- RSC Machakos Rally with Fernandes Wayne *Subaru Impreza) -6th overall
- Nanyuki Rally with Fernandes Wayne (Subaru Impreza) -Retired
- KMSC Kajiado Rally with Fernandes Wayne (Subaru Impreza) -Retired
2021
- KCB SUC Guru Nanak Rally with Fernandes Wayne ( Subaru Impreza ) 8th
