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 2021 Kenya’s Navigator-of-the- Year, will team up with Rajveer for the Nakuru Rally, the fourth round of the Kenya National Rally Championship slated for Baringo on August 2-3.
The event will be organised by Rift Valley Motor & Sports Club (RVMSC) under the theme of ‘Racing For Peace in Baringo’.
Rajveer opted to offer a seat opportunity to an experienced lady co-driver Ayuko to deliver much-needed guidance and mentorship in the Nakuru Rally.
Helping develop young budding talent into the KNRC has been a long-time objective of Ayuko who has co-driven several drivers in the KNRC and achieved several 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 KNRC events alongside Wayne Fernandes.
Ayuko said: “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 continued: “My expectations are consistently focused on ensuring the driver completes the race and reaches the ramp. I prioritise fostering a collaborative and enjoyable work environment that enables us to deliver 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 position.”
Rajveer 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, having achieved significant feats in the rally world. I’ve heard 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 he plans to get more seat time in the car and secure a good finishing position. 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 in 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 and he is a two-time junior autocross champion (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 eighth overall and second 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) -sixth overall
●Nanyuki Rally with Fernandes Wayne (Subaru Impreza) -Retired
●KMSC Kajiado Rally with Fernandes Wayne (Subaru Impreza) -Retired