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Nasser had provided commitment to his fans to take part in every rally on the carlendar. He has already attempted seven rallies in three countries in the past five months.
Africa Rally Championship (ARC) leader Yasin Nasser is to withdraw from the Safari Rally due June 22-25 in Kenya citing budget constraints and exhaustive carlendar schedule.
Nasser confirmed his withdrawal from the event that is part of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) while speaking exclusively to Pulse Sports on Tuesday afternoon.
Nasser, was the only Ugandan entrant in the rally – which is the WRC’s only leg on the African continent – but decided against pushing through with his participation in the event.
The 2017 Uganda National Rally Champion will now turn his focus on chasing titles in the three rally championships that he is competing against currently.
He is taking part in the Ugandan championship, Tanzanian championship as well as the ARC.
“We would have loved to compete in the WRC, but without a sponsor it becomes more expensive and difficult to pull it off trust me,” Nasser disclosed to Pulse Sport.
“We have an entry already done, but we are not going to take part. because we do not have the commitment from the sponsor,” he added.
Nasser and co-driver Ali Katumba behind their monster Ford Fiesta R5, have dominated the early season carlendars in Uganda, Tanzania as well as the African National Rally Championship.
The MOIL Rally Team crew currently lead all three championships, topping the National Rally Championship with 198 points after three rounds.
It was expected that his participation in the CMC Kabalega Rally that is due this weekend in Hoima district was to be used as a pre cursor to the Safari rally.
“We shall definitely be there at the Kabalega Rally, but we are not doing the Safari rally,” he explained.
“We are already taking part in the Ugandan championship, the Tanzanian championship and of course the Africa Rally Championship so the commitments are too big,” he stated.
Nasser had provided commitment to his fans to take part in every rally on the carlendar. He has already attempted seven rallies in three countries in the past five months.
Two of those rallies were part of the ARC held in both Kenya and Uganda. He has also taken part in all three Ugandan championship rounds, as well as the season opener in Tanzania.
He also attempted the Machakos rally in Kenya at the start of the year. Yet the Safari comes only 10 days after the Kabalega rally, which possess another logistical challenge.
However, Nasser remains steadfast that he will compete in the rally in the future as long as it remains part of the WRC.
“In the WRC, we do not get any points, you only participate to get the experience, yet the budget is too big, and we already have a big budget to run as we compete in three championships,” Nasser said.
“Competing in the Safari is an experience and a half. We have competed in the rally twice already, and would have loved to return.”
“I am sure we shall have a better plan next year and see how we can divide our budget and be there for the Safari, because we still want to get the experience and feel it.”
Despite Nasser’s withdrawal, the Safari rally will present an impressive line up of top drivers both Kenyan and top-level Rally1 cars.
The local favourites include Karan Patel, Hamza Anwar, Jeremiah Wahome, and McRae Kimathi to lead the pack.
Defending champions Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier, both driving Toyota GR Yaris cars, will face tough competition from their Toyota teammates Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta.
Hyundai Motorsport is sending a formidable trio of i20 Ns, featuring Esapekka Lappi, Thierry Neuville, and the skilled Spaniard Dani Sordo.
Ott Tänak, Pierre-Louis Loubet, and privateer Jourdan Serderidis will showcase their talents in M-Sport Ford Pumas.
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