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Nasser will be one of only two drivers competing behind an R5-powered car at the rally, but he suggests that the team's strategy will not be to go for broke in the chase for victory, though he insists they will not necessarily back down from the challenge.
Yasin Nasser says that the power behind his Ford Fiesta R5 does not guarantee a good result at this weekend's Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally in Jinja.
Nasser will be one of only two drivers competing behind an R5-powered car at the rally, but he suggests that the team's strategy will not be to go for broke in the chase for victory, though he insists they will not necessarily back down from the challenge.
"There is no need to go for the pressure this weekend and then break the car," Nasser told Pulse Sports, adding, "What we shall be doing is we are taking it as cool as possible."
"There is a lot of pace across the field, and we are still learning our car. The power behind our car is only an advantage for us, and we can try and gauge how we are competing with them."
"I think the difference will be how the challenge unfolds for everyone and how they perform. With the lessons we have taken so far, we relish the challenge ourselves, and we shall try and push all the way and see where that effort puts us," he added.
The MOIL Rally Team driver has acquitted himself well to the power behind his car, building on a fourth-place finish in Kenya's Machakos Rally in February with victory in Mbarara.
He then returned to Kenya to finish second at the Equator Rally in March, a run that would be considered a solid return for most drivers. But then again, most drivers are not deliberate strategists and patient competitors in the mould of Yasin Nasser.
We are trying new things with the car, setups for different terrains and conditions, and still getting to understand various aspects about the car, and this extends to the service crew as well," Nasser explained.
"We know that we can always improve the car. So it’s an ongoing process of improvement. I have felt more comfortable with the car, but sometimes you have to accept somebody is stronger."
"Karan (Patel) is a top driver with a lot of experience, and he is quite used to situations like this. But, on the other hand, drivers like Duncan (Kikankane) and Ssebuguzi (Ronald) are old veterans and have a lot more experience than us also," he continued.
"But we are looking to see and gauge where we are against them, and the first two or three stages will give us a better picture before we decide on how to handle the rally from then on."
Thirty-one crews are gearing up to take on the ultimate challenge in the upcoming rally, with only seven of them eligible to score the ARC points.
This year's edition will see fewer foreign crew entries than last year, with only two foreign crews - Karan Patel and Rio Smith from Kenya.
Karan Patel, the Kenya rally champion, will be making his second attempt for the ARC title, driving a Ford Fiesta as well as victory at the Pearl of Africa Rally after he was beaten to victory by Jas Mangat last year, against whom he is expected to have an intensive battle.
Patel currently leads the African championship after winning his home event last March.
The rally will cover seven stages on Saturday, while a total of five stages, including a super special stage, will make up the total competitive distance of 205.27 kilometres.
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