June 2016 | ISSUE NO. 102
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANWAR SIDI Jassi’s Lowdown Team: Team Kibos Sponsors: Role: Driver Car: Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 10 R4 Resides: Kisumu DOB: 24th November 1979 Place of work: Kibos Sugar Occupation: Director First Road Car: 4 x4 Toyota pickup First Rally Car: Datsun First Event: 1997 Nyanza Rally with Gugu Panesar Favorite All-time Rally Driver (s): Colin McRae and Sebastian Loeb Current Navigator: Gugu panesar Previous Navigator: Dave Sihoka & Craig Thorlay
Chatthe savors rare success
J
aspreet Chatthe aka “Jassi” entered his name in the annals of rallying history by achieving what no other Kenyan driver had ever accomplished. The Kisumu-based driver became the first man in Kenya to win both the African Rally Championship (ARC) and National Rally Championship (KNRC) incidentally in a season which also saw him chalk-up the 63rd Safari Rally and the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally. Jassi won the Safari and indeed his maiden KNRC title together with Kisumu resident Gurdeep “Gugu” Panesar and the ARC with Britain’s Craig Thorlay. Jassi delivered the coveted ARC title incidentally 31 years after David Horsey’s scintillating drive in a Peugeot. Prior to the Horsey -David Williamson feat in 1984, the legendary Shekhar Mehta was the only other driver from Kenya to have laid his hands on the African title along with Mike Doughty in a Nissan with Surinder Thatthi also winning it as a co-driver with the legendary Zambian Satwant Singh in 1989, 1996, 1998 and 1998. Although Jassi may not have possessed the bragging rights to sit around the same dining table with the legendary Shekhar or even four times Safari winner Joginder Singh, he must have graduated eating from the crumbs, if his performance in 2015 is anything to go by. “Shekhar was such a successful driver and having my name on the same roll of honor with him in two nostalgic events (Safari and ARC) is such a great feeling,” said Jassi. Jassi made his rallying debut on the 1997 edition of Nyanza Rally navigated by Gugu
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Panesar but took a long sabbatical before making a comeback in the recent years. “I believe I was born a rally driver. I joined motorsports because I have always enjoyed the adrenaline sensation of movement,” said Chatthe who also won the Kenya Division 2 and 3 titles before joining the elite Premier group in KNRC.
Here’s what’s special about Jassi : 1. 2015 African Rally Champion 2.Winner KCB Safari Rally 2015 3. Winner Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally 2015 4. Winner Zambia International Rally 2015 5. ARC Tanzania Rally 2014 -1st overall 6. First KNRC win -KCB M-Benki Nanyuki Rally 2014 7. Finished third overall in the 2014 African Rally Championship series behind eventual champion Gary Chaynes and Essa Mohammed 8. Retired in the recent 2015 Oryx Tanzania ARC Rally