After two rallies in as many weeks, Team Kibos and MML Sports, the company which prepares and runs the team's two Mitsubishi Lancer EvolutionX R4 cars, is getting closer to securing two rally titles. Both the FIA African Rally Championship and the Kenyan national Rally Championship titles are now potentially one rally away as the team maintains its impressive momentum.
Once again, the podium was familiar territory for Team Kibos on the recent Rwanda Rally, the fifth round of the FIA ARC. Driver Jassi Chatthe and co-driver Craig Thorley claimed the winning spot with their MML Sports-prepared Lancer EvolutionX.
With the car running faultlessly, a strong understanding of tyre preservation and a willingness to consistently push hard, Chatthe is now the man to watch.
After this success, Chatthe is leading the championship with 75 points, some 21 points more than Jassy Singh who currently resides in second position, driving his Subaru Impreza. In fact, all Chatthe needs to do now is to claim five points more than Singh and his lead will be unassailable.
This past weekend, a similar situation emerged on the Kenyan national Rally Championship, where Team Kibos and MML Sports are also closing in on the 2015 title.
Here, the strategy adopted on the last event to manage the pace to ensure that a solid points-scoring finish as the result paid off. Although Chatthe was only fourth on the event, he actually again stretched his lead by sticking to this plan. The team now has an advantage of 45.5 points, meaning Chatthe just has to take five points from the last two events and he cannot be caught for the 2015 title.
After the two events, MML Sports Managing Director, John Easton said; "We really couldn't be happier with the pace and drive that the guys have shown, in both the African and Kenyan series. We knew we could expect good things from them and from the car, as we have already clearly demonstrated both the pace and reliability of the car so far this season and they didn't disappoint.
"But still, to be in a position where we're hopefully one rally away from winning the 2015 FIA African Rally Championship title is simply outstanding. And to be able to do the same potentially at the next KnRC event for that title as well would be superb.
"Clearly all the elements necessary for a successful rally campaign have come together now and we are looking forward to celebrating with Team Kibos, Jassi and Craig at the end of the seasons."
The next round of the ARC, Rally Uganda, takes place the last weekend of August while the penultimate round of the KnRC is the first weekend in September.
