TOP Zimbabwean motor rally navigator Gareth Dawe says his ultimate goal is to compete in the FIA World Rally Championships.
By Munyaradzi Madzokere
Dawe and his Zambian partner Mohammed Essa, the 2012 Africa rally champion, are currently lying second on the 2014 Africa Rally Championship standings following battling wins in Zambia in May and at the Rwanda Mountain Gorrilla Rally a fortnight ago.
Standardsport caught up with Dawe at Donnybrook Park last weekend while he took some time out to enjoy drag racing festivities.
“To be honest, I would love to do a world rally championships event before I retire as a rally navigator. That is the ultimate goal but we are looking to join the European Championships in France next year. We will see after the end of the ARC season what we can do,” he said.
He said his driver and him already had an international competitions licence required to take their Zimbabwe/Zambia rally connection to the more lucrative European territory.
“We have already acquired our international competitions licence and to represent Zimbabwe in Europe will be fantastic. There are South Africans who are doing well there as we speak and if we can do a Zimbabwe and Zambia partnership, why not?” said Dawe. Meanwhile Dawe said he was confident he would be an African champion navigator this season. He gave a lot of praise for his driver Mohammed Essa.
“As you know, we are just a point behind the leaders. We are confident of winning the next race in Uganda and then after that finish the last two races in good positions and then we will be crowned champions.
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“Essa [Mohammed] is a fantastic driver, he is a really quick, level headed, mature driver and we get along very well in the car. I think his career going forward will be really brilliant,” assured Dawe.
Ivory Coast’s Gary Chaynes with his partner Roman Cosman in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo lead the 2014 Africa rally standings with 76 points, a point ahead of Essa and Dawe’s Subaru Impreza N16 while Kenyan Jaspreet Singh Chatthe and Dave Sihoka are a distant 3rd on 58 points.
There are only three races left on the Africa rally calendar with attention immediately shifting to the Pearl of Africa Uganda rally penciled for August 15 to 17, then KCB Safari Rally, Kenya from September 12 -14, winding up at the Madagascar International Rally, early November.
Dawe began his relationship with motor sport in motocross at the age of seven before moving to Main Circuit and subsequently joining rally in 1995.
