Young Vohra eager to honour late dad at Safari Rally

Kenyan driver Samman Vohra is on a mission to honour his late father's legacy as he prepares for this year's World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally in Naivasha from March 28-31.

Vohra is among five local drivers who will line up in the Rally 2 category of the world event. Though inexperienced, Vohra's main objective this year is to celebrate his late dad, Jaideep Singh(JS) Vohra, who died in an road accident along the Ambosel-Namanga road during the 2017 East African Classic Safari Rally.

JS was the Rally Director and a former Kenya Motorsports Federation chairman.

"My father was my biggest influence in my racing career," said the young Vohra in an interview with Nation Sport.

"He was a great motorsport enthusiast who never got the opportunity to race in his youth, but lived his dream through me. It’s a journey we started together, and now, I race purely in his memory because he will forever be my hero," he added.

Vohra is also a respected businessman, running an established hotel chain in his father's footsteps.

"Finding the right work-life balance is always a challenge. My brother, Saveer and I run the Vohra Group which houses all the companies under the family portfolio. Work is our priority and rallying is a hobby, so we try to manage our time the best we can," said Vohra.

Family comes first too.

"My family is my greatest priority in life and at the same time, they are my biggest support system. Without them, there would be no rallying," he said.

"Saveer took on many roles in my life after our family tragedies. He is my brother, best friend, confidant, and father figure to me. He lets me live my motorsport dream and I will forever be grateful to him."

Racing in a Skoda R5, he finished 16th overall and sixth in the Rally 2 class during last year's Safari Rally.

Vohra feels he is still on the learning curve after only racing in five rallies.

He currently leads the 2024 Kenya National Rally Championship standings with 33 points after winning the Eldoret Rally last month.

"It was a great feeling winning in Eldoret, but the season is still too young to sit back. Our aim is to keep on finding and pushing our limits rally by rally."

He said competing in the Safari again is a dream come true.

"The Safari is every driver's dream event and it’s a special feeling to be able to take part in it," said Vohra.