JOHOR BAHARU, Oct 27 (Bernama) -- Karamjit Singh or better known as the 'Flying Sikh' will be eyeing a strong finish to keep him in the hunt for the overall Malaysian Rally Championship title.
As he heads to Lake Kenyir, Terengganu for Round 3 of the Malaysian Rally Championship over the weekend, Karamjit and his co-driver Douglas Pickering, know that anything less than a podium finish, would be of little help when the final showdown in December at Kangar.
Karamjit and his Mitsubishi Lancer are currently second overall with 16 points, behind leader Muhammad Rafiq Udhaya and his co-driver Sean Gregory, on 24 points while third is Andrew Miller and Manohar Menon in a Subaru Impreza with 13 points.
"It's only eight points. Nothing much. But I still need a strong finish over the weekend. It will help me close the gap and put me in a comfortable position for the final round in December.
"My philosophy over the years in my rallying career is to try and win every race I take part. Kenyir Lake would be no exception," said Karamjit.
Karamjit and Pickering were the undisputed winners in Round 2 at Jempol, Negeri Sembilan, two months ago with their Mitsubishi Lancer and the victory has given them a terrific boost for the overall title.
"I always say that the first thing in rally is to stay clear of mechanical problems and I am praying my car will not give me any problem, before and during the race," added Karamjit.
However, Muhammad Rafiq is not about to surrender his lead just yet.
"I am still the leader and the rest will have to beat me to dislodge me from the top. But we are all going into the race without the benefit of having raced there (Lake Kenyir) before.
"So it's a question of who can adapt better to the conditions. It can be tricky with the expected rain over the area," said Muhammad Rafiq.
Japan's Katsu Taguchi, a former world rally participant, and his co-driver Jagdev Singh, who won the opening leg in Johor Baharu in April, are lying fourth with 11 points and the rest of the field are keeping a close watch on the Japanese ace and his Mitsubishi Lancer.
--BERNAMA