Brilliant Javed confident of a great season

 Javed Lota in action. [Courtesy, Standard]  

After a successful outing at the Machakos People’s Park track, Javed Lota has set his sights on defending his Tarmac title this year.

Javed proved that he is the man to beat, as he won round two of the Delta Motorsports Club (DMSC) race in a total time of 176.954 seconds last weekend. 

Thrilled to have beat a strong lineup in a Subaru prepared by his own Lota Motorsports team, the Mombasa-based speedstar said that his best is yet to come.

“I believe this win is a sign of better things to come. We have been working hard on the car’s setup and finding our rhythm, and everything clicked today,” Javed said.

The win followed his recent success at the Shell Autocross in Stoni Athi proving that he is equally fast on dirt and pavement. Moses Mwendwa was second in a time of 180.256 seconds.

Javed revealed that his consistency is as a result of competing in different formats which have varied conditions. Autocross, Tarmac and local club events in Mombasa keep him sharp.

“Experiencing diverse conditions in the Shell Autocross events, the Tarmac events and the home Mombasa Motor Club clubman events keeps me going.  Every format teaches you something different, autocross improves my reaction time, while Tarmac is all about rhythm and commitment. The clubman events at home keep me re-energised and exhilarated,” he noted.

Javed has proved that indeed the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, having developed his interest and love for motorsport from his father, legendary Coastal rally driver Naushad “Mr Subaru" Lota.

Following years of watching and learning from his old man, Javed has made car control seem easy. Even so, his reputation as the undisputed champion under DMSC only increased after his success in Machakos. He attributed his good run to patience early on when the track was dusty and then striking when the line cleaned up.

His win came after Kenyan Safari Rally legend Ian Duncan had won round one at the Whistling Morans. Javed now holds the momentum heading into round three.