Muchemi’s brave fight with cancer earns him top award

• He was bed-ridden in Kenya and India before recovering to return to rallying

Doctors gave him a six percent chance survival. Rally driver Ben Muchemi was being shunned by many of his fans who had given up hope of him ever turning round to recover well enough from stomach cancer to even walk, let alone sit behind the wheel of his favourite Subaru Impreza.

He was bed-ridden in Nairobi and Mumbai, before recovering well enough to move around in a wheelchair as he battled with the illness.

“But I knew I still had work to finish and I owe my mentor (the late) John Ngunjiri in whose memory I promised to launch a rallying school to keep his initiative and dream of introducing rallying to the public alive,” said Muchemi who stunned all with his remarkable recovery that saw him win the coveted Kenya Motorports Personality of the Year for 2009.

Positive thinking

Muchemi had seen his elder brother, Major-General Gerald Kinyua, die a year earlier from the same disease. But he was not about to give up his life without a fight.

“It requires determination, strong will and God’s grace. The biggest secret to survival of any threat in this world is positive thinking, I certainly had so much I had not done. I wanted to finish what Ngunjiri started,” he said.

From the surgical ward in India, Muchemi flew to Eldoret last February and took part in his first rally since he was taken ill in 2008.

It is a move many were uneasy about, but “Baba Ciru” conquered personal fear and hit the road.

Shattered windscreen

A month later, he took part in the Safari Rally and finished 24th, navigated by George Njoroge, defying all the odds of the arduous race through harsh terrain that included a shattered windscreen.

Muchemi started rallying in 2005 after Ngunjiri, whom he was helping with car service at the Land Mawe garage, lured him into the sport.
He borrowed Ngunjiri’s Subaru Legacy pick-up and raced with it in the Guru Nanak Rally.

He was not lucky, through, as his navigator erred in reading the pace notes and their car ended up in a ditch.

“We had to spend the night in the bush in Konza, and they (rally organisers) did not trace us until the following day. It was a great experience for a novice,” he said.

But the rest is history.

Muchemi has grown to become one of the most celebrated local drivers.

Corporates admired his guts and sponsorship started flowing in with mobile phone firm Safaricom branding his Subaru Impreza N6 for a better part of last season.

His family has been solidly behind him and were a major driving force behind his struggle to bounce back into rallying.

“Other people had ruled me out. Some whom I met on the streets asked me if I would ever make it again in rallying.

“There was bad influence, but I focused on what I wanted and today, I am proud to hold be the Motorsports Personality of the Year,” he said.

For the top annual award, Muchemi was short-listed alongside rallying guru Ian Duncan and rider Shivam Vinayak and - even with seven finishes from nine rallies - he did not give himself any chance.

“I believe things I did out of passion and goodwill did convince the judges to hand me the title,” said Muchemi who sponsors upcoming drivers and is also a director of the Kenya Motorports Foundation.

“It shows the confidence and value people attach to the things I have done to them. But to me, these things are just the usual daily routine.”
It requires over Sh6 million a season to race in eight events on a low budget.

This is besides buying a car estimated at around Sh6 million. Muchemi has five rally cars and three classics.

Motocross rider-turned-rally driver, Anthony Nielsen, is one of the beneficiaries of Muchemi’s sponsorship. He has rallied with Muchemi’s Subaru Impreza N6 and now there’s an all-lady crew eying another of his cars for the new season.

Muchemi, who is navigated by Bob Kaugi, has acquired a new Subaru Impreza N10 and is keen to take his game to a higher level this season.

“The fast drivers like Baldev Chager and Ian Duncan have been helping me a lot. They have advised me on how to tackle the big boys and now, I’m ready to change the gear up to challenge them,” he said.

He is also coming up with a rallying school in May.

With the five cars, Muchemi already has a head start.

He is currently in talks with ministry in charge of sports to help him bring in smaller cars as he tries to demystify the notion that rallying is an expensive sport.

“We want to bring in low budget cars like Toyota Starlets for the school. This is meant for those who can’t afford the expensive cars. But I also target to get a Subaru Impreza N14.

“The school will also teach on defence rallying as a way to help curb the rampant car-jacking,” he added.

Muchemi is also setting up a workshop, with computer equipment from Dubai, to measure road worthiness of cars.

And as a director at KMSF, his challenge is convincing the world motorsports federation to restore Kenya on its 14-round World Rallying Championship, lies part with him.

“That is why we have asked that the Safari Rally be raced during Easter to bring back the old days memories. We hope next year when we stage it as a candidate event, FIA will buy it and get us where we belong, at the top tier of world rallying,” he added.