Vroooom! Safari Rally was my beat
What you need to know:
- The 50-year-old says she is revving up back to the sport if she gets sponsorship.
- Stella started rallying in 2009 and made her debut in 2010, navigating John Muigai.
The thrill of high speed on the road saw Stella Mutahi take to the macho, male-dominated field of motorsports slightly over a decade ago.
For Stella, the annual Easter holidays were not complete without Safari Rally, or Safo, as it was commonly known.
A product of the San Valencia-sponsored Motor Sports Academy initiated by veteran rally navigator Abdul Sidi, Stella started rallying in 2009 and made her debut in 2010, navigating John Muigai.
And now six years out of action, the 50-year-old says she is revving up back to the sport if she gets sponsorship.
Childhood dream
Since childhood, Stella wanted to be a rally driver after seeing vehicles in action zoom past her during world rally championships in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
“Whenever I saw the Safari Rally cars wading their way through dusty or muddy roads, I would get excited as I cheered them on,” says the enthusiast who now farms in Kirinyaga.
“There were drivers like Shekhar Mehta, Joginder Singh, Sandro Monari and Mitchel Morton, but my attention was drawn to Patrick Njiru, the local driver who became my role model,” says the mother of four. At first, her family was apprehensive about a woman racing and she had to convince them that it was a sport like any other.
“I sat in my first rally car in 2009 and got a feel of what it was like to be in a race. I started as a navigator or co-driver after learning the ropes and participated in the famous Gurunanak rally in Kajiado,” she says.
“We went on to do some more rallies with him (Muigai) but the urge to take on the wheel was burning inside me, so I had to find a way of taking the driver’s seat. I wanted to be on the wheel and compete with men,” she adds.
Bought a Subaru Impreza
In 2010, she bought a Subaru Impreza and, in 2011, decided to take the driver’s seat– making a debut in an all-ladies Safari Rally team.
“I drove it in various rally events navigated by Hellen Shiri,” she reminisces on the good old days. “Our first competition was the Gurunanak rally in Kajiado, where we got an award for being the only female team participating.”
She has accomplished a lot, but the 2010 premium Safari Rally when she crossed the finish line is what remains to her the biggest accomplishment ever, having raced all through with men. Later, she met other women who were interested in the sport and together they formed ‘Warembo Bila Make-Up’ team.
“Through this group, we were able to motivate each other and take part in more competitions, eventually establishing ourselves. Every time there was a rally, people would be looking out for us because we stood out from our male counterparts.”
In 2014, after participating in more than 30 rallies, she decided to take a break after sponsors withdrew.
Expensive affair
“Motorsport is an expensive affair and, as a budget runner, I could not manage the funding bit from my pocket. To participate in a premium competition, one required from Sh5 million to Sh8 million,” she notes.
“This is to cater for the safety gear of the driver and the co-driver, the mechanical back-up team, spare parts for the vehicle and a chase car, among other things.”
To prepare for her return to the adrenaline-filled sport, Stella has been volunteering with the motorsports world.
“I was an official in the 2019 KCB Meru rally and most importantly worked in the Nairobi headquarters during the test run for the World Rally Championship comeback,” she says.
“That means I am physically and psychologically ready for a return. The Kenya’s championship’s return to the world’s second biggest continent is a landmark achievement.”
