Tundo leads Safari Rally on day one
A headlamp flies off the Skoda Fabia of Manvir Baryan and Drew Sturrock at the first competitive stage of the 2018 Safari Rally at Kedong on March 16, 2018. PHOTO | ANWAR SIDI |
What you need to know:
- Kenyan driver opens up a 1.9-second lead over compatriot Baryan over the 36km-long Kedong stage.
- Contest seeks to bounce back onto world calendar.
Former Safari Rally winner Carl Tundo is the overnight leader of the 2018 Safari Rally after setting quickest stage times in the opening section of the competition on Friday.
The Nakuru-based Mitsubishi Lancer driver is almost two seconds ahead of the Skoda Fabia of Manvir Baryan, the reigning Africa champion.
The second day of the three-day competition will start this morning from the Sopa Lodge, naivasha, at 7am before tackling another four competitive stages within Soysambu area.
The 25-kilometre-long Sleeping Warrior stage and the Elementaita section of 28 kilometres will be repeated during the course of the day.
Uganda’s Jas Mangat is the best placed foreign driver in the sixth place at the wheels of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10.
Gary Charles, the winner of the first round in the Bandama Rally, is missing out of the second round of the African Rally Championship Series. Randeep Singh of Tanzania, another foreign driver, is placed seventh in a Lancer while Tuta Mionki is the best placed female navigator in the eighth place with Erig Bengi in a Subaru Impreza.
Mahesh Halai and Ketan Halai wade their Subaru through the first competitive stage of the 2018 Safari Rally at Kedong on March 16, 2018. PHOTO | ANWAR SIDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) decided to give a serious consideration to Kenya’s request after meeting one of the FIA conditions, that of the Kenya government making a serious organizational and financial commitment to the annual rally.
And after consultations between FIA President Jean Todt and President Uhuru Kenyatta, Todt said last month that Kenyans would only have the World Rally Championship status “if they worked hard and will not get it they don’t.”
The government-funded WRC Safari Rally Project is based at the Moi International Sports Centre with the chief executive officer being Kenya Motor Sports Federation President Phineas Kimathi.
Karan Patel and James Mwangi became the first casualties of the rally after their Mitsubishi Lancer stopped in the opening section of day one with suspected mechanical problem.
Sohanjeet Puee and Adnan Din’s Subaru get a helping hand after getting stuck in the mud at the first competitive stage at Kedong on March 16, 2018. PHOTO | ANWAR SIDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Meanwhile, Oliver Ciesla, the managing director of WRC Promoter, the firm that runs FIA’s commercial concerns, started his four-day Safari Rally observer mission with a very promising note to Kenyans Friday.
“It is our desire to return the Safari Rally back to the World Rally Championship as soon as possible because the event is mutually beneficial to us,” said Ciesla at the start of the 2018 Safari Rally.
Cabinet Secretary for Devolution Eugene Wamalwa and World Rally Championship Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla flagging off Baldev Singh Chager and Ravi Soni during the Safari Rally at the KIC on March 16, 2018. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO |
He said the WRC Promoter, who is the media and commercial rights holder of the World Championship and in conjunction with the FIA, decides hosts of the high profile series which has a global reach of over 150 countries.
Each event is watched by 65 million people and over 300,000 spectators watch live action. This would translate to the best forum to market host countries as tourism destination and in particular Kenya.
Top 10 crew at the Safari Rally after Day One:
1. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop – (Mitsubishi Evolution 10 RC2-N4) 00:18:26.1
2. Manvir Baryan/Drew Sturrock – (Skoda Fabia R5 RC2-R5) 00:18:47.9
3.Onkar Rai/Gareth Dawe – (Skoda Fabia R5 RC2-R50) 00:18:47.9
4.Jaspreet Chatthe/James Morgan – (Mitsubishi Evolution 10 RC2-R4 00:18:53.4
5. Baldev Chager/Ravi Soni – (Mitsubishi Evolution 10 RC2-R4) 00:18:57.1
6. Jas Mangat/Joseph Kamya – (Mitsubishi Evolution 10 RC2-R4) 00:19:25.5
7. Randeep Singh/Gurvinder Singh – (Mitsubishi Evolution 10 RC2-N4) 00:19:50.5
8. Eric Bengi/Tuta Mionki – (Subaru Impreza RC2-N4) 00:20:16.8
9. Dilraj Chatthe/Riyaz Ismail – (Mitsubishi Evolution 10 RC2-R4) 00:20:32.4
10. Farhaaz Khan/Keith Henrie – (Mitsubishi Evolution 10 RC2-N4) 00:20:39.6
