Human resource management graduate Mionki finally breaks jinx

Tuta Mionki, the newly-crowned 2018 Motor Sport Personality of the Year, is a cultured corporate world personality.

Having worked for some of Kenya’s top blue chip companies in human resource management certainly plays a big role in her rallying career. Mionki has previously received little media reviews in the sports pages or on television news after every national championship, simply because, as a navigator, her driver, fast-rising Eric Bengi — who started from scratch a decade ago — steals the limelight.

Her partnership with Bengi has been a formidable one, with the latter certainly following the footsteps of Patrick Njiru and Jonathan Toroitich as one of Kenya’s premier drivers.

The duo’s consistency has catapulted Mionki to the top of this male-dominated sport. She has also brought class and increased the interest of women in motorsport.

TEITH THE PIONEER

On January 19, she was named the 2018 Kenya Motor Sports Federation (KMSF) Motor Sport Personality of the Year, a trophy last received by a female driver 34 years ago by Anne Teith who was the national rally champion in 1984.

To have reached this far, Mionki impressed the Electoral College by amassing 60 percent of votes ahead of other nominees Carl Tundo and Tim Jessop who were the overall Kenya national rally champions.

In 2018, Mionki navigated Bengi to fifth position overall in the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC).

They finished in similar position in the Africa Championship Safari Rally, the highest position for an all-African crew since Jonathan Toroitich and Ibrahim Choge in the 1997 season.

But on the navigator’s standings, Mionki was first in Group ‘N’, first in Division One and second overall in the national championship behind Jessop.

Bengi, a lawyer by profession, and Mionki have shown their flair in driving starting from the lower ranks driving a Toyota F2 before finally graduating to the highly potent, 2006 Subaru Impreza N12 that, however, plays second fiddle to the Mitsubishi Evos on Tundo and Baldev Chager, or the 2017 R5 Skoda Fabias.

Beneath the seemingly self-effacing mien mistaken for naivety, is a personality who knows no fear, and is self-determined. A go getter who is able to manage her human resource consultancy business and sports with remarkable ease.

Besides being a driver, Mionki also is a senior member of Women in Motorsport and volunteer technical official in the sport.

“I am currently in my second year as the Autocross Commission Chairperson (having acted in the position for half of 2017),” she explains.

“I have a team of commission members and part of our duties include administering and controlling the formula of the motorsport discipline on behalf of KMSF, to formulate and maintain the national competition rules and promote the sport among others responsibilities.

BLESSED BUT NOT SPECIAL

“I have been a KMSF steward for autocross in several events,” she adds.

“I have also been involved in the past as a volunteer when not rallying in various capacities as well as part of our club's organising team.”

Mionki and the commission are working on Women in Motorsport (Kenya), an organisation that encourages more women and girls to join the sport as competitors or volunteers.

“We also try to find sponsorship for those with rally cars.

“I feel blessed but not special,” said Mionki at the awards ceremony at Nairobi’s Carnivore Restaurant last weekend where she was showered with confetti and sweet words by rivals and supporters.

“I have learnt that Ann Theith co-won the Motor Sports Personality of the Year award in 1984 with Rob Combes and it feels fantastic to have won it 34 years later,” she said.

Teith and Sylvia King are Safari Rally legends.

They not only finished the Safari, but also won the national title in 1984, a feat never matched by women since.

Mionki has not lost her feminine touch and she is also proving to be a fantastic brand builder for their sponsor Menengai Refinery of Nakuru.

Her television shows ratings are high and her legion of fans is growing at home and abroad.

However, driving is just the final product of her sporting career which saw her drab in many events including football.

Her only regret being that she was a goalkeeper instead of striker.

“I am not a Tom boy,” she corrects.

“I am a lady who loves sports. I played football with estate boys when I was young but they always made me the goalkeeper, so I quit.

“I have, however, loved the outdoors and physical challenges and have always been involved in one discipline or another,” she adds.

Last weekend’s gala night to her remains her distinction in sports, although she had no idea that night belonged to her.

Recalling the surprise award and how it felt, Mionki said in the recess of her mind she always dreamt of getting the final recognition and did not see it coming.

Maybe if they had finished on the podium in the Eldoret Rally or finished in two national championship events in 2018 then, realistically speaking, she stood a chance of winning the national co-driver’s title.

But not the big one.

“It is something that I dreamed of in the line of what I hope to achieve in motorsports before I retire,” she recalled. “But I did not know when it would come, or if it would ever come.

“Naturally, when my name was mentioned I was shell-shocked at first, then I became excited.

“What followed was accepting the award in gratitude and, naturally, in such situations, one tends to lose words.

“However, that night, I slept like a baby after a long night of celebrations with our team and friends.”

Her acceptance speech was short. She thanked her sponsor Menengai Refinery, fans, officials and, above all, her driver Bengi.

“Eric, you have been awesome,” she said. “Our partnership has been great and may we continue like that for the next 16 years just as Carl has mentioned tonight regarding his partnership with Tim inside the rally car.”

She explained their closeness.

“We are good friends with him and his family.

“We have been friends for over 11 years now. We also have a business relationship. We have respect for each other, which I believe is what has brought us this far. This team was made in heaven.”

Back in her home in Thika, her family, which Mionki describes as her “pillar of success” followed the gala on like Facebook streaming.

“Their support has been awesome,” she said.

“I grew up in a big tight-knit family and we had loads of fun together. I would find kids playing a new game, study it from outside then join in and try to become the best at it.”

She continued: “Watching sports, especially the football World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the Athletics Golden League (now Diamond League), the Olympics and the PGA Tour, were a family function, day or night.”

Maybe she would have been a world class sprinter if she grew up in the Rift Valley. But she schooled in Thika for both primary and high school at Gatumaini and Maryhill Girls High School.

“I remember having many friends in different classes, going for tuition, playing during the long breaks.

“I was very good at shake and kabadii,” said Mionki, whose first rallying outside Kenya was in Uganda with Helen Shiri in a Subaru Impreza in 2013 where they finished 18th overall.

“I actually discovered that I could run the sprints in class eight when I walked into a group doing trials, joined in and was selected.

“I became a class prefect in class four, which meant you kinda of grow up. In high school, I was in the athletics team running in the 100 and 200 metres, and in the 4x100 metres relay.”

It is from this experience that watching sports on television remains a ritual.

They never miss any big sporting event.

“We still try to converge at home to watch the World Cup or Africa Nations Cup finals together.

“My siblings and I went to Kasarani with their kids to watch the IAAF World Under-18 Athletics Championships in 2017. It was very enjoyable.”

Mionki is a well-bred town girl saved from the dangers of urban lifestyle challenges by sports and recreational activities.

She studied at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and completed her masters at the University of Nairobi where she majored in human resource management.

In school, her best subjects were English and Kiswahili. “I especially loved literature and fasihi."

“Overall, I loved high school. I met my best friend in college. We enjoyed spending time in the library and going to the movie theatres on Tuesday afternoon when we did not have class.

“It cost Sh80 on Tuesdays and we would also watch movies on the weekends or relax. We both loved church. My friends did not understand why I did not go clubbing.

“I just wasn't interested.

“I also played basketball and with my height you can imagine that I was not the best at it. I discovered rebounding and made it my thing.

“I watched a lot of NBA and hence my love for the sport.

“I stayed at the college hostels with a group of fantastic ladies.”

After failing to progress in football and other sports, Mionki’s final dream as a young lady was motorsport.

With women like Teith, Sylvia King, Michelle Van Tongaren, Gillian Bailey, Safina Hussein, Stella Macharia and Helen Shiri having made a name, she too decided to explore the unknown.

“I have had a few influences along the way, but first I credit my parents for introducing us to the sport as kids, the WRC Safari Rally was like a major holiday in our household while growing up,” she recalled.

DEVELOPED A RAPPORT

“As an adult my friend Martin, who worked with one of the co-sponsors of national rally championship then made sure that we did not miss any events and through him I met Bengi and we developed a rapport.

“Charles Hinga, a long-time family friend, was rallying then and took Eric and I through the basics and introduced us to the Abdul Sidi Rally Academy.

“Victor Okundi was courageous enough to allow me on the left seat for my first rally and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I am grateful to all these people and those who have come after,” said Mionki, who is still unattached.

Mionki is a realist, well aware of the inherent dangers of motorsport and has had scary and life changing experiences in the past.

But her most life threatening moment happened 10 years ago when she was involved in a car accident.

“Ten years ago I was involved a car accident which left both arms fractured with one being quite severe,” she recalled.

“The healing process was not easy and it took quite some to heal.”

Mionki considers herself a go-getter and sole and final authority of her destiny.

Having worked for Kenya Airways, BAT, Java House and ZTE, Mionki decided to quit and start her business in 2009.

But challenges exist.

“Overall business is good, with new opportunities every day. I love doing what I do and enjoy meeting different people.”