Tundo wins Safari Rally
Carl Tundo (left) and Tim Jessop celebrate after winning the 2018 Safari Rally at the Sopa Lodge, Nakuru. PHOTO | ANWAR SIDI |
What you need to know:
- Carl Tundo and Tim Jessop recorded their fifth win of the Kenya's premiere event by securing victory in the 2018 Safari Rally on Sunday.
- ''It has been a wonderful rally and very good drive by Carl. We scored majority of the quickest stage times in our Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10. We are chuffed and very happy. Thanks to the entire team for supporting our goal,'' said Jessop.
- Baldev Chager and Ravi Soni, who are also the previous winners of the round of the African Rally Championship, finished in the second overall place despite their Mitsubishi Lancer suffering a puncture in the final stage.
Carl Tundo and Tim Jessop recorded their fifth win of the Kenya's premiere event by securing victory in the 2018 Safari Rally on Sunday.
''It has been a wonderful rally and very good drive by Carl. We scored majority of the quickest stage times in our Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10. We are chuffed and very happy. Thanks to the entire team for supporting our goal,'' said Jessop.
Baldev Chager and Ravi Soni, who are also the previous winners of the round of the African Rally Championship, finished in the second overall place despite their Mitsubishi Lancer suffering a puncture in the final stage.
Onkar Rai, sadly bowed out of the rally after having maintained a steady second place in his Skoda Fabia until the penultimate stage of the competition.
Carl Tundo and Tim Jessop (CENTRE) celebrate after winning the 2018 Safari Rally at the Sopa Lodge, Nakuru. PHOTO | ANWAR SIDI |
A mishap in the second last section of the rally put an end to his gallant fight. Rai was fresh from winning the Nakuru Rally last month.
A similar car of the reigning African Champion, Manvir Baryan also gave up on day two of the competition. It was also a similar story for the former ARC Champion, Jaspreet Chatthe, whose Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10 surrendered on the second day of the competition.
Jas Mangat and Joseph Kamya emerged as the best placed foreign drivers after guiding their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10 to the third place in the second round of the 2018 ARC series.
Tanzania's Randeep Singh and Gurvinder Singh finished in the fourth place driving a similar car.
Tuta Mionki was the best placed female navigator after helping her driver Eric Bengi finish in a commendable fifth place in a Subaru Impreza.
Local leaders, with the support of the Government of Kenya have joined hands to try and improve the status of the Safari Rally in order to please the eyes of the World Motor Sports Governing Body.
The Government gazetted two Committees last year - Steering and Organizing to roll out a road map towards the World Rally Championship status that was lost at the end of the 2002 Kenya National Rally Championship season.
It is now 15 years since the Safari departed from the 13-rounds series, under the guidance of the World Rally Championship status.
FIA President, Jean Todt has maintained the FIA status that Africa is a very key region for the FIA but had added the necessary guarantees set by the World Motor Sports Governing Body will have to be met.
Rally fans help Duncan Mubiru and Musa Msubaga's Subaru Impreza back on their wheels after they rolled over at the Kedong section of the 2018 Safari Rally on March 18, 2018. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Phineas Kimathi, the Chairman of the Kenya Motor Sports Federation, said this year’s Safari Rally, which was part of the 2018 Africa Rally Championship, was run on closed roads and private farms with special attention paid on safety as per FIA set standards.
This project is not for only the people seated here but for the whole Nation in love with the return of the Safari Rally to the WRC,” said Kimathi.
The Organizing Committee of the 2018 WRC Safari Rally Project was expected to take note of the safety, and security of drivers and fans according to laid down protocols by the International Motorsport Federation (FIA) rules and regulations.
Carl Tundo navigated by Tim Jossep in their Mitsubishi Evolution 10 at the Kedong section of the 2018 Safari Rally in Naivasha on March 18, 2018. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The FIA Observer 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.
Provisional Results
1. Carl “Flash” Tundo/Tim Jessop (Mitsubishi Evo 10)
2. Baldev Chager/Ravi Soin (Mitsubishi Evo 10) 02
3. Jas Mangat/Joseph Kamya (Mitsubishi Evo 10)
4. Randeep Singh/Gurvinder Singh (Mitsubishi Evo 10)
5. Eric Bengi/Tuta Mionki (Subaru Impreza)
6. Farhaaz/Kashif Shaikh (Mitsubishi Evo 10)
7. Duncan Mubiru/Musa Nsubuga (Subaru Impreza)
8. Mahesh Halai/Ketan Halai (Subaru Impreza)
9. Aakif Virani/Azhar Bhatti (Subaru Impreza N14)
10. Ammar Haq/Victor Okundi (Mitsubishi Evo 10)
11. Nikhil Sachania/Alfir Khan (Mitsubishi Evo 10)
12. Sohanjeet Puee/Adnan Din (Subaru Impreza N10)
13. Minesh Rathod/Shameer Yusuf ((Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10)
14. Richard Arrowsmith/ Roger Cmiowood (Ford Escort)
15. Edward Maina/ John Ngugi (Subaru Impreza)
16. Geoff Mayes/ Jamie Mactavish (Land Rover)
17. Izar Mirza/Kavit Dave (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10)
18. Martin Shinnors/Catherine Shinnors (Ford Escort MK2)
19. Imran Khan/Thabit Khadwalla (Subaru Impreza N10)
20. Pierro Cannobio/Sylvia Frigo (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10)
21. Daren Miranda/Wayne Fernandes (Subaru Impreza)
22. Moez Malik/Steve Njenga (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6)
23. Sarit Shah/Hana Shah (Toyota Corolla RSi)
