Kenya’s Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo cruises to ARC Equator Rally victory
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Carl Tundo (right) and Navigator Tim Jessop celebrate after winning the Equator African Rally Championship on April 25, 2021 at KWS institute in Naivasha.
What you need to know:
- This year’s rebirth comes hot on the heels of the recent Covid-19 containment rules and a government ban of sporting activities.
- All Covid-19 protocols were well followed in the running of the Equator Rally.
- There were two specific areas, the High Density and Low Density Zones, where only certain persons are allowed to stay in or visit.
Carl Tundo outclassed his rivals to win the Equator Rally by one of the biggest margins in the history of the competition.
Driving a VW Polo for the first time in his career, the five-time winner of the Safari Rally was fastest in all but one of the 13 stages of the first round of the 2021 African Rally Championship series.
Onkar Rai, who had to rejoin the rally on the second day, set the fastest stage time during the qualifying contest on the first day.
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Carl Tundo navigated by Tim Jessop goes through SS9 Kedng Ranch during the Equator African Rally Championship on April 25, 2021.
“I can’t remember winning a rally by such a big margin of 12 minutes.
“It was a great event with the right type of stages.
“It was very unpredictable at times to concentrate with that sort of lead. The car was great to handle and drive.
“It was a big difference between my Evo10 and the Polo. I am sure I will have the same car in the Safari Rally with the help of Joey Ghose of the Minti Motorsports,’’ Tundo told Nation Sport.
Tundo’s navigator Tim Jessop was also excited and impressed with their performance.
“I am happy all went well. Wet stages made my life easier as Carl had to just keep the car on the road. Yes it is a big margin and very happy about,” he said.
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Carl Tundo and Tim Jessop, in a VW Polo, splash their way to victory on Sunday in the African Rally Championship Equator Rally at the Kenya Wildlife Training Institute in Naivasha.
The five-time winner of the Safari Rally was fastest on eleven out of 12 completive stages of the opening round ARC to emerge as an outstanding winner of the major rally.
The crew finished a massive 12 minutes, 8.6 seconds ahead of the second-placed Tejveer Rai in a similar car.
Rai continued with his good form by finishing in the second place with Gareth Dawe in the navigator’s seat as the VW Polos took the top-two positions.
“I am excited and still learning. We drove well with no major problems with our car.
“The rally stages were good, twisty and tight I am extremely happy to finish second overall,’’ said Tejveer.
South Africa’s Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy-Lyle were the best-placed foreign crews in the third place driving a Ford Etios.
The South Africans were followed home by Jas Mangat and Kamya Joseph of Uganda in the fourth position while Giancarlo Davite and Sylvia Vindevogel of Rwanda were placed in the fifth place provisionally.
Hamza Anwar, 22, one of the youngest drivers in the list, performed commendably well by scoring a brilliant sixth position at the wheels of a Subaru Impreza navigated by another young navigator, Riyaz Ismail, who has proved to be a good co-driver also.
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Onkar Rai Navigated by Drew Sturrock goes through SS9 Kedong Ranch during the Equator African Rally Championship on April 25, 2021.
Another young driver, McRae Kimathi, who was navigated by Shameer Yusuf, finished in the ninth position driving a Subaru Impreza.
Mcrae, 25, is the son of Phineas Kimathi, the CEO of WRC Safari Rally.
As Kenya prepares for the return of the Safari Rally to the World Rally Championship after an absence of 19 years, the weather conditions reminded us of the olden days of the major when Safari Rally and rains could not be split.
The rains proved tough for the drivers as slippery conn while conditions made it uneasy for the crews to keep their cars straight on the right path as almost 14 cars were forced out of the rally on Day One.
Of the total, 12 crews rejoined the event on the final day.
The FIA Super Rally Rules, now known as R2, allows drivers to restart the rally on the following if they wished to do so.
Crews are permitted to restart the following day if they are forced to retire.
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Sports CS Amina Mohamed(3rd left) and Trade CS Betty Maina(2nd left) congratulate Carl Tundo and Navigator Tim Jessop after winning the the Equator African Rally Championship on April 25, 2021 at KWS Institute in Naivasha.
For each stage not completed, however, a ten-minute penalty plus the winning stage time in the same priority group is added to the overall time.
Originally known as “Super Rally Rules,” the rules allow for a better return on investment for competitors and more action for spectators. Restarting is still at the discretion of the organizers, such as meeting safety standards after a heavy accident.
Baldev Chager, who rejoined the rally after retiring on the first day, said he was happy but stages were too rough.
The Mitsubishi Lancer driver finished 40 minutes, 19.6 seconds behind the leader because his accident.
“There was no way I could catch Carl, who finished with massive lead.
“Unfortunately, Onkar and I hit the same rock in Sleeping Warrior Stage which stopped our good progress before rejoining the rally. Let us hope Safari Rally will be different,’’ said Chager.
Ugandans Kepher Walubi and Muhamadi Asuman finished in the top-20 position driving in Mitsubishi Evolution 10.
Walubi expressed his excitement, saying he is keen to come back next year and tackle the whole of the 2022 Kenya National Rally Championship.
“I am really overwhelmed with the organization of the rally.
“Everything is impressive and pleasing. I am thinking of returning next year to contest the whole of the KNRC series. But first let me conquer the Equator Rally,” said Walubi.
The rally reverted to its original name - Equator Rally - as it had been known since 1981 until 2002 when it assumed the name ARC Safari Rally.
This happened after the iconic Safari Rally lost the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) status 19 years ago.
But since the Safari was re-admitted to the high-profile WRC circuit in 2019, the Kenya Motor Sport Federation reverted the Equator Rally to an ARC round.
This year’s rebirth comes hot on the heels of the recent Covid-19 containment rules and a government ban of sporting activities.
All Covid-19 protocols were well followed in the running of the Equator Rally.
There were two specific areas, the High Density and Low Density Zones, where only certain persons are allowed to stay in or visit.
Provisional Results:
1. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop (VW Polo) 02:34:08.8;
2. Tejveer Rai/Gareth Dawe (Volkswagen Polo) 02:46:17.4;
3. Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy-Lyle (Toyota Etios) 3:03:25.0;
4. Jas Mangat/ Kamya Joseph (Mitsubishi Evo10) 03:03:32.1;
5. Giancarlo Davite/Sylvia Vindevogel (Mitsubishi Evo10) 03:06:39.1;
6. Hamza Anwar/Riyaz Ismail (Subaru Impreza) 03:26:43.5;
7. Onkar Rai/Drew Sturrock (Volkswagen Polo) 03:11:18.5;
8. Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana (Mitsubishi Evo10) 03:13:38.7;
9. Mcrae Kimathi/Shameer Yusuf (Subaru Impreza) 03:13:51.2;
10. Baldev Chager/Ravi Soni (Mitsubishi Evo10) 03:14:28.4;
11. Steve Mwangi/Dennis Mwenda (Subaru Impreza) 03:15:24.3;
12. Nzioka Waita/Tuta Mionki (Mitsubishi Evo10) 03:17:30;
13. Piero Canobbio/James Mwangi (Mitsubishi Evo10) 03:17:49.3;
14. Evans Kavisi/Absolom Aswani (Mitsubishi Evo10) 03:35:36.0;
15. Ian Duncan/Tej Shemi (Nissan 240RS) 03:37:57.7;
16. Eric Bengi/Peter Mutuma (Mitsubishi Evo10) 03:21:37.2;
17. Kailesh Chauhan/Tariq Malik (Ford Escort RS) 03:22:40.7;
18. Geoff Mayes/Suzanne Zqagwe (Land Rover) 03:41:46.5;
19. Yasser Nasser/Ali Katumba/ (Subaru Impreza) 04:08:13.8.