Carl Tundo and Hamza Anwar were the biggest local winners of the 2024 WRC Safari Rally after pushing on regardless of the many hurdles they encountered to score points in the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) series, and the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) respectively.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen won the WRC Safari Rally, with Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville stretching his championship lead to six points despite finishing only fifth.
Double world champion Rovanpera, competing in selected events only this season before a full return next year, led from Friday and finished one minute and 37.8 seconds clear of team mate Takamoto Katsuta over the rough gravel roads. M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux finished third.
Carl Tundo navigated by Tim Jessop in a Ford Fiesta competes in Malewa stage of the WRC Safari Rally on March 31,2024.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
Tundo, navigated by Tim Jessop, struggled with punctures on Saturday but their resilience paid off on Sunday as they finished 16th overall, and 17th in Rally 2 category in a Ford Fiesta car, giving the Safari Rally a Kenyan flavour.
Tundo, who has had a limited rally programme since his semi-retirement in 2021, said he was happy to battle the big boys but he never really had the opportunity to mount a serious challenge for the title.
“After suffering punctures on Friday and Saturday, all I wanted was a finish,” Tundo told Nation Sport on Sunday.
Anwar was Kenya’s only entrant in the Rally 3 category of the Safari Rally, driving a Ford Fiesta car. Despite struggling with many mechanical problems, he still managed to return to the finish in 22nd position overall. Afterwards, he expressed joy at having overcome retirement to rejoin the Safari Rally and score maximum points.
Hamza Anwar (left) and his navigator Adnan Din celebrate winning R3 category during the WRC Safari Rally in Naivasha on March 31, 2024.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
Unfortunately, Anwar, who competed in five JWRC events last year and became the third most improved driver in the world last year, was not registered to compete in this year's edition.
African champion Karan Patel was 18th overall after retiring on Saturday and rejoining the rally on Sunday after mechanics had fixed the strut in his Skoda Fabia car.
“I am happy and encouraged to compete again in the African Rally Championship,” Karan, who will be supported by KCB Bank, said. He was followed by Aakif Virani (Skoda Fabia) and Minesh Rathod (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO) in the main WRC.
The Rally 2 title was won by Britain’s Gus Greensmith in a Skoda Fabia car. He managed to squeeze himself in the main Rally 1 category and finished seventh overall, followed by Swedish Oliver Solberg in a similar car.
Greensmith drove with flu-like symptoms but never relented even as Solberg breathed down his neck as he opened a three-minute lead on Friday and remained put until he closed the finish line on Sunday.
Karan Patel navigated by Tauseef Khan competes in Malewa stage of the WRC Safari Rally on March 31,2024.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
Greensmith got his WRC2 campaign off to the perfect start after winning the FIA World Rally Championship’s premier support category by 1m 23.1 in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally over Solberg.
Solberg suffered a couple of punctures but enjoyed the consolation of winning 11 of the rally’s 19 stages. However, he failed to cancel the deficit behind Greensmith as competitive mileage dwindled yesterday in the 74km-long final day’s action.
Solberg posted the fastest time in the Wolf Power Stage, extending his lead in the championship. He finished more than seven minutes clear of third-placed Fabia man Kajetan Kajetanowicz, who also took the spoils in WRC2 Challenger.
“I don’t know what I’m more proud of, whether not giving up on Friday, or winning the category of the rally,” Greensmith said at the end.
“It's been a long week but I'm really, really happy. I say thank you to the (Toksport) team this weekend, they've been perfect.”
Safari Rally debutants Nicolas Ciamin and Charles Munster placed fourth and fifth respectively, both driving Hyundai i20 N Rally2 cars. Behind them was Daniel Chwist, followed by local driver Carl Tundo, winner in the WRC Masters Cup contingent.
Greensmith took full advantage of the mighty lead he’d built over the previous day, taking minimal risks to avoid damaging his tyres on Kenya’s rock-strewn roads. He dropped time to his Toksport Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 team-mate Oliver Solberg, who was hampered by tyre troubles on Friday, across all but one stage but still reached the overnight halt 1m 55.0s clear of the Swede.
“It's been fine today, I am feeling better now,” Greensmith confirmed.
“We took the last one nice and easy because we knew it was going to be rough, and it made no sense to lose time changing a tyre. Nothing was more physically demanding than yesterday - today, in comparison, was a walk in the park.”
