Tundo leads Betika's team for Safari Rally

Carl Tundo is the only driver in this year's Safari Rally who has experienced the World Rally Championship of the old, the African championship and now re-birth of a modern day sprint Safari Rally Rally.

He made his Safari debut in 1995, and surprisingly finished 10th overall navigated by Mathew Buckhurst in a second-hand Subaru Impreza which had done the Safari and entire Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) the previous year.

He is also the most successful on the Kenyan scene, having won the ARC Safari Rally five times to equal Shekhar Mehta's record of most wins, multiple national titles and signed off a very successful career with the Africa crown in 2021.

This year's he is again leading the Kenyan challenge and was Tuesday again unveiled by Betika Team as their lead driver in a Ford Fiesta Rally 2 car, he describes as having seen a rough patch from the hands of previous owner Rajbir Singh Rai in the Ugandan circuit.

Betika has sponsored three other drivers, Andrew Muiruri (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 10), Ishmael Azeli (Subaru Impreza) and Jennifer Malik (Subaru Impreza), to the tune of Sh20 million in cash and kind through Betika Na Community initiative.

"Rallying is not cheap, and I know so many good drivers who are locked out of the competition because they cannot afford it. When companies like Betika come to support us, we get motivated to do better, to keep the fight and the love of the sport," said Tundo.

Malik said that participating in this year’s Safari Rally is a dream come true for her.

"This is my second time competing at the WRC and I hope to inspire other young girls in Kenya to pursue their passion for motorsport. As an all-female rally team, we have encountered a lot of challenges during the preparations for this event, but Betika’s support has lessened the burden."

Betika Managing Director Mutua Mutava said: "Taking place amidst the rugged expanses of Africa awe-inspiring landscapes, where the weather can swiftly shift in mere moments, Safari Rally Kenya stands as an unparalleled trial of resilience. With its terrain unforgiving and diverse, from treacherous mud to unyielding rocks, from fesh- fesh sand to demanding water crossings, this event epitomizes the ultimate test of endurance. We are proud to stand behind Carl Tundo, Andrew Muiruri, Ishmael Azeli, and Jennifer Malik."

Tundo will not be lost in the Safari especially in Gilgil sections which he is familiar with.  

"The Ford is not ready to test, so I've not been in it. So not sure if there will be any change," said Tundo at the Betika sponsorship launch at Serenai Hotel.

"It is an R5 so I cannot imagine huge differences to the Skoda. I’m really looking forward to driving it."

Tundo has not been active in rallying since last year's edition where he finished 11th overall in a Skoda Fabia R5 which will be driven by Africa champion Karan Patel in this year's event.

Tundo, co-driven by regular navigator Tim Jessop, will be challenging top European professionals who are starting the Rally 2 world championship campaign in Kenya led by last year's Safari winner Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Oliver Solberg and Martin Kropop in Skoda Fabia R5 models.

"Although I haven’t been active I’m looking forward to another Safari Rally. It will be similar to last year where my first test was on shakedown. I think once you’ve been rallying for so long it doesn’t take too long to brush the cobwebs off," he said.

The semi-retirement of Tundo, Baldev Chager, Oka Rai, Tej Rai and Eric Bengi, all members of the Sabras Rally Team in 2021, dealt the Kenya National Rally Championship a major blow, part of the reason of the low number of Kenyans in this year's Safari at 18.

Tundo was the chairman of the WRC Safari Rally Local Organising Committee, a tenure he describes as bitter-sweet.  

"Being a competitor and an organiser last year was a tough one - competing obviously came naturally to me, but I enjoyed the experience of being on the organisational side."

He said his tenure, although enjoyable was one of the most frustrating jobs he did.

"Various players within the organisation failed to recognize the fact that the LOC had a job to do," he recalled.

"I am upset that we were not reinstated as I felt, we had a lot to offer moving forward in resuscitating our local rallying scene, which in the past has been neglected by the project."

He wished the new team all the best of luck although the changes were made very late.