WRC Safari Rally Day 3: Tundo, Jessop lead Kenyan charge

Carl Tundo and Tim Jessop are the top Kenyan crews among the top FIA Manufacturer drivers at the end of Day Three of action.

The Kenyans are lying in top-15 position of the list that is led by Sebastian Ogier in a Toyota. 

Drivers faced difficulties in some of the stages on Saturday especially the Sleeping Warrior section which was wet in several parts of the stretch. 

The stage proved rough with big rocks, long grass and water splashes which needed the drivers to concentrate hard with much difficulty.

Thierry Neuville and Martin Wydaeghe (Hyundai 12N Rally 1) rejoined the rally after retiring on Friday. The crew was seeded first on road though they cannot win the rally according to the rules. They can only score seeding points.

Nikhil Sachania, the sole handicapped driver in the competition said he was happy so far with no serious problems. His Mitsubishi Lancer looked clean when the crew reported at the end of the three stages on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Karan Patel and his navigator, Tauseef Khan were fined £1000 for failing to display the OK sign within one minute of them stopping in the Kedong Stage with a puncture.

The crew, considered as FIA Priority Two drivers, were informed by the Stewards of the offence, thus incurring a fine of £1000 to be paid within 48 hours of the Stewards Report.

The 2023 FIA WRC Sporting Regulations explains the procedures that the crew must undertake in case of stoppage of their car on a Special Stage whether temporarily or permanently.

The crew must acknowledge the status of the stoppage within one minute of being prompted to do so on the FIA Tracking System. A fine is therefore applied for this infringement. 

Similarly, Gerard Maina and Ken Nteere were reported to have shared their car with another crew during the Reconnaissance of SS14/17 without prior permission. The crew was reprimanded by the Stewards. The other crew of Issa Amwari and Denis Mwenda were fined Sh5,000.

For safety reasons, the organisers had  to suspend the Sleeping Warrior Stage on Saturday.

The panel of senior officials includes Mazen Al-Hilli as Chairperson of the WRC Safari Rally, while the rest of the team included Chris McMahon (FIA Steward), John Kamau (ASN Steward) and Yvonne Gilli (Secretary to the Stewards).

The final stage of the Safari Rally, the Hell's Gate will host the spectators on Sunday before curtains come down on one of the toughest rounds of the 2023 World Rally Championship.

WRC Safari Rally, Clerk of the Course, Gurvir Bhabra heads the list of the team which has been looking at the interests of the spectators while concentrating on the route set up for the major event.

The rest of the team include Anwar Sidi (Route Liaison and Media Safety), Nazir Yakub (Deputy Clerk of the Course) and George Mwangi (Deputy Clerk of the Course).

Service Park is so far proved to be under proper guidance with lots of cars and crews coming in and out. 

The Service Park in the Safari Rally is a massive area measuring about 250mx100m and able to accommodate around 80 rally cars at any one time of day. Each car is expected to visit the park at least three times in the course of the day.

Joe Muchiri, 30, is in charge of the venue which provides teams with requirements and equipment as per the demands of the teams and organisers.

Muchiri’s team has ambulances, fire engines plus a helipad, which can accommodate more than 15 helicopters.

Muchiri has organised three Safari Rallies with a team of 60 marshalls and officials.