Tundo Corporation

Jun 25, 2023

Sunday, June 25, 2023 Skoda driver Carl Tundo, navigated by Tim Jessop, competes in Hell's Gate stage during the 2023 WRC Safari Rally on June 25, 2023. What you need to know: Tundo, who was navigated by compatriot Tim Jessop, finished in 11th overall in addition to third overall in the WRC2 category driving a Škoda Fabia. The crew also won the Kenya National Rally Championship classification. McRae Kimathi, one of the three local drivers competing under the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Rally Star programme for young drivers in the series, said it was a hard and tough rally though happy to finish Kenya’s biggest motorsport events. Thank you for reading Nation.Africa Carl Tundo, the best placed Kenyan driver in this year’s WRC Safari Rally, says he was excited with the results that saw him grab a Rally 2 class podium, placing him among the best Kenyan drivers in the world of rallying. Tundo, who was navigated by compatriot Tim Jessop, finished in 11th overall in addition to third overall in the WRC2 category driving a Škoda Fabia. The crew also won the Kenya National Rally Championship classification. McRae Kimathi, one of the three local drivers competing under the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Rally Star programme for young drivers in the series, said it was a hard and tough rally though happy to finish Kenya’s biggest motorsport events. Kimathi and navigator Mwangi Kioni were placed first in the FIA Junior Class and third in the WRC3 Class. Unfortunately both Hamza Anwar and Jeremiah Wahome, the two other young Kenyans in the Rally Star programme, retired from the rally due to mechanical issues. Kimathi and Mwangi were also placed seventh overall out of the 14 finishers in the KNRC category. “We had punctures and a few other mechanical problems, though very happy to finish the major rally. It was exciting to be among the finishers,” Kimathi told Nation Sport. “We managed to stay on track and finish the rally. It was exciting to do that,” Kimathi stated at the post-rally media briefing. Nikhil Sachania, the sole handicapped driver in the competition, was placed third overall in the KNRC Class driving his specially prepared Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX. Tundo and Jessop kept their battle for the important WRC2 Class with a determined drive throughout the competition. The Škoda Fabia crew were the top local competitors sandwiched between the top drivers heading into yesterday’s final run. The FIA WRC2 Championship is a support championship of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The calendar consists of the same rallies and stages as the parent series and crews usually compete immediately after Rally1 class crews. The WRC2 is limited to production-based cars homologated under Group Rally2 (or previous R5) rules. There are separate specific championship titles awarded to Teams, Drivers, and Co-Drivers (including titles for Challengers in 2023, previously for Juniors under 30 years old). Former double winner of the Safari Rally winner, Glen Edmunds of Kenya, was happy mixing up with the Ford Rally Team for this year’s rally. “This is my 50th Safari Rally since my first event with Ford in 1973. I won the Safari Rally in 2003 and 2005. These are fantastic memories,” Edmunds told Nation Sport. It was also a sad moment for Gregorio Munster and Louis Louka. The Ford Fiesta crew was forced to retire while leading the WRC2 Class at the end of Stage 11. “It was going so well! We took back the lead of the WRC2 class in stage 11 but had to retire on our way to the next stage due to a mechanical issue. It’s difficult to accept but sometimes, the harsh reality of motorsports hits you and you can’t do anything about it,” Munster commented on his Facebook page. Rally fans were said to have behaved well by following the Spectator Stage rules set by the organizers of Kenya’s biggest Motorsport event. Special camping sites were located in several stages in addition to normal spectator zones. Kenyans were celebrating the 70th edition of the famous event which was first run under the Coronation Safari Rally in 1953. This year’s major event was the seventh round of the 2023 World Rally Championship. The remaining rounds of the 2023 WRC are: Rally Estonia, 5/6 August - Finland Rally, 9/10 September - Rally Greece, 30 Sept/1 Oct - Rally Chile, 28/29 October - Rally Europe and 18/19 November - Rally Japan. A minor accident marred the rally on Saturday when Geogerios Visalakis/Thomas Krawszik crashed their Ford Fiesta into a culvert while lying 23rd overall. The Safari Rally Chief Medical Officer, Dr Raj Jutley, said the crew was driving back to the Rally Service Park in Naivasha when the incident occurred after they hit an embankment at the Gilgil weighbridge. The injured navigator was flown to Wilson Airport in Nairobi and then rushed to the Aga Khan Hospital for management after the dusk accident. "The two were attended to before the navigator was airlifted to Nairobi but he was stabilised and is in a fairly good condition," Dr Jutley said. "All that I can say is that our team responded in real time after the information was relayed to our control room,"  he said. The 10.53km Hells Gate Stage was the Power Stage of the competition. The Power Stage (abbreviated as PS) is a Special Stage that usually runs as the final stage of a rally in the World Rally Championship (WRC) and European Rally Championships (ERC). Additional championship points are available to the fastest five crews through the stage regardless of where they actually finished in the rally. Unlike normal special stages, which are timed to a tenth of a second, the timing of the Power Stage is to a thousandth of a second. Nation. Empower Africa. We come to you.We are always looking for ways to improve our stories. Let us know what you liked and what we can improve on.