Tundo moves top of KNRC log following Safari exploits

Five-time Safari Rally champion Carl ‘flash’ Tundo picked 39 points in the just-concluded World Rally Championship’s (WRC) third leg, the Safari Rally last week to move top of the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC).

Tundo and his navigator Tim Jessop, driving a Ford Fiesta car, were the highest placed Kenyans in 16th place in the main WRC class, seventh in the Rally 2 category, and came out top of the KNRC category.

The 51-year-old who was competing in the KNRC for the first time this season frog jumped Samman Vohra, who had won the first leg of the national championship in Eldoret picking 33 points. Vohra did not finish his Safari.

Minesh Rathod was the second best Kenyan in the global event, picking a crucial 29 KNRC points that put him third on the national competition log, three points ahead of defending champion Jasmeet Chana who picked 26 points in Eldoret for his second-place finish but did not participate in the Safari.

Josiah Kariuki who made the KNRC podium at the Safari for 25 points that opened his local season, having not entered the Eldoret event, completes the top five places.

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Meanwhile, reigning Africa Rally Championship (ARC) winner, Karan Patel, was 18th overall, having retired on Saturday but re- joined the rally on Sunday after mechanics fixed his Skoda Fabia. He did not pick any points from his run in the Naivasha event.

As action heads to the third round set to be hosted by the Kenya Rally Team (KRT) on 25 and 26 May according to the Kenya Motorsport 2024 calendar, stiff competition is expected as the race for top place continues.

Chana who dominated last season’s race to pick his maiden KNRC title with two rounds to spare will look to pick his first win of the season and keep the race at the top close.

KNRC 2 Results

1 Carl Tundo 39

2 Samman Vohra 33

3 Minesh Rathod 29

4 Jasmeet Chana 26

5 Josiah Kariuki 25

6 Aakif Virani 24

7 Yassin Nasser 22

7= Hamza Anwar 22

9 Ian Duncan 19

10 Francesco Garosci 18

11 Ghalib Hajee 17

12 Tinashe Gatimu 16

13 Joey Ghose 15

14 Pauline Shegu 13