Tuta Mionki just can't wait for the WRC Safari Rally

Kenya Motorsport Federation (KMSF) Personality of the Year (2018) and National Rally Championship (KNRC) navigator Tuta Mionki is excited for the chance to race against some of the best drivers in the world when Kenya hosts the Safari Rally on June 24 to 27 in Naivasha. 

Currently racing in a Mitsubishi Evo 10, R4 with her driver, Nzioka Waita, Tuta hopes that the lessons they picked from the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) Equator Rally will go a long way in helping them have a decent outing against the best in the world.  

Tuta, who started rallying in March 2012, then in a Toyota Vitz, says the experience she has gained from being in the KNRC and working her way to the main class navigating for different drivers will also help as the Safari makes a return to the World stage after a 19-year absence. 

"This is huge and I cannot hide my excitement for this event. It is a big deal for me to race against drivers and teams that I have followed closely and rooted for in Championships for years. This is huge for Kenya as a country, not just the rally enthusiasts, and also for the continent,"

"The car is being prepared, after the ARC event, and we are hoping to have a feel, maybe just one test drive, before the Safari on June 24. The Equator Rally was our first in the car and as a team so we took it easy and treated it as a learning event. We could have done better and there are areas that we need to work on but getting to finish the Rally in such conditions was special. We will be looking to implement the lessons from the ARC in the WRC," she offered during an interview with the Safari Rally Media team. 

The Equator Rally was the 50th national championship for the navigator who is inspired by French former rally driver Michele Mouton. And just like her role model, Tuta hopes to move to the drivers seat soon and hopefully race for a manufacturer. 

Mouton debuted in rallying as a co-driver but quickly moved to the driver's seat, steering an Alpine-Renault A110, in national rallies. Competing in the WRC for Audi team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' World Championships in 1982. She is still the last woman to compete in top-level rallying. 

"I am still learning from all the drivers I have had to work with so that when I make the switch I will be well prepared for it. I am also hoping that some day to land a manufacturer's sponsorship. I know I can give the big boys a run for their money," she expressed.