Relief as ‘Flash’ Tundo confirms Safari Rally entry
Carl Tundo and Tim Jessop's Triumph TR7 during the East African Safari Classic Rally in February 15, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Tundo, a darling of the fans and a pillar of the sport, has not raced in the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) this year raising speculations of his retirement from the sport
- The rally legend had been slated to drive a Hyundai i20 R2 in any World Rally Championship (WRC) round of his choice together with other continental champions before this programme was shelved
- His father is famous as a veteran rally driver and Carl has been flying the family name high since 1995 when he first entered the Safari and finished 10th overall
There was a mixture of sigh, relief and optimism Friday after the Kenya and Africa champion Carl “Flash” Tundo confirmed his participation in the WRC Safari Rally.
Tundo, a darling of the fans and a pillar of the sport, has not raced in the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) this year raising speculations of his retirement from the sport.
But last week he allayed these fears.
“Me retiring? No way. I am merely taking a break after a busy season last year,” said Tundo.
“I will announce the make of the car this weekend. But I am looking forward to the Safari,” Tundo said Friday.
He will be vying in the KNRC category of the Safari Rally.
The rally legend had been slated to drive a Hyundai i20 R2 in any World Rally Championship (WRC) round of his choice together with other continental champions before this programme was shelved.
Tundo, a five-times Safari Rally winner and four times national champion is not “soft.”
This is just an acronym standing for Son of Frank Tundo.
His father is famous as a veteran rally driver and Carl has been flying the family name high since 1995 when he first entered the Safari and finished 10th overall.
But at the end of the day – as he told Nation Sport in an earlier interview - he is just a Kenyan rural boy.
Tundo’s first experience in the WRC Safari Rally marathon was not a pleasant outing which nonetheless was later to shape his career as one of the most successful drivers in recent times.
“I remember being totally in awe of the experience,” he recalls 23 years later.”
Tundo was able to purchase an ex-Patrick Njiru Subaru Impreza factory-prepared by Subaru Motorsport Group of Japan.
It was a good car which, however, had received some beating in the national championship the previous year.
Although at some point a farm handyman who had sampled crude machinery like tractors, nothing still compares to his debut Safari.
“The power steering pipe burst at the top of Fluorspar, and after a bit of a panic putting a fire out and being helped by Jim Heather-Hayes, we did that whole day back to Nairobi without power steering,” says Tundo.
Amazingly they finished 10th overall.
