Tundo intensifies hunt for ARC series title at Rwanda Rally

Carl Tundo

Carl Tundo and his co-driver Tim Jessop on their way to victory in their Mitsubishi Evo 10 around the beautiful backdrop of Ole Naishu stage of the 2021 Nanyuki Rally on October 9, 2021.

Photo credit: Anwar Sidi | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • The team leads the ARC table standings with 90 points after having won the Equator Rally (Kenya), Tanzania and Zambia ARC rounds
  • Forty-two cars have entered the Mini Classic Rally which will be organised by the East African Safari Classic Rally limited
  • Rallye Sports Club of Nairobi will hold the second last round of the 2021 KCB Kenya National Rally Championship on November 20 and 21

Rwanda will host the next round of the 2021 African Rally Championship (ARC) this weekend.

Kenya’s Carl “Flash” Tundo and his navigator Tim Jessop, who will drive a VW Polo in the penultimate round of the series, are looking forward to race in their first rally in Rwanda. They have lofty ambitions to win the overall 2021 ARC  title.

The team leads the ARC table standings with 90 points after having won the Equator Rally (Kenya), Tanzania and Zambia ARC rounds.

The title hunt remains wide open with competitors chasing 60 points in the two legs left. The difference between Tundo and and second-placed Guy Botteril of South Africa is 17 points.

Tundo’s aim is to win the ARC title for the first time in his rallying career. He has already won the Safari Rally five times, the East African Safari Classic Rally once and clinched the Kenya National Rally Championship title five imes.

The two-day Rwanda Rally will have 12 competitive stages with the longest being 27.10 kilometres. The shortest competitive stage will be 8.30km and the total distance will be 290.25kms.

The official reconnaissance of the stages will take place Wednesday, to be followed by the scrutineering of the rally cars on Thursday.

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Forty-two cars have entered the Mini Classic Rally which will be organised by the East African Safari Classic Rally limited. The three-day event will be held on November 4-6. 

The total distance will be 1000kms of which 68 percent will be competitive distance. The shortest stage will be 44kms while the longest will be 88kms.

The  rally has will have 12 sections divided into three stages per day. Action will start at 8am on each day and finish at 3pm. Cars will do an average of 300kms each daily

Raju Chagger, who has organised a number of motorsport events such as the Guru Nanak Rally and the East African Safari Classic Rally, will be the Clerk of the Course for the Mini Classic Rally.

Among the entrants is former Safari Rally champion Azar Anwar, whose son Shabaz will be his navigator in a BMW 535. Azar’s younger brother Asad will also take part in a Datsun 1800sss, he has not named a navigator. Asad’s son Hamza will also be in race in a Datsun 1800sss.

Other entries are Geoff Mayers/Suzzane zwager (Land Rover), Kailesh Chouhan/ Tariq Malik (Ford Escort RS1800), Ian Duncan/Anthony Nielson (Datsun 240RS), Ramesh Vishram/Riyaz Ismail (Ford Escort MK2), Aslam Khan/Arshad Khan (Porsche 911), Shakeel Khan/Arshad Mughal (Ford Escort MK1) and Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana (Datsun Violet).

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Rallye Sports Club of Nairobi will hold the second last round of the 2021 KCB Kenya National Rally Championship on November 20 and 21. Sikh Union Club (Nairobi) will close the season with its Guru Nanak Rally on December 11-12. 

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Did you know that….

The Clerk of the Course in a rally acts as the competition’s first judicial body. The clerk or the deputy clerk has the power to impose penalties (except in very serious cases). This official has the responsibility over the general conduct and control of an event, from the opening date of entries to the time when protests and appeals are to be dealt with.