Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo wins ARC Equator Rally

Winners Carl Tundo (right) and his Navigator Tim Jessop celebrate victory after the Equator African Rally Championship at KWS Institute in Naivasha on Sunday, April 25, 2021. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Kenyan five-time Safari Rally winner Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo navigated by Tim Jessop has won the 2021 ARC Equator Rally held in Naivasha, Kenya.

 

ARC Equator Rally 2021 final standings: 1. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop (KEN-Volkswagen Polo) 02:34:08.8 3                      2.  Tejveer Rai/ Gareth Dawe (KEN-Volkswagen Polo) 02:46:17.4                 3.  Jas Mangat/Kamya Joseph (UG-Mitsubishi Evolution 10) 03:03:32.1      4. Giancarlo Davite/Sylvia Vindevogel     (Mitsubishi Evolution 10) 03:06:39.1           5.  Hamza Anwar / Riyaz Ismail (KEN-Subaru Impreza GVB)           03:10:08.3              6. Onkar Rai/Drew Sturrock  (KEN-Volkswagen Polo) 03:11:18.5    7.  Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana    (KEN-Mitsubishi Evolution 10) 03:13:38.7   8. Mcrae Kimathi/ Shameer Yusuf (KEN-Subaru Impreza) 03:13:51.2           9. Baldev Chager/ Ravi Soni (KEN-Mitsubishi Evolution 10) 03:14:28.4         10. Steve Mwangi/ Dennis Mwenda (KEN-Subaru Impreza) 03:15:24.4      11. Nzioka Waita/ Tuta Mionki (KEN-Mitsubishi Evolution 10) 03:17:30.      12.  Piero Canobbio/James Mwangi (KEN-Mitsubishi Evolution 10) 03:17:49.3         13. Evans Kavisi /Absolom Aswani (KEN-Mitsubishi Evolution 10   03:18:20.3            14. Ian Duncan/Tej Sehmi (KEN-Nissan 240RS) 03:20:43.9                15. Eric Bengi/Peter Mutuma (Mitsubishi Evolution 10) 03:21:37.2                              16. Kailesh Chauhan /Tariq Malik (KEN-Ford Escort RS) 03:22:40.8                17.  Geoff Mayes/Suzanne Zwager (KEN-Land Rover Tomcat)     03:41:46.7   18. Yasin Nasser/ Ali Katumba (KEN-Subaru Impreza)      04:08:13.8

 Tundo navigated by Tim Jessop in a VW Polo R5 at Loldia, Naivasha, during the ARC Equator Rally on Sunday, April 25, 2021. [Photo Courtesy: Eric Njiru]

Tundo took control of day one of the ARC Equator Rally in Naivasha on Saturday.

The Minti Motorsport VW Polo R5 driver bossed in all the six stages clocking 1:39:14.4hours to widen the gap between him and closest challenger Tejveer Rai.

Before acquiring his VW Polo R5 for the Equator Rally, Tundo was synonymous with his Top Fry-sponsored Mitsubishi EVO-10 in which he has won several Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) rounds against the nimble R5-spec Fords, Skoda Fabias, and VWs.

Apart from the five non-WRC safari Rally wins, Flash won the Guru Nanak Rally in 2011, 2012, 2017 and 2020.

The last WRC Safari Rally in 2002 was won by Collin Mc Rae navigated by Nicky Grist in a Ford Focus RS WRC2.

MC Rae died in a helicopter crash in 2007 along with his five-year-old son and two family friends. He was piloting.

[Photo: Courtesy]

Rally drivers Carl Tundo (left) and Baldev Chager in 2014. [File, Standard]