Rally: Onkar Rai wins KCB contest

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa and WRC Managing Director Oliver Ciesla flag off Onkar Rai/Gareth Dawe in their Skoda Fabia R5 car during the 2018 African Rally Championship at KICC, Nairobi on Friday 16/03/18[Boniface Okendo,Standard]

Home driver Onkar Rai rallied from a minute deficit in the first loop to register an emphatic hat-trick at the KCB Nakuru Rally yesterday.

His last gasp drive saw the Kabras Sugar Racing ace eclipse defending champion Carl “Flash” Tundo by four seconds in a day of high drama, dust and speed.

Tundo led the rally up till the penultimate stage but candidly admired that Onkar’s Skoda was too good.

“I think this is the fastest car I have ever faced in the KNRC,” said Tundo. The searing Rift Valley heat did nothing to dampen Onkar’s spirits, and he drove like a man possessed on the technical and twisty CS8 Ankole 2 which was a repeat run of the opening stage.

The twisty nature of the stage appeared to favour Onkar’s Skoda Fabia R5 against Tundo’s and Chager’s Evolution Mitsubishis.

Onkar won four out of eight stages to rack up his third career KNRC victory while Tundo took four to settle for second. “It’s not a bad start for my defence,” said Tundo.

Onkar said: “The first stage we made many mistakes, there was dust and we spun three times. The first loop mistakes had done enough damage to our timings, so we were left with no option but to attack. H Tundo he drove knowing Skodas are much more superior.” [Ben Ahenda]