Safari Rally Legends: Fastest and Richest Kenyan Rally Drivers

– Ian Duncan is one of Kenya's most successful rally drivers who has won the Kenyan Rally six times

– His competitor, Carl 'Flash' Tundo, is a five-time winner of the Safari

Rally

– Patrick Njiru was a legendary rally driver who was a darling to Kenyans

in the 1980s and 90s

The Safari Rally is one of the most popular African rallies. It made a

return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) on Thursday, June 24,

2021, after a 19-year hiatus.

Rally fans at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani for the super

1. Carl Tundo

Carl “Flash” Tundo was born in December 1973 in Nairobi. He is the son of Kenyan rally driver Frank Tundo.

Tundo is a five-time winner of the Safari Rally. He is also a four-time conqueror of the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC).

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In 2009, the 47-year-old won the first round of the Intercontinental Rally

Challenge, making him the only Kenyan rally driver to achieve the feat.

It is the second time Tundo is participating in the WRC Safari Rally, having

done so in 2002. The speed wizard drove the VW Polo R5 in the 2021 WRC Safari Rally.

According to his biography, Tundo's networth is estimated at between KSh

107 million to KSh 215 million.

2. Ian Duncan

Ian Duncan is a famous Kenyan rally driver who was born on June 23,1961.

The 60-year-old is one of Kenya's most successful rally drivers who has won the Kenyan Rally six times.

Duncan's first victorious national rally was the Nakuru Rally in 1987 while driving a Toyota Celica twin-cam turbo navigated by Ian Munro.

The 60-year-old won his first national championship the same year,

winning most of the races. In addition, he won the 1987 national Motor Sportsman of the Year Award.

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Since then, he has emerged as the Kenyan Rally champion five times

(1988, 1989, 1991, 2000 and 2011).

Duncan also bagged the Rhino Charge off-road event in 1998, 2006 and 2007. He has also competed in motorcycling. In 2003, he was the runner up of Kenyan enduro, motocross as well as rally championships.

Duncan is one of the richest Kenyan rally drivers with an estimated networth of KSh 160 million.

3. Baldev Chager

Baldev Chager is a Mitsubishi driver and winner of the Safari Rally.

Chager was third in the 2019 African Rally Championship, which began on February 21, 2019, in the Côte d'Ivoire, and ended on October 10, 2019, in Rwanda, after seven events.

Chager won the 2019 Kenyan Safari Rally ahead of Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo and Manvir Baryan.

The experienced rally driver, who was navigated by Ravi Soni, claimed victory after African Rally champion Baryan, who had a healthy lead going

into the final stages of the rally, got stuck in the final stage and eventually dropped to third place.

4. Tejveer Rai

Tejveer Rai is an alumnus of City University, London. He is a safari rally buff and managing director of West Kenya Sugar Ltd.

The Rai family has greatly dominated the Safari Rally in recent years.

Tejveer Rai and his younger brother Onkar Rai (Two-time Division Two local Safari Rally champ) were some of the top local drivers who

participated in the 2021 WRC Safari Rally.

His campaign, however, came to a screeching halt on Friday, June 25,after his VW Polo crashed in the dusty Kedong stage.

Footage of the incident has since gone viral on social media and it shows

Rai’s car taking a scary nosedive before rolling over in a cloud of dust.

4. Azar Anwar

Anwar is a three-time national safari rally champion in Kenya (1998, 2005 and 2006). He also won the 1995 Safari Rally 2WD.

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In 2009, he was named Motorsport Personality of the Year. He has been

one of the most prolific drivers in motorsport, participating in 26 rallies.

The legendary 67-year-old rallying ace is the founder of Azar Anwar

Motorsports Academy that provides upcoming rally drivers with the

necessary driving and competition skills to kick start and grow their motorsports passion.

Anwar's son, Hamza Anwar, 22, recently shocked many when he edged out

established drivers to finish in the fifth position during the ARC Equator

Rally in Naivasha.

5. Patrick Njiru

Patrick Njiru was a former Kenyan rally driver with the Subaru World Rally

Team from 1983 to 2002.

The legendary rally driver was a darling to Kenyans and wowed many back

in the 80s and 90s during competitions.

He has retired from competitive racing but often takes part in organising

and competing in charity races.

Njiru's networth is estimated at over KSh 500 million.

Phineas was a celebrity in his own right during his rallying days.

In 1999, he gave Hyundai Motors of South Korea its first world title, the

Safari Rally Formula 2 title. The elder Kimathi also successfully

spearheaded the campaign that regained Kenya its long-lost WRC status.

Phineas's son, the promising McRae Kimathi, 24, was named after fallen

British legend Colin McRae.

He has already proved his mettle on the rally course and is among the

contestants this weekend.