Safari rally all women crew inspiration enough to upcoming female rally drivers

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MOTORSPORTS Safari rally all women crew inspiration enough to upcoming female rally drivers

Abigael Wafula 13:53 - 30.06.2023

Tundo, the sister of five-time Safari winner Carl, finished an impressive eighth in the national rally.

Tina and Caroline Gatimu-the first mother-daughter crew to tackle the WRC Safari Rally were the trailblazers of the 70th edition of the event.

The duo was driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and joining them was the trio of Tash Tundo/Chantal Young, Jennifer Malik/Wangui Mungai, and Pauline Sheghu/Linet Ayuko, all driving Subaru Imprezas.

The quartet was proudly sponsored by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Arts, and the Sports through the Talanta Hela initiative which strives to identify, nurture, market, and monetise talent.

Tundo, the sister of five-time Safari winner Carl, finished an impressive eighth in the national rally despite breaking a driveshaft on day one.

“We got a great result but I’m really gutted because on the first day, my driveshaft broke in Kasarani, so I got a 10-minute penalty. We could’ve been on the podium if not, which is gutting.

Talanta Hela initially came up with the idea to have four ladies’ teams and we went from there, really. We found other sponsors, I found one and Pauline found another, and we just went that way,” she said.

The Gatimu’s managed a 10th-place finish while journalist Shenghu managed a 13th-place finish. Malik was forced to retire prematurely after encountering a mechanical problem.

Senior Events Director Simon Larkin emphasised WRC Promoter's commitment to fostering greater participation in rallying across Africa, adding: “We think the Talanta Hela initiative that CS Ababu Namwamba has created is an opportunity and a stepping stone for people to get [to the top] and we are actively supporting a number of drivers.

This is our attempt to try to make it a bit of a pyramid, if you like, to get more participation, not only at the top level but also with grassroots participation as well.”

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