Tundo title charge now unstoppable, says Chager
Defending Champion aka Boldy, believes stopping leader Carl “Flash” Tundo from reclaiming the Kenya National Rally Championship title at Sunday’s season-closing KCB Guru Nanak Rally is going to be a tall order.
Chager has a tiny chance of defending the title he won in 2019 before Covid-19 saw the 2020 season end prematurely.
The “Flying Sing” will be seeking to close the season with a win with hopes that Tundo stumbles in the Il-Bissel-based event which will be organised by Sikh Union Club Nairobi.
The event has been moved from Stony Athi to Il-Bissel due to inclement weather, according to a bulletin from Clerk of the Course Onkar Kalsi. Kalsi added that the route itinerary will be announced in due course through a bulletin.
Tundo realistically only needs to finish eighth to secure the title given his 25-point advantage over Chager.
If Tundo finishes eighth, he will chalk up the much-needed 11 points enough to reclaim the title he lost to Chager a few years back.
Chager can only manage a maximum of 176, that is if he wins the event outright and indeed wins the Power Stage where the top three will earn bonus points (5,2,1) towards the championship.
However, one slip up could throw the championship battle firmly in Chager’s favour.
Third gear
Mathematically, Boldy still has a slim chance of winning the championship.
Asked about his approach Boldy said: “We have to beat Flash by 25 points which is very difficult. Even if he drives on third gear, he will get the necessary points needed to win the championship.
Unless something drastic happens to him, only then we have a chance but at the pace that we are at the moment there is a very slim chance for us, until he has a major issue.
But we will go and attack it as we always do, and do the best we can given that Guru Nanak Rally is a home rally for us.
The name Guru Nanak is associated with Sikhism, just like Jesus to the Christians.”
Chager will team up with Ravi Chana in a VW Polo R5 while Tundo will go for the title in his traditional Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 10 navigated by longstanding co-driver Tim Jessop.
“Sikh Union Club always puts a special effort, a finish at the clubhouse is always a great occasion to interact with the rally family at competition,” added Chager.
Meanwhile, the season closer will see some drivers and navigators fight for titles in various divisions of the championship.
Jasmeet Chana and Aakif Virani already have the Group N and Division One titles in the bag.
Their participation will be a mere formality, given their championship status after the Thika Rally.
Maxine Wahome will be fighting with former Two Wheel champion Daren Miranda for the division title.
Maxine, in his very first year of rallying, tops the Division Two log on 137 points against Daren’s 123.
And having not graced the first two events, Maxine must enter the Guru Nanak to attain the 75 percent threshold for participation.
Maxine, a bike rider turned rally driver, made her debut in WRC Safari with Chantal Young but later changed her navigator to Linet Ayuko.
Linet is assured of the Division Two navigators’ championship and will be supporting Maxine for a driver-navigator title success.
She currently sits ninth on the KNRC log with a 100 per cent finish record thus far.
