Anwar sidi rally bulletin issue 94 by Anwar Sidi

anwar Sidi RALLY BULLETIN

The late Joginder Singh during the 2007 KQ East African Safari Classic Rally.

Photo by Anwar Sidi

Joginder Singh’s ﬁnal moments… By SHAMLAL PURI in London

NOVEMBER 2013 | ISSUE NO. 94

afari Rally icon Joginder Singh Bhachu was with his son Kaku at his home in London until his last breath on 20 October 2013. A close family friend in London described Joginder’s ﬁnal moments saying he called for his son to him down the stairs as he was not feeling well. “Kaku went up and came down the stairs with his father and Joginder hugged him tight for a few minutes and collapsed,” said lifelong friend Jagjit Singh Gill, who also drove with the rally ace on recce runs in the best years of Simba’s rallying career. Mr Gill said Joginder, who was wheelchair bound, had been very poorly and feeling low in recent months and this really

person all his life. “When you are conﬁned to a wheel drastic change in life of being dependent on others.” Joginder had been unwell for around one and half years. “Since he had a heart attack in June of last year, his health deteriorated and he became very weak,” Mr Gill said. “He was housebound and stopped going out. He concentrated on watching television and listening to the radio and lately, he had given up on life and used to say that he had had enough and wanted to go. Mr Gill who was a frequent visitor to Joginder’s house said he had gone to visit him on 19th October but unable to meet him as he was resting and Kaku had gone to pick his mother from the temple. “In the next few hours that followed, he was gone.”

Mr Gill, a former Nairobi Race Course Secondary School pupil (now Eastleigh Secondary School), was a silent co-driver with Joginder Singh during his practice runs and said it was a hair-raising experience driving with the Flying Sikh. “I have done reccees with him and Jaswant Singh from the VW days to the Ford Mustang, Fiat, Datsun, Colt and the famous Volvo PV544 days. The Volvo lived in my garage for three years before going to the museum in Sweden where she is resting with pride,” said Mr Gill. Former East African resident Shamlal Puri is the London Correspondent of The Standard and an editor of The International Indian magazine. He can be reached on: shamlalpuriStandard@gmail.com

KCB Kiliﬁ Rally Round 8 of 8

UNFINISHED BUSINESS....

Ian & Flash tussle for second spot as KCB Kiliﬁ Rally closes KNRC season

Standings after KCB Guru Nanak Rally KNRC 1. Baldev Chager 490 2. Carl Tundo 330 3. Ian Duncan 320 4. Azar Anwar 270 5. Quentin Mitchell 195

KILIFI HERE WE COME This year’s edition of the rally gets underway at the KCB Kiliﬁ Branch at exactly 6.30am on November 2. The event counts towards the Kenya National Rally Championship – Round 8, Kenya National Group S+SPV Championship – Round 8, KCB - Kenya National 2WD Championship – Round 8 and Classic Car Cup 2013. Reconnaissance for the season closer is scheduled for Friday November 1 from 06:00 hrs to

KNRC DIV. 2

Rai, Manvir Baryan and the Horseys will be waiting to pounce on the trio just in case the they stumble. There is literally an unﬁnished business in all classes being a critical balancing act between speed and championship points. Mitsubishi has dominated Division 1, 2 and 3 whilst Subaru drivers have had to contend with playing second ﬁddle to the powerful EVO9s and EVOXs. The EVOX has proven to be a much superior contraption than the EVO9 as the high torque makes it quicker coming into and exiting corners. It has also proven to be a very well balanced and strong car. Like Boldy, EVO9 driver Jasmeet Chana has nothing to lose with the KNRC Division 3 title already in the bag. What Jasmeet knows for sure is that he will bear the full brunt of the Rai cousins Rajbir and Tejvir who have been chasing him for the title all through the season. Rajbir is assured of the second place no matter what. Being a second generation driver, Rajbir’s career in rallying has indeed

18:00 HRS with only two passages per crew allowed per car. Scrutineering and Documentation is planned for Friday November 1 from 11:00 HRS TO 17.00 HRS at the Concord Motors Kiliﬁ. The Ceremonial Finish shall take place on Saturday November 2 as from 16.00 HRS onwards at KCB Kiliﬁ Branch. Prize Giving shall be at Vitengeni Youth Polytechnic at 17.30 HRS. Some of the highlights include a 6km stage and another totaling 36km. The total competitive mileage is 166km and a transport total of 100km.

taken off with a bag under the tutelage of rally guru Supee Soin. Supee has indeed racked up quite a number of titles with Rajbir’s father the legendary Sarbi Rai in the 1990s and is gradually passing on the knowledge to Rajbir. Division 2 is indeed a two-horse race pitting leader Jassi agaisnt Frank Tundo but it will be interesting to see what Onkar Rai will have to offer on his third outing in the EVOX. Frank in his early 60s is one of the mzees to watch as well as Azar Anwar. Dennis Mwenda has the Formula 2 title in the bag and will be going to the coast to test the car for his defense next season. S’&SPV class championship promises to be an equally explosive affair with leader Jaswinder Chana and Alasdair Keith ﬁghting for honors on homestretch. The tussle for Classic Car Cup honours is a two-horse race pitting leader Aslam Khan (Porsche 911) and Britain based Hardev Singh Sira in a Ford Escort Mexico. Sira has remained a strong contender for the Classic Cup despite not ﬁnishing in Kisumu and Guru Nanak.

1. Jaspreet Chatthe 380 2. Frank Tundo 325 3. Manvir Baryan 190 4. Izhar Mirza 180 5. Onkar S. Rai 180 KNRC DIV. 3 1. Jasmeet Chana 430 2. Rajbir Rai 340 3. Tejvir Rai 240 4. Farhaaz Khan 225 5. Jaswinder Chana 201 S’& SPV 1. Jaswinder Chana 380 2. Alasdair Keith 340 3. Mahesh Halai 310 4. Alex Horsey 220 5. Stanley Thuo 165 CLASSIC CAR CUP 1. Aslam Khan 90 2. Hardev Sira 84 3. Malcom Destro 57 4. Ramesh Vishram 54 5. Rob Hellier 36 2WD 1. Dennis Mwenda 82 2. Dalbir Thethy 53 3. Sammy Nyorri 49 4. Adnan Suheil 40 5. Joan Nesbitt 33

Swashbuckling South African Geoff Bell has participated in virtually all events of the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) 2013 and subsequently registered for a Kenyan Competition Licence to ostensibly score points in the Classic Car Cup. As he braces up for the forthcoming KQ East African Safari Classic Rally the oldie from down south will be in he coast in a different capacity-to route the KCB Kiliﬁ Rally 2013. Bell ﬁnsihed second during the 2011 edition of Afari Classic behind Bjorn Waldegard.

NOVEMBER 2013 | ISSUE NO. 94

aving already taken some impressive scalps in a season laden with drama and claimed a second career KNRC title at penultimate stage, Baldev Singh Chager’s drive in KCB Kiliﬁ Rally on November 2 will be a mere formality. Focus will indeed be on who between Ian Duncan and Carl “Flash” Tundo chalks-up the second overall position in the KNRC. Boldy, Ian and Flash have thus far handed spectators some high-octane antics and fought every inch of the wayif stage times witnessed in last seven events are anything to go by. Gremlins have nonetheless stymied Ian’s and Flash’s spririted campaigns. With no realistic chance of catching Boldy after the excruciating exits in Safari, Ian and Tundo has indeed driven to gain maximum points. With the ‘big three’ having proven they are a cut above the rest doesn’t mean that there is nothing left for the rest of the ﬁeld to cheer about. In fact, youngsters Raaji Bharij, Quentin Mitchell, Jassi Chatthe, Rajbir

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KCB GURU NANAK KNRC ROUND 7 OF 8

KCB GURU NANAK

Baldev wins 2nd career Guru Nanak rally to seal 2013 title

anwar Sidi RALLY BULLETIN

Baldev Chager & Ravi Soni

ith Alastair Cavenagh away for most the season, proceedings have remained increasingly competitive this year with every single stage revolving around the “Big 3”-Baldev Chager, Carl “Flash” Tundo or Ian Duncan . On the 34th edition of Guru Nanak Rally in Suswa, Ndabibi and Kedong, Ian and Flash had nothing much chasing the championship as they had lost a realistic chance subsequent to their exits in Safari. All in all, Chager had his campaign

FULL RESULTS-34TH GURU NANAK RALLY 2013 1. Baldev Chager/Ravi Soni (EVOX)- 1.26.45 2. Ian Duncan/Amaar Slatch (EVO9)- 1.26.49 3. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop (EVO9) - 1.29.35 4. Onkar Rai/Des Page Morris (EVOX) - 1.30.09 5. Rabir Rai/Supee Soin (EVOX)- 1.30.26 6. Quentin Mitchell/Harry Green (Subaru N16)- 1.32.47 7. Azar Anwar/Absalom Aswani (EVO8)- 1.33.57 8. Jassi Chatthe/Gugu Panesar (EVOX) - 1.34.27 9. Frank Tundo/Natasha Di Cangio (EVOX)- 1.36.14 10. Manvir Baryan/Drew Sturrock (Subaru N16)) - 1.38.34 11. Jasmeet Chana/R. Bhudia (EVO9) 1.38.44

NOVEMBER 2013 | ISSUE NO. 94

12 Imran Mogul/Adnan Din (Subaru) 1.40.29 13. Izhar Mirza/Kavit Dave (EVO9) 1.45.26

he won the 61st Safari Rally 2013. This was indeed Chager’s second career Guru Nanak victory following the initial one in 2004 and by extension, a rare double of Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) titles since his maiden in 2008. Flash was at the top for a short while then came back down when he stopped to ﬁx a puncture in CS2 and sat in the dust of Peter Horsey for about 6kms. The 2012 KNRC Champion was able to pick himself up in the last section, picked ﬁve seconds up and still had

14. Geoff Bell/Tim Challen (Datsun 240Z)) 1.46.59 15. Alasdair Keith/Tariq Maliq (Subaru) 1.47.12 16. Jaswinder Chana/ Ravi Chana (Toyota Celica GT4) 1.47.59 17. Tejvir Rai/Zahir Shah (Subaru N16)1.52.32 18. Mahesh Halai/Ketan Dinesh Halai (Subaru) 1.52.55 19. Joost Zurbier/Nehreen Ismail (Land Rover Tornado) 1.53.29 20. John Nganga (Subaru N10) 1.55.58 21. Rob Hellier /Huth(Datsun 160J) 2.11.14 22. Aslam Khan/Arshad Khan (Posche 911) 2.21.09 23. Phyllis Wambui/Linet Ayuko (Subaru Impreza) 2.37.46

the podium in his grasp. “It was really tricky… wasn’t too bad though…the 45kilometer section was rough in some places but it’s a drivers thing and its part of rallying; we were just trying to ensure these kijanas who are pushing us go back to the drawing board,” Flash explained. The aspect of rising stars like Rajbir Rai, Manvir Baryan, Jaspreet S. Chatthe and Onkar Rai featured prominently during post rally interview sessions at perc ferme in Sikh Union Club where Duncan claimed second overall spot incidentally 4 second behind the winner whilst Flash settled for third in what was indeed an resounding EVO clean-sweep. Chager had this to say about knack of the rising stars: “It’s actually good to see how many new boys are in the game and they are actually knocking on our heels. I think a couple of more years they will mature out and catch up with us… They got the right attitude, they have the right cars, they have the right back up, their lack is physical experience but only time tell.” And asked what it felt like to seal a second KNRC title at penultimate stage, the Flying Sikh continued: “I feel fantastic…I feel as a

KCB GURU NANAK KNRC ROUND 7 OF 8

Joan Nesbitt and Tamara Jones

Onkar Rai-Mitsubishi Evo 10

Phyllis Wambui/Linet Ayuko -Subaru

champion…it’s a great feeling, second time we have gotten the championship. My co-driver (Ravi Soni) is really excited. The year has worked out so well for us. The car, my crew, the product that we use, everything just fell into place and we are happy to be the champions again.” The 34th Guru Nanak Rally was actually a very technical rally. Theoretically if Tundo had won it, Chager needed to come in the top five , so Singh’s aim was just coming into the top five by not bashing the car. But in the course of the day, Tundo had a puncture then was caught in some dust. “I was very excited to here that we had won the championship already and winning the Guru Nanak which is another very special feeling for us. It’s very close to the heart, Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism and to win this rally is a double bonus for me today,” added Chager. The 32km Kedong-Longonot stage, cancelled in its repeat run, was a real nightmare more so to 2WD crews all who failed to master the thick volcanic ash soil conditions. It was the first time in the 2013 season that no 2WD came through the finish ramp. On the recee Kedong stage didn’t look that bad but after the first run conditions deteriorated to intolerable levels. Chager was backing off a little bit in CS1 where Tundo beat him by over a minute. Duncan bounced back with winning CS2 to seize the lead from Flash. Tundo was sixth fastest in CS2. Cavenagh who donated Ksh. 500,000 towards the Westgate Mall victims didn’t contest for a top position as he was testing his Ford Escort Mk2 for the KQ East African Safari Classic Rally. He retired in the early stages of the rally though. Chager clocked a total of 1.26.45hours in four stages to eclipse Duncan by a mere four seconds while Tundo clocked 1.29.35hous to settle for third. Duncan was literally on course for his 12th unprecedented career Guru Nanak win but not until he was caught up in Horsey’s dust in the last stage (CS5). Out of the 54 drivers who started the rally, >>

NOVEMBER 2013 | ISSUE NO. 94

Rajbir Rai-Mitsubishi Evo 9

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KCB GURU NANAK KNRC ROUND 7 OF 8 >>

NOVEMBER 2013 | ISSUE NO. 94

anwar Sidi RALLY BULLETIN

only 23 managed to finish. Ronak Shah who won the S /SPV class on his KNRC debut in Kisumu retired in CS3 end following clutch failure. Newcomer Eric Njogu was time-barred in CS1 around Kedong Ranch. Issa Amwari retired on transport road section en-route to service when the propeller shaft broke. “We tackled the first two stages but lost it all on transport,” said Issa’s navigator Job Njiru. Vicky Singh of Mombasa’s Team Nanak Engineering also kissed Guru Nanak goodbye just 3 kilometers to the finish of CS1 with a broken lower suspension arm. Haraka Mamas all ladies crew team of Joan Nesbitt and Tamara Jones had this to say after retirement: “I just want you to know I am so proud of my driver Joan, even though we were timed barred we made it through the first section when so many didn’t. She pulled some amazing stunts with that car,” said Tamara. Victor Okundi and Leonardo Varese also failed to complete the opening KedongLongonot stage. “This was a confirmation that the Guru will never favor 2WDs. We got stuck in thick dust 9kms from start it was a party of 2WDs we got pushed out and for the next 9kms we spent half the time in the shrubs along the road which had some traction but was a minefield of mole holes. On a narrow crest we got stuck in even thicker dust and we were already 15 minutes into the days lateness with more than 40kms to the next control it was unrealistic to push further. But Tuta and I fun while it lasted and were very happy with Quatulu’s new setup,” said Okundi. Onkar Rai savored fourth position which

Dennis Mwenda aka “Dere Mwenda” ﬁnally entered his name in the annals of Two Wheel Drive history by giving Toyota Sprinter GT its maiden campionship in the second tire series despite failing to ﬁnish the penult Guru Nanak Rallly. Mwenda navigated Sammy Nyorri in the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally and also Kamlesh Pandya in the MMC Clubman Rally.

was a welcome relief considering a tormenting season which saw his Subaru N16 go up in flames, the rolling an N12 in Safari. Rajbir Rai came fifth. Quentin Mitchell who had skipped Kisumu settled for sixth with a new navigator in Harry Green. Azar Anwar who was sitting with Absalom Aswani for the first time was seeded right behind Caveangh’s Ford Escort which as a 2WD was slower and he found himself sitting in his dust after some time. Azar had to stop at some point when he almost hit

a rock. Jassi Chathhe came home in 8th position on his second outing in the EVOX while Frank Tundo took 9th and Manvir Baryan claiming 10th. Alasdair Keith won the group S-SPV class in the Guru Nanak Rally but remained second in the table standings. Philis Wambui and Linet Ayuko were the only all-female crew to ﬁnish the event in 23rd position.

KCB GURU NANAK KNRC ROUND 7 OF 8

KRDA Westgate kitty separate families in addition to the M.P. Shah Hospital to receive part of the funds generously donated by the friends of the Motor Sports fraternity under the leadership of the KRDA Chairman, Carl Tundo. Each of the four families will equally share the balance of the funds after the MP Shah hospital, which has done a great job by providing free treatment to the victims of the disaster, has been presented with Shs.1m. On behalf of each and every members of the KRDA and Motor Sports in general, thank you and May God Bless you.

anwar Sidi RALLY BULLETIN

ith the help of the members and friends of the Kenya Rally Drivers Association, funds amounting to over Shs.2.2m has been raised towards the Westgate Disaster victims. Kenya Red Cross will be presented this afternoon with Shs.500,000 while other recipients will be accorded the same at a special function to be held at the M.P.Shah Hospital on Monday at 10.30am in presence of the KRDA officials, Senator Sonia Biirdi and officials of the hospital. KRDA has identiﬁed four other Alastair Cavenagh 500,000/Onkar/Tejvir Rai 300,000/-

Ramesh Hirani,Meru 200,000/Manvir Baryan,Multple haulier 150,000/ALS (Aslam Khan) 100,000/Carl Tundo 100,000/Frank Tundo 100,000/KRDA 100,000/-

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NOVEMBER 2013 | ISSUE NO. 94

Victor Okundi 5000/-

NOVEMBER 2013 | ISSUE NO. 94

anwar Sidi RALLY BULLETIN