Four women crew add colour to this year's WRC Safari Rally

Last year, Safari Rally star Maxine Wahome made history after winning the WRC3 Category in Naivasha, making her the first Kenyan woman to win a WRC support category.

The win earned her world recognition and accolades from world champions, including Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton. 

 This year’s Safari has featured a four-car all-women crew team sponsored by the Government of Kenya through Talanta Hela and it’s the first time in many years that more women have savoured the opportunity to showcase their skills in the top-flight motorsport world.

For the first time ever — in the history of Safari — the sport has featured a mother and daughter crew of Caroline and Tinashe Gatimu behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer.  

Other all-women’s crew partaking in this year’s Safari are tarmac racer Jenifer Ayetsa/Wangui Mungai (aka Kui Qui), Pauline Sheghu/Linet Ayuko (Subaru), and former KNRC Division 3 champions Natasha Tundo and Chantal Young in a Subaru.

Of the four Safari drivers, Natasha is the most experienced. The daughter of Frank Tundo and sister to 'Flash' Tundo, became the second-ever woman navigator after Sylvia King to win a round of the KNRC on Guru Nanak Rally when she guided his brother to victory.  

Asked what keeps her going, Natasha expounded: “I think the love of the sport and I love the fact that I have a lady next to me. This year, there are eight of us competing in the Safari which is really exciting; the government put their initiative together and it's awesome we have a team of eight girls. For some, it’s a first-time experience, and they are doing really well. I mean, it's tough running behind the big boys.”   

“Owing to the camaraderie we have, we all have each others’ backs. It is a male-dominated sport and the more we are as women drivers, the better," she added.

"It’s amazing to see a mother and daughter entry. This is Tinashe’s first long rally and she’s keeping up. We thank Talanta Hela for this amazing initiative of bringing us ladies on board.”

For Caroline, the experience to swap seats and call pace notes for her daughter Tinashe has been awesome.   

“It’s pretty interesting reading notes for the first time knowing that one wrong note and you are out of the running. Tinashe is not faster than me but faster than I expected and being her first time driving, we take it cautiously on corners. The idea is just to take the car home,” said Caroline.  

Tinashe stated that she developed an interest in rallying because of her rally-crazy parents for the longest time possible. When she turned 16, she got into autocross and then slowly graduated to a 2WD Toyota Levin.  

“So now with the chance that we have gotten to drive in the Safari, we just agreed amongst ourselves that let’s drive for visibility and seat time,” Caroline remarked, adding: “For the future, a year or two when she is done with school, we would like her (Tinashe) to at least see do the WRC3.”

For Tinashe, it’s a critical balancing act between academics and racing: “When it's time for school,  it’s time for school and when it’s rallying, it's rallying. Hopefully, I will be able to join the Junior WRC in the future and maybe move on to the WRC Rally 1 hybrid car.”  

Tarmac racer-turned-gravel-driver Ayietsa says it’s a learning experience in her first WRC event.  

She said: “We are doing good and trying to be out there. We are trying to woo sponsors into the sport. Safari is challenging but I also do the RX Rallycross which has really helped my driving lines."

"For tarmac, it’s a totally different ball game. It is flat out but in rallying, there are so many corners. My highlight on Safari has been the fesh fesh. I have been hearing about it but I have never experienced it and when I saw it, I started laughing. "