NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 14 – Mombasa based rising star Abdulkadir Tarmal is set to make his Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) debut at MMC Bamba Rally this weekend.
Tarmal- who joined the sport earlier in the year–is a product of the evergreen Mombasa Motor Club (MMC) training rally initiative which offers upcoming drivers an opportunity to compete on a low budget
Rightly so, Tamal has displayed amazing talent in his first year of racing and is hoping to take his career to the next level on his home rally Saturday.
The 28-year-old who started who his racing career at Mombasa Go-Kart – will however debut his home rally minus his regular navigator Azgar Kassam who will be officiating on the route course this weekend.
He will be accompanied by Nairobi’s Anthony Gichohi who is an old hand in the game.
The Tarmal Cement sponsored driver possesses an apparently insatiable appetite for speed and is happy to narrates how all the craze started.
He expounds: “I used to participate in a lot of go-kart races back in the day as a young boy in Mombasa.”
“But at the same time, I was always glued to WRC TV during weekends just to catch a glimpse of legend Sebestien Loeb’s in his glory days.”
Watching Seb inspired him
“Watching Seb in full attack mode inspired me immensely and I knew I would give rallying a try as soon as I could.”
Tarmal has for the longest time possible dreamt of owning a rally car, but his dreams became valid the moment he completed his university studies in the UK some few years back.
“I have always loved speed, and it will be exciting to try out my machine at national level.”
Tarrmal’s first 24 hours of racing fame came when he outrightly won the fourth round of the 2022 MMC Coast Rally 4 in Vipingo.
Three months earlier, Tarmal had won the Kenya National MMC Autocross 5’s Open Class at the same venue where he restricted Nairobi based father and son team of Charan and Rajveer Thethy to second and third positions respectively.
“It was an amazing experience winning this club rally, but then again, quite a challenge considering that this was my first night rally. However, I think my co-driver Azgar Kassam was in the ball and deserves a pat on the back for a mission well executed.”
 “There were many DNFs before the night stages but we had a comfortable lead by then, so our aim was to survive the demanding conditions whilst gaining some good night rally seat time.”
Runs on a Subaru Impreza
Tarmal currently runs a Subaru Impreza STI N10 which he acquired from his good old friend Arjun Pattni, who bought it from its previous owner but only raced with it in one event.
“My win at Vipingo has definitely upped my confidence levels and also goes to show that I’m progressing in the sport which motivates me to continue learning and pushing even harder when circumstances permit. It’s always wrong to be retrogressive in anything that you can make better”
But asked what his long and short term plans in racing.are, Tarmal went on: “For now, I want to focus on improving my skills and indeed grasp as many lessons as possible from the senior drivers and team.'”
‘I’ve only done Clubman events organized by MMC this year and I’m loving it. The one thing that makes MMC events unique and fun is the fact that majority of the officials are either retired or active rally drivers, so leaning will never stop; depending on which side of the cockpit you sit .”
“But I’ll be hoping to do more events across the country next year to see how well I can adapt to new and more demanding conditions. Down the line, winning a KNRC event would be an ambitious achievement over time Two years is ambitious, but four years it’s realistic.”
First generation driver
Tarrmal is a first generation driver who continues to learn the ropes meticulously.
As a greenhorn in this adrenaline packed sport, Tarmal is not just a petrolhead per se, he is an astute student of the game.
But what informs his upward trajectory in the sport is the fact that he will never shirk from seeking help from his stablemates at MMC who are more established than him in matters racing.
All in all, he candidly credits his regular navigator Azgar for providing leadership, guidance and support on and off the cockpit, because these amazing group of partners are responsible for success when a driver performs.
“Having a navigator you can rely on is key to performing well in a rally environment. Without good notes from the adjacent side of the driving seat becomes really difficult to push the car to its limits as you lack the requisite confidence, and by extension, the capability to ascertain what obstacles lie ahead.”
“In my previous rally, I had to race without intercom which was a huge challenge as I missed many notes from my co-driver. However, he did a great job under the circumstances, but surprisingly, we romped back victorious,” he said in finality.
