Ian Duncan

This article is about the rally driver. For the politician, see Ian Duncan (politician). For the actor, see Ian Duncan (actor). For the character on Community, see Ian Duncan (Community).
Ian Duncan
Personal information
Nationality Kenya Kenyan
Born June 23, 1961
World Rally Championship record
Active years 1983–1999
Teams Subaru, Toyota
Rallies 15
Championships 0
Rally wins 1
Podiums 4
Stage wins 4
Total points 80
First rally 1983 Safari Rally
First win 1994 Safari Rally
Last rally 1999 Safari Rally

Ian Duncan (born June 23, 1961) is one of Kenya's most successful rally drivers. He was Kenyan Rally Champion six times (1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2000 and 2011),[1] and achieved outright victory in a World Rally Championship round when he won the 42nd Trustbank Safari Rally in 1994. This was one of seven consecutive top ten finishes in the event from 1990–1996, despite its notorious attrition rate.

Career

He spent his childhood at his parents' farm in Limuru. His first tastes of driving occurred when he was aged around ten, as he helped his mother when she got stuck at farm roads during rainy seasons. He went to St. Mary's High School, but was more interested in repairing cars and motorcycles. He also competed in motocross winning the national 125 cc title in 1979 and 1980. He competed at the Safari Rally first time in 1983 driving a Nissan pick-up navigated by Gavin Bennett, reaching ninth position and a class victory, gaining the attention of rally people.[2]

His first victorious national rally was Nakuru Rally in 1987 while driving a Toyota Celica twin-cam turbo navigated by Ian Munro.[3] Duncan won his first national championship the same year winning most of the races. He won the 1987 national Motor Sportsman of the Year Award.[2]

Having competed with a Group A Subaru Legacy RS and Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD in the 1990s. Apart from Safari Rally, he competed in WRC rallies only few times. The best result was finishing 8th overall and winning the Group N class in a Subaru Legacy RS at the 1990 Acropolis Rally in Greece, navigated by Yvonne Mehta (the wife of Shekhar Mehta).[4]

Later he was running a non-homologated Toyota Hilux with a turbocharged 4.5 L engine in the Kenyan National Rally Championship (KNRC). In November 2006 Duncan won Guru Nanak Rally, becoming the first driver to win a KNRC round for tenth time.[5] He was imposed a four percent time penalty due to his non-homologated vehicle. He extended the record in 2007 by winning Guru Nanak Rally again.[6]

Duncan has won the Rhino Charge off-road event in 1998, 2006 and 2007.[7] He has competed in motorcycling. In 2003, he was the runner up of Kenyan enduro, motocross as well as rally championships.[8]

He introduced his newest rally car, a Nissan Patrol pick-up, in October 2008.[9] In 2008 he also won the national autocross championship.[10] In 2009, 15 years after winning the Safari Rally proper, Duncan won the Safari classic rally driving a 1968[2] Ford Mustang navigated by his current navigator Amaar Slatch. The defending champion Björn Waldegård was left to the second place.[11]

In 2011 he won the Kenyan National Rally Championship for the sixth time.[12] Duncan entered the 2011 Classic Safari Rally as a defending champion, now driving a Ford Capri. He finished seventh [13] The next year he became close to win his second Safari Rally, now with ARC status, but lost to Carl Tundo by just 15 seconds [14]

WRC victories

 #  Event Season Co-driver Car
1 Kenya 42nd Trustbank Safari Rally 1994 David Williamson Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD

References

  1. ↑ Kenyan Rally Championship, WRC Place
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Duncan's mustang ride to victory, Daily Nation, December 26, 2009
  3. ↑ "Rallying: Rains pose challenges for drivers", Daily Nation, June 23, 2007
  4. ↑ 37th Acropolis Rally, Rallybase.nl
  5. ↑ "Duncan zooms to victory in Guru", Samson Ateka, The Standard, November 20, 2006
  6. ↑ "Tundo crowned as Duncan wins Guru Nanak", Ochieng’ Ogodo, The Standard, October 22, 2007
  7. ↑ "Ian Duncan retains Rhino Charge crown", Samson Ateka, The Standard, June 5, 2007
  8. ↑ Rose takes over KNRC, Daily Nation, December 29, 2003
  9. ↑ Ian Duncan returns to action, Daily Nation, October 3, 2008
  10. ↑ Duncan wraps up Autocross title, Coastweek, October 17, 2008
  11. ↑ Duncan wins classic rally, Capital FM, December 1, 2009
  12. ↑ The Standard, October 23, 2011: Victory again
  13. ↑ East African Safari Rally 2011 - official results
  14. ↑ Daily Nation, June 10, 2010: Fourth Safari win for Tundo

External links