Kariuki’s ‘Royco Mchuzi Mix’ contraption was a sight to behold in rallying

Had he been competing today, the Isuzu Gemini car of Benjamin Kariuki and Margaret Wangui would have been barred from competing in motor rallying.

But in the 90s, this brother and sister crew and their car, christened ‘Royco Mchuzi Mix,’ were stars in their own rights.

Many people trekked for long distances to watch the Isuzu holding a field bringing together works cars from Toyota and Subaru.

In 1998, for example, Tommi Makinen was forced to retire after his Mitsubishi car expended the spare tyres en route to Marigat. He was furious with the Michelin tyres and told the supplier as much. Many hours later, business literally came to a standstill at the service park when Kariuki and Wangui clocked in.

Even top professionals surrounded the car, mesmerized by the sheer determination of Kariuki, who was wearing military boots and a leather jacket while other competitors were in fireproof overalls. The paintwork was faded and in some parts, the car was held together by wires.

A senior official from Michelin was more interested in the tyres of the Isuzu car which were smooth like an orange, with reinforcement wires lining jutting out. He could not understand how Makinen suffered punctures while here was a car without a name motoring well regardless of the hot rough dry conditions.

The official engaged the crew, circling the car and shaking his head. For starters, the car was contraception of a kind. Kariuki had re-built it at his garage in Tinganga, Kiambu County. It had a gear lever of a tractor, engine of an Isuzu and transmission of a Nissan. The paintwork was rusty but Kariuki had built a very strong roll cage which is what mattered most in the Safari of yesteryears.

Being master of imprecision, Kariuki had fitted the bucket seats of an old John Deere tractor. But try as they could, they never finished the Safari but gave a good account of themselves in the Kenya National Championship. In that Safari rally after Marigat, the car was so tired, having done over 1,000 kilometres, forcing the duo to retire.

They were the pillar of Safari.

At one time, Kariuki gave a Nation driver, Joseph Kuria, a run for his money after overtaking him at 170kph near Kitengela. Kuria was a good driver and he was in a brand new Nissan Sunny car and took the challenge but he could not catch the Isuzu.

Kariuki became a household name but his mechanical genius could no longer make the car functional and with time, he retired it behind his heap of junk.

The duo became local heroes of Tinganga and received a lot of attention for putting the village in the national limelight.

Their star continued to shine and they shared headlines with the stars of the day such as Patrick Njiru, Ian Duncan and the late Jonathan Toroitich just to mention a few. Sadly, they never attracted commercial sponsorship.

New technical specifications meant they could no longer be eligible to compete. However, many car owners trooped to his garage for repairs and improvisation, and true to his qualification by experience, Kariuki continued to inspire many young men.

He was one of the few mechanics who used to transform standard vehicles into rally machines. The other was the late John Ngunjiri. Unlike today where most cars come fitted with safety features, in those days, many low-budget drivers used experts like Kariuki. He was a much sought after mechanic.