Shekhar Mehta

Chandrashekhar Khimjibhai Nanji Kalidas Mehta (20 June 1945 – 12 April 2006) was a Ugandan-born Kenyan rally driver. He won the Safari Rally a record five times (1973, 1979–82), including four consecutively, and in 1981 finished fifth in the World Rally Championship.

Biography A Ugandan of Indian Gujarati descent, he was born in 1945 to a family of plantation owners in Uganda, and began rallying behind the wheel of a BMW aged 21. In 1972, he and his family fled Idi Amin's regime to Kenya, the year before he clinched his first Safari Rally title.

He was born into a wealthy business family, the son of Khimji Mehta and the grandson of Nanji Kalidas Mehta, founder of the Mehta Group. He was the cousin of Indian businessman, Jay Mehta who is the head of the Mehta Group. He married his sometime co-driver Yvonne Pratt in 1978 after a ten-year courtship, and they had one son, Vijay, in 1980.

Through the most successful period of his career he drove Datsun cars. He won the inaugural African Rally Championship in 1981, and the Cyprus Rally in 1976. He was on the podium at the 1981 Rally Codasur, twice at the Acropolis Rally and three times at the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire. His career came to an end in 1986 after a nearly fatal crash at Rallye des Pharaons, Egypt while driving for Peugeot.

After his driving days were over he held various administrative positions at the FIA. He became president of the FIA Rally commission in 1997, and was re-appointed as interim President of the World Rally Championship commission shortly before his death. He died in London on 12 April 2006 from liver problems, hepatitis, and illness relating to complications from an old injury.

Racing record

Complete IMC results

Complete WRC results Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Points 1973 Nissan Datsun 240Z MON SWE POR KEN1 MORRet GRE POL FINRet AUT ITA USA N/A N/A Datsun UK Ltd Datsun Sunny GBR37 FRA 1974 Lancia Marlboro Lancia Fulvia Coupé HF MONC SWEC POR KEN11 GREC FIN N/A N/A Lancia Beta Coupé ITA4 CAN USA GBR FRA 1975 Lancia Alitalia Lancia Beta Coupé MON SWE KENRet GRC N/A N/A Datsun Dealers Datsun 160J MOR6 Shekhar Mehta Datsun Violet 160J POR7 FIN ITA FRA GBR 1976 D.T. Dobie & Co (EA) Ltd Datsun 160J MON SWE POR KENRet N/A N/A N.I. Theocharakis GRC3 MOR FIN ITA FRA GBR 1977 D.T. Dobie & Co (EA) Ltd Datsun 160J MON SWE POR KENRet NZL GRC FIN CAN ITA FRA GBR N/A N/A 1978 D.T. Dobie & Co (EA) Ltd Datsun 160J MON SWE KENRet POR N/A N/A N.I. Theocharakis GRC3 FIN CAN ITA Opel Euro Händler Team Opel Ascona i2000 CIVRet FRA GBR 1979 D.T. Dobie / Team Datsun Datsun 160J MON SWE POR KEN1 GRC NZL FIN CAN ITA FRA GBR CIV 10th 20 1980 D.T. Dobie / Team Datsun Datsun 160J MON SWE POR KEN1 9th 30 Nissan ARG4 FIN NZL ITA FRA GBR Comafrique CIVRet Opel Euro Händler Team Opel Ascona 400 GRCRet 1981 D.T. Dobie / Team Datsun Datsun Violet GT MON SWE POR KEN1 FRA 5th 55 Ma. Ma. Sa. ARG2 Nissan BRARet FIN ITA Comafrique CIV3 GBR N.I. Theocharakis Datsun 160J GRC5 1982 D.T. Dobie & Co Nissan Violet GT MON SWE POR KEN1 FRA 8th 30 N.I. Theocharakis GRCRet Dealer Team Nissan NZLRet Nissan Nissan Violet GTS BRARet FIN ITA CIV GBR 1983 D.T. Dobie & Co Nissan 240RS MON SWE POR KENRet FRA 9th 26 N.I. Theocharakis GRC6 Dealer Team Nissan NZL4 Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 ARG4 FIN ITA CIV GBR 1984 Subaru Motor Sports Subaru Leone 1800 MON14 SWE POR 9th 27 D.T. Dobie & Co Nissan 240RS KEN5 FRA N.I. Theocharakis GRC7 NZL ARG FIN ITA Nissan CIV3 Team Nissan Europe GBR8 1985 D.T. Dobie & Co Nissan 240RS MON SWE POR KENRet FRA 13th 20 N.I. Theocharakis GRC4 Nissan New Zealand NZLRet Nissan ARG4 FIN ITA CIV GBR 1986 Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2 MON SWE POR KEN8 FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR USA 49th 3 1987 Nissan Motorsports International Nissan 200SX MON SWE POR KENRet FRA GRCRet USA8 NZL ARG FIN CIV2 ITA GBR 18th 18