![\"At](\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/2h6a30962h6a3096-12e7a.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nThis is not a sport for the timid\u2014or the underfunded. Rally cars are costly, and preparing one for competition involves steep expenses in maintenance, spare parts, and safety equipment.<\/p>\n
Yet Queen Kalimpinya has carved her space in this high-risk, high-adrenaline world. She is among the very few women rally drivers on the African continent and continues to turn heads both for her performance and her fearless attitude.<\/p>\n {{From pageants to podiums Kalimpinya first gained public recognition as a finalist in Miss Rwanda 2017, where she placed as Second Runner-up. But it\u2019s her transition from beauty queen to rally queen that\u2019s inspired a new generation of Rwandan girls.<\/p>\n In a recent interview with IGIHE, she recalled her early fascination with speed and vehicles.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up loving activities like cycling, things that were seen as \u2018for boys\u2019,\u201d she said. \u201cAs I got older, I bought a motorbike and used it for everyday transport. That\u2019s how people in the motorsport community first noticed me.\u201d<\/p>\n Initially unfamiliar with rally racing, Kalimpinya accepted an invitation to try it out and was instantly hooked.<\/p>\n \u201cThey asked me to try, and I said, \u2018I\u2019m not afraid.\u2019 The more I trained, the more I loved it. I started as a co-driver and eventually moved into the driver\u2019s seat.\u201d<\/p>\n After two years as a navigator, Kalimpinya took on the lead role. She credits her passion and determination as key to her progress.<\/p>\n {{Behind the wheel and beyond Kalimpinya approaches rally preparation with the mindset of a professional athlete. Once one event ends, she begins prepping for the next, usually held within one to three months.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter every race, I immediately start preparing for the next one,\u201d she explained. \u201cThis includes both the car and myself, without disrupting my daily work.\u201d<\/p>\n Her fitness routine plays a crucial role. Kalimpinya trains under coach Libert\u00e9, who focuses on cardio and core strength.<\/p>\n \u201cRally drivers need excellent cardiovascular fitness,\u201d he said. \u201cThey must run, use machines to build endurance, and train the arms, legs, core, and back. Hydration and rest, 7 to 9 hours of sleep, are just as important.\u201d<\/p>\n {{A sport that demands and inspires In March 2023, Kalimpinya made history as the first Rwandan woman to lead the National Rally Championship since Belgian driver Nathalie Cox did so in 2000.<\/p>\n While her career is marked by milestones, she acknowledges the financial demands of the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting sport that teaches you so much about vehicles,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it requires funding, sponsors and partners. Hopefully, that will improve in the coming years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, I often rely on YouTube videos to learn. If we had professional coaching and better cars, we could compete at the highest levels. The car I share with Ngabo [her co-driver] is outmatched by others on the track. A new car would make a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n {{When Lewis Hamilton took notice One of the most memorable moments in Kalimpinya\u2019s journey came when Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, shared a photo of her on his Instagram account.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just after a tough race, at a time when I was thinking of quitting,\u201d she revealed. \u201cBalancing motorsport with work had become overwhelming, and I wasn\u2019t seeing the results I hoped for. Then, he shared my photo. I hadn\u2019t even told anyone I was struggling. It felt like a sign that I should keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n The post renewed her motivation and served as a powerful reminder that perseverance pays off.<\/p>\n {{Trust and teamwork Kalimpinya races alongside Ngabo Olivier, her co-driver, who praised her rapid growth and dedication.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the beginning, she learned fast. She makes few mistakes now and drives like a seasoned pro,\u201d he said. \u201cShe has the harder job\u2014my life is in her hands. I just read the pace notes and time sections. She has to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n Though she hasn\u2019t been involved in any major accidents, Kalimpinya has had her share of close calls.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce, I missed a corner and the car veered into bushes\u2014I lost visibility and control,\u201d she recalled. \u201cAnother time, I hit a tree. There was also a near-collision with a dog in Huye. I had to decide whether to hit it or stop and risk crashing. My co-driver urged me to hit it, but luckily it ran away just in time.\u201d<\/p>\n {{Training the next generation Together with Garage ATECAR, Kalimpinya has launched Team Queen Academy, a program to train young aspiring drivers aged 16\u201318.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re thinking about who we\u2019ll leave the sport to,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want to start with mechanical training, and once they\u2019re eligible to drive, teach them competitive racing.\u201d<\/p>\n In the most recent Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally, Kalimpinya finished fifth overall, cementing her place as one of Rwanda\u2019s most exciting motorsport talents and a role model on and off the track.<\/p>\n In a sport long dominated by men, Queen Kalimpinya has made history and headlines. At just 25 years old, she became the only woman to lead Rwanda\u2019s National Rally Championship, holding her own against more experienced drivers and proving that skill and courage, not gender, define success in motorsport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000090786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[72,75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-54857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-featured-news-home","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000090786,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-13-jul-2025-09-26-am-8524.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-13-jul-2025-09-26-am-8524.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-13-jul-2025-09-26-am-8524.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-13-jul-2025-09-26-am-8524.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-13-jul-2025-09-26-am-8524.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-13-jul-2025-09-26-am-8524.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000090786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54857"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=54857"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=54857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Kalimpinya](\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/2h6a37462h6a3746-3f9c1.jpg\")
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