# Shekhar Mehta

Shekhar 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

| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 1970 | Shekhar Mehta | Datsun 1600 SSS | MON | SWE | ITA | KEN Ret | AUT | GRE | GBR | | |
| 1971 | Nissan Motor Company Ltd | Datsun 240Z | MON | SWE | ITA | KEN 2 | MAR | AUT | GRE | | |
| 1971 | Nissan Europe Rally Team | Datsun 240Z | | | | | | | | GBR 19 | |
| 1972 | Nissan Motor Company Ltd | Datsun 240Z | MON | SWE | KEN 10 | MAR | | | | | |
| 1972 | Sears Roebuck Ltd | Datsun 240Z | | | | | GRE 6 | AUT | ITA | USA | |
| 1972 | Withers of Winsford | Datsun 240Z | | | | | | | | | GBR Ret |

### Complete WRC results

| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | WDC | Points |
| 1973 | Nissan Motor Company Ltd | Datsun 240Z | MON | SWE | POR | KEN 1 | MOR Ret | GRE | POL | FIN Ret | AUT | ITA | USA | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1973 | Datsun UK Ltd | Datsun Sunny | | | | | | | | | | | | GBR 37 | FRA | N/A | N/A |
| 1974 | Lancia Marlboro | Lancia Fulvia Coupé HF | MON C | SWE C | POR | KEN 11 | GRE C | FIN | | | | | | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1974 | Lancia Marlboro | Lancia Beta Coupé | | | | | | | ITA 4 | CAN | USA | GBR | FRA | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1975 | Lancia Alitalia | Lancia Beta Coupé | MON | SWE | KEN Ret | GRC | | | | | | | | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1975 | Datsun Dealers | Datsun 160J | | | | | MOR 6 | | | | | | | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1975 | Shekhar Mehta | Datsun Violet 160J | | | | | | POR 7 | FIN | ITA | FRA | GBR | | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1976 | D.T. Dobie & Co (EA) Ltd | Datsun 160J | MON | SWE | POR | KEN Ret | | | | | | | | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1976 | N.I. Theocharakis | Datsun 160J | | | | | GRC 3 | MOR | FIN | ITA | FRA | GBR | | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1977 | D.T. Dobie & Co (EA) Ltd | Datsun 160J | MON | SWE | POR | KEN Ret | NZL | GRC | FIN | CAN | ITA | FRA | GBR | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1978 | D.T. Dobie & Co (EA) Ltd | Datsun 160J | MON | SWE | KEN Ret | POR | | | | | | | | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1978 | N.I. Theocharakis | Datsun 160J | | | | | GRC 3 | FIN | CAN | ITA | | | | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1978 | Opel Euro Händler Team | Opel Ascona i2000 | | | | | | | | | CIV Ret | FRA | GBR | | | N/A | N/A |
| 1979 | D.T. Dobie / Team Datsun | Datsun 160J | MON | SWE | POR | KEN 1 | GRC | NZL | FIN | CAN | ITA | FRA | GBR | CIV | | 10th | 20 |
| 1980 | D.T. Dobie / Team Datsun | Datsun 160J | MON | SWE | POR | KEN 1 | | | | | | | | | | 9th | 30 |
| 1980 | Nissan Motor Company Ltd | Datsun 160J | | | | | | ARG 4 | FIN | NZL | ITA | FRA | GBR | | | 9th | 30 |
| 1980 | Comafrique | Datsun 160J | | | | | | | | | | | | CIV Ret | | 9th | 30 |
| 1980 | Opel Euro Händler Team | Opel Ascona 400 | | | | | GRC Ret | | | | | | | | | 9th | 30 |
| 1981 | D.T. Dobie / Team Datsun | Datsun Violet GT | MON | SWE | POR | KEN 1 | FRA | | | | | | | | | 5th | 55 |
| 1981 | Ma. Ma. Sa. | Datsun Violet GT | | | | | | | ARG 2 | | | | | | | 5th | 55 |
| 1981 | Nissan Motor Company Ltd | Datsun Violet GT | | | | | | | | BRA Ret | FIN | ITA | | | | 5th | 55 |
| 1981 | Comafrique | Datsun Violet GT | | | | | | | | | | | CIV 3 | GBR | | 5th | 55 |
| 1981 | N.I. Theocharakis | Datsun 160J | | | | | | GRC 5 | | | | | | | | 5th | 55 |
| 1982 | D.T. Dobie & Co | Nissan Violet GT | MON | SWE | POR | KEN 1 | FRA | | | | | | | | | 8th | 30 |
| 1982 | N.I. Theocharakis | Nissan Violet GT | | | | | | GRC Ret | | | | | | | | 8th | 30 |
| 1982 | Dealer Team Nissan | Nissan Violet GT | | | | | | | NZL Ret | | | | | | | 8th | 30 |
| 1982 | Nissan Motor Company Ltd | Nissan Violet GTS | | | | | | | | BRA Ret | FIN | ITA | CIV | GBR | | 8th | 30 |
| 1983 | D.T. Dobie & Co | Nissan 240RS | MON | SWE | POR | KEN Ret | FRA | | | | | | | | | 9th | 26 |
| 1983 | N.I. Theocharakis | Nissan 240RS | | | | | | GRC 6 | | | | | | | | 9th | 26 |
| 1983 | Dealer Team Nissan | Nissan 240RS | | | | | | | NZL 4 | | | | | | | 9th | 26 |
| 1983 | Audi Sport | Audi Quattro A2 | | | | | | | | ARG 4 | FIN | ITA | CIV | GBR | | 9th | 26 |
| 1984 | Subaru Motor Sports | Subaru Leone 1800 | MON 14 | SWE | POR | | | | | | | | | | | 9th | 27 |
| 1984 | D.T. Dobie & Co | Nissan 240RS | | | | KEN 5 | FRA | | | | | | | | | 9th | 27 |
| 1984 | N.I. Theocharakis | Nissan 240RS | | | | | | GRC 7 | NZL | ARG | FIN | ITA | | | | 9th | 27 |
| 1984 | Nissan Motor Company Ltd | Nissan 240RS | | | | | | | | | | | CIV 3 | | | 9th | 27 |
| 1984 | Team Nissan Europe | Nissan 240RS | | | | | | | | | | | | GBR 8 | | 9th | 27 |
| 1985 | D.T. Dobie & Co | Nissan 240RS | MON | SWE | POR | KEN Ret | FRA | | | | | | | | | 13th | 20 |
| 1985 | N.I. Theocharakis | Nissan 240RS | | | | | | GRC 4 | | | | | | | | 13th | 20 |
| 1985 | Nissan New Zealand | Nissan 240RS | | | | | | | NZL Ret | | | | | | | 13th | 20 |
| 1985 | Nissan Motor Company Ltd | Nissan 240RS | | | | | | | | ARG 4 | FIN | ITA | CIV | GBR | | 13th | 20 |
| 1986 | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2 | MON | SWE | POR | KEN 8 | FRA | GRE | NZL | ARG | FIN | CIV | ITA | GBR | USA | 49th | 3 |
| 1987 | Nissan Motorsports International | Nissan 200SX | MON | SWE | POR | KEN Ret | FRA | GRC Ret | USA 8 | NZL | ARG | FIN | CIV 2 | ITA | GBR | 18th | 18 |