"Corsica
on gravel"! GREAT!!!!"
- ANA GONI
Ana Goni & Michele Mouton Car No. 3
Maybe I am not the best person to ask about what doing the SAFARI meant
for Michele and I, maybe the person to ask is Michele herself. First I
have to say she did it because of her love of Kenya and for me, because
I asked her to. She has not driven competitively for many years, but it
did not show... did it?
It was hard work for us; we are not mechanics so she had to really take
care of the car to make sure there was a chance to finish. Then our
engine was not geared up for the Kenyan petrol... Apparently when the
cars were in the high seas it was decided that AV-GAS would be
forbidden! Then we were unlucky to loose the wheel, break disk, etc on
that bump on SS 2... We felt like going home or to the beach! But we
didn’t and Michele drove on brilliantly, not daring to push too much,
but enough. This is something that
I think the other competitors didn’t realize or couldn’t come to terms
with... but Michele is used to that, she’s had that all her life!
We both thought that the route was fantastic, except for the Uganda loop
which was total madness! We couldn’t understand how some of the others
thought it was a pity that the stages had not been competitive; tell me:
what "art" or merit is there to driving FLAT OUT on straight bits of
roads FULL of swarming people???. Also we felt that driving through
Nairobi should be left out or at ungodly hours...
The organization was surprisingly good! The road books got worse as the
rally wore on and some of the distances were total b..s... but
everything taken into account it was good enough. The accommodation was
grand! I tell you it was something to look forward to the Mount Kenya,
or the Mara rest! What to say about the Tanzania stages?: "Corsica on
gravel"! GREAT!!!
Michele and I spent Christmas out in Mombasa with our families as you
know, and we talked and talked about the experience for days. It
certainly was something that we feel happy to have done. There are many
things that would need looking into, but I’m not going to bother you
with that now. All we can say is that it was a fantastic experience for
us and that Kenya is a blessed land with blessed people.
Thank you so much!
Ana Goni
Ana Goni & Michele Mouton - Car No. 3