By Abdul Sidi

Preparations for the Kenya Airways East Safari Classic Rally are in top gear with the arrival of several of the overseas drivers with less than a month to go before the rally kicks off from Mombasa.

Jeff Amin from California (USA) and Harpal Suddle from England are already in the country working on the logistics and final plans for one of the world’s great marathon rally. The event will cover over 4500kms during a 10-day adventure between Tanzania and Kenya.

“I am waiting for my Datsun 260Z to arrive at the Mombasa port by the end of the month. Prior to that is to put all plans together so that we have a successful event,’’ said Amin, who will take part in the event for the second edition running.

Suddle’s Datsun 1200, one of the smallest cars in the list of 46 entries, is already in Mombasa. He plans to take it to his former home in Eldoret from where final preparations will be carried out. Amin will be navigated by local co-driver Kashif Sheikh, while Suddle will guide fellow Briton, Balvir Singh Grewal who will be making his debut in the event. 

Keyans will rely on Ian Duncan to carry their hopes following the official announcement of the start order list of the KQ-sponsored rally last week. The former Safari Rally is seeded at number two in the list of 46 crews representing over 15 countries around the globe.

Gerard Marcy of Belgium is seeded at number one at the wheels of Porsche 911. Defending champion, Bjorn Waldegaard is missing out of the list after his sponsors failed to raise budget for him to contest event.

With Waldegaard out of the event, Europeans’ may miss out on equalling the number victories in the marathon event with their local rivals. 

Kenyans won the event twice in a row beginning in 2003 and then 2005 at the hands of Rob Collinge in a Datusn 260Z respectively. The Swede gave Europeans its first taste of victory in 2007 at the wheels of a Ford Escort RS2000.

It was thirty-five years ago that Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm finally broke the stranglehold of the local drivers and became the first crew from outside East Africa to win the Safari.

Ever since the event’s inception in 1953, the winners had always been drivers living in one of the three countries – Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – that made up East Africa.

In the ensuing thirty years, the score was eight victories to the locals and twenty-three to the visitors, a performance that brought the visitors to within four outright victories of the locals.

When the World Championship Safari Rally stopped with its last event in 2002, the KQ East African Safari Classic Rally was born in 2003.

Thus, the situation is that as far as the KQ Safari Classic is concerned, the score is two victories to the locals and one to the visitors with Waldegard’s sole win in 2007. Can we see a little bit of history being replayed? And will the visitors catch up one place in the overall number of wins?

Marcy is among the favourite foreign drivers regarded as a potential winner after coming close to winning the rally on number of occasions.

Although the details of the actual 2009 rally route are secret until the rally starts, the Safari organizers have released an outline of the rally with locations of the night halts.

The innovation this year is that three of the night halts are used for two consecutive nights in Arusha, Amboseli and Naivasha.

The full list:

1. Gerard Marcy/Stephane Prevot (Porshe 911  B/B), 2. Ian Duncan/Amaar Slatch (Ford Mustang EAK/EAK), 3. Graham Alexander/Ross Runnalls (Datsun 260Z Aus/Aus), 4.Stefano Rocca/Piers Daykin (Datsun 280Z EAK/EAK),5. Steve Perez/Staffan Parmander (Datsun 260Z GB/S), 6. Jonathan Savage/Gavin Laurence (Datsun 260Z EAK/EAK) 7. Paul-Eric  Jerry/Jean-Francois Andreoli (Porsche 911 F/F), 8. Steve Troman/Calvin Cooledge (Porsche 911  GB/GB), 9. Andrew Sidall/Mike Stuart (Datsun 280z GB/GB ), 10. Geoff Bell/Tim Challen (Datsun 180B ZA/EAK), 11. Roddy Sachs/Denis Mathews (Datsun 180B  ZA/EAK), 12. Aslam Khan/Farhaaz Khan (Ford Escort Mk 1 EAK EAK ), 14. Thomas Flohr/Didier Breton (Porsche 911 CH/F ), 15. Jean-Pierre Mondron/Dan Ecrulisse (Porsche 911 B/B), 16. Marzio Kravos/Renzo Bernardi (Mercedes 450SLC EAK/EAK), 17. Rommy Bamrah/Harvey Jutley (Datsun 260Z EAK/EAK), 18. Thiery Bosqueau/Nicolas Gilsoul (Prosche 911 B/B), 19. Albert Michels/Patrick De Connick (Porsche 911 B/B), 20. Jean-Louis Juchault/Steven Funk (Peugeot 504 Coupe F/USA), 21. Jayant Shah/Lofty Drews (Datsun 260z EAK/AUS), 22. Quinten Savage/Russel Savage (Datsun 180B EAK/EAK ),23. Kishen Bandheri/Jaspal Matharu (Datsun 1600sss EAK/EAK), 24. Aziz Tejpar/Andy Nagi (Ford Escort GB/EAK), 25. Michel Puchercos/Nicholas Patel (Datsun 240z F/EAK), 26. Michele De Nora/Lorenzo Ravizza (Renault Alpine A110 I/I ), 27. Nick Mason/Adrian Grinsted (Datsun 240z GB/GB), 28. Charles Firmenich/Jean-Pierre Martin (Renault Alpine A110 CH/F), 29. Hardev Singh Sira/Denis Giraudet (Ford Escort Mk 1 GB/F), 30. Minesh Rathod/Sachin Sumaria (Mitsubishi Lancer EAK/EAK ), 31. Ekya Shah/Zahir Shah (Colt Lancer EAK/EAK), 32. Jean-Michel Martin/Vincent De Raikem (Ford Escort B/B), 33. Wayne Kieswetter/Steve Harris (Datsun 180B ZA/ZA), 34. Richard Arrowsmith/Norris Midwood (Ford Escort GB/GB ), 35. Giancarlo Ciaraldi/Peter Stone (Ford Escort Mk 1 EAK ), 36. Martin Aguirre/Luis Mirasol (Porsche 911 RP/USA ), 37. Samit Gehlot/Asit Patel (Ford Escort Mk1 EAK/EAK), 38. Joey Ghose/Surinder Sudle (Datsun 1600sss GB/GB ), 39. Jacques  walens/Thiery Lacroix (Porsche 911 B/B), 40. Jean-Marc Bussolini /Patricia Bussolini (Porsche 924 F/F), 41. Balvir Singh Grewal/Harpal Singh Sudle (Datsun 1200 GB/GB), 42. Frederic Daunat/Guy Chriqui  (Citroen DS21 F/F), 43. Gianluca Ciaraldi/Imran Khan (Ford Escort Mk 1 EAK/EAK), 44. Jeff Amin/Kashif Sheikh (Datsun 260Z USA/EAK), 45. Jac Nellemann/Joseph Huber (Mercedes 350 SLC DK/CH), 46. Peter Stoehr/Crispin Sassoon (Datsun 1600sss D/EAK)