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2003  Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally

Day 10 (Friday 19 December)

COLLINGE WINS  EAST AFRICAN

SAFARI RALLY

 * Dor and Rolt claim second and third respectively

Hayley Maxfield Press Officer East African Safari Rally       

The all-Kenyan crew of Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan won the legendary Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally today, the 50th anniversary of the world’s toughest rally. The Datsun 240Z crew cruised to the finish on the beautiful Diani Beach this afternoon, claiming victory by 47 minutes and 55 seconds. Frederic Dor maintained second position in the closing day of competition, with Porsche team-mate Stuart Rolt in a fine third overall. In total, 41 crews finished the marathon rally that covered 1,553.65 competitive kilometres in a total distance of nearly 5,000 kilometres through Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The final day of the 2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally took the crews from Tanga in Tanzania back to Kenya across the Lunga Lunga border post. The route encompassed 119.78 competitive kilometres over three sections before arriving at the Indian Ocean for the finish on the beach.

Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan cruised through the final day of the event, their Datsun 240Z never missing a beat. “This win is very important to me,” commented Rob at the finish. “I’ve always known I can win the Safari but it was tough as a privateer up against the factory drivers in recent years. This was a more level playing field; one rally car, one service crew, no helicopters or pace notes – back to what rallying is all about. The event was tough, but that was mainly dictated by the route Mike (Kirkland) wanted to run; he took us back to really classic sections. It was rougher than I expected, but we set the car up to deal with these specific conditions and it paid dividends. We must be the only crew to have simply changed shock absorbers as a precaution; we never broke one.”

Frederic Dor and co-driver Didier Breton put in a fine performance, arriving at Diani Beach in second position after problems in the closing days of the event. The French duo battled against a succession of broken shock absorbers and nursed their Porsche 911 to the finish of this gruelling event, despite breaking another two units in the first section this morning.

“I’m pleased, this event has been a real pleasure,” said Frederic. “The organisation has been incredible and it’s an amazing achievement for everyone and for all these old cars. Without our suspension problems I think we could have pushed Rob, but it was impossible and this is the best result I could have achieved. The car is perfect, we’ve not made one repair and I’ve not made any mistakes, spins or punctures. It’s been fantastic.”

Team-mates Stuart Rolt and Francis Tuthill maintained their third position and claimed a highly impressive result for Francis Tuthill’s team. In total, the squad had five Porsche 911s finish in the top 10.

“Both Richard and I are thrilled; it’s a great result,” said Stuart. “We came here thinking a top 10 finish would be great, third is fantastic! Aside from the really quick guys, we were on the pace every day and the car has been fabulous; I can’t believe what it’s done! The whole experience has been awesome, a terrific event and harder on the car than we ever thought. And for the team to have five cars in the top 10 is a real credit to Francis, Richard and all the guys in the team.”

Fourth position was claimed by Andrew Barnes and David Lewis, a mammoth result for the pair in only their fifth rally. They led the Ford challenge and ultimately finished one hour, 53 minutes and 8 seconds behind Collinge.

“This is a phenomenal achievement for us,” said Andrew. “The last section we were so nervous it was ridiculous! We cruised through it, but it was tense. We’ve now started five events and finished all of them, which is fantastic. It was physically and mentally harder than I’d imagined, and tougher on the car. It’s been a really emotional experience; the people have been incredible all the way along the route; quite humbling really.”

Fifth position was claimed by Bruce Field and Jan Thoenes in another Porsche 911 with Britain’s Iain Freestone rounding off the top six. The only casualty of the day was John Lloyd and Paul Amandini in the Historic Motorsport Escort, both of whom escaped injury after crashing. “We barrel-rolled the car in the first section of the day and it then caught fire,” said John. “It’s completely destroyed, along with all our passports, licenses and paperwork. It’s obviously disappointing after such a long event, but the important thing is that Paul and I are okay.”

Commenting on the success of the rally, Mike Kirkland, Event Director of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally said: “It exceeded all my expectations. We seem to have everyone loving it; I didn’t find one person who didn’t love it and that’s exceptional in itself. It’s a controversial sort of rally, different, and you would expect 10-15% wouldn’t like it because it’s so different to anything else, but there was no one. The numbers of finishers also exceeded my expectations by a long way; I’ve really got to praise the service crews for how hard they worked to keep the cars going. It was also a very friendly rally; people made lots of new friends and eyes were opened not only to the beauty of the region and its great variety of scenery, but also to the friendliness of the people. It’s been tremendous.”

Over the last 10 days, the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally has also embraced a humanitarian side by pledging charitable donations along the route. “We donated some money to the centre for street girls with no homes and probably no parents, those who are adopted and live in a centre in Mombasa,” added Kirkland. “At Mount Kenya Safari Club there was a school where the kids had no desks and chairs so we supplied them. In Eldoret, we painted the school classroom, put in new windows, desks and blackboards and gave them many educational and sports equipment. We also gave blankets to the orphans in Eldoret as well as to a hospice. In the Masai Mara they said they wanted a fence built around the school as they’re trying to plant trees and the animals were eating the young shoots. We fenced the whole school in. Near the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi there’s a school for crippled children and their requirements are very special in terms of desks and chairs. We helped them out with all this equipment.”

The Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally has been acclaimed by all as a huge success and a legendary event filled with special emotion. Most competitors said if they were told it was running again, they would enter on the spot!

  

Overall Results

Rob Collinge             Datsun 240Z            17hr 42min 42sec              

Frederic Dor             Porsche 911             18hr 30min 37sec

Stuart Rolt               Porsche 911             19hr 08min 31sec

Andrew Barnes         Ford Escort              19hr 35min 50sec

Bruce Field               Porsche 911             19hr 40min 33sec

Iain Freestone          Ford Mexico             19hr 46min 57sec

Ray Bellm                Ford Escort              21hr 00min 33sec

Wolfgang Pfeiffer      Porsche 911             21hr 12min 56sec

Anthony Ward          Ford Escort              21hr 22min 44sec

Paul-Eric Jarry           Porsche 911             21hr 49min 24sec

DRIVER QUOTES – DAY 10

2.                 Bruce Field/Jan Thoenes – EAK/EAK – Porsche 911

“I’m really glad all the overseas competitors have enjoyed the rally. I think some came with a degree of negativity towards the country, but they’ll be back. To be able to share our country has been wonderful. Jan has also never finished a Safari and he’s completely wrapped! To see others finish for the first time is also wonderful and the feeling on the beach was very special and really wound the clock back.”

3.        Michele Mouton/Ana Goni – F/YV – Ford Escort

“Apart from our problems in the first day, it’s been great. We had no chance of victory, no fight, but we were here to see East Africa and that’s why we carried on. There was no question of withdrawing at all; it is still fun to drive fast over some wonderful sections. It was very tough, but extremely well organised and nice to come to Kenya. This rally is very special; the open roads, dust and the rough roads. There is no comparison to anything in the world; it is unique.”

5.                 Alastair Cavenagh/Carl Tundo – EAK/EAK – Ford Escort

“We’re happy to finish, but it’s a bit disappointing as the car’s not what it was supposed to be. When we had clean runs we were either first or second in the sections and we should have been able to give Rob more of a run for his money. It’s not been as tough as in the olden days, but it’s given us a feel for what it was like. I’m glad to have been competing two decades later though!”

6.        Iain Freestone/Rod MacLean – GB/GB – Ford México        

“I’m very pleased, it was fantastic! It was a hard and traumatic rally for us, but we’re well pleased for our first outing in Africa. It was a lot tougher than I expected, but I fancy doing it all over again tomorrow! Rod’s not done so badly either; it’s only his second event as a navigator!”

7.        Ray Bellm/Pasquale Lanzante – GB/I – Ford Escort

“We’ve just been preserving the car today to get to the finish.”

9.                 Wolfgang Pfeiffer/Peter Knoebel – D/D – Porsche 911

“A fantastic rally, very very nice; very tough, but good. We’re happy to be here, especially as it is the first time I have done the Safari. We’re looking forward to the next one now!”

14.            Richard Martin-Hurst/Tony Devantier – GB/NZ – Rover V8

“We had a broken main rear spring after the first section today and then realised at the start of the second that all the front suspension was hanging off. It was too dangerous to carry on so we drove non-competitively to the finish. We’re pleased to be at the end, but it’s obviously disappointing to have missed the last two sections; the only ones we’ve missed all event. It’s an old car, but it held up well; it’s not really built for these conditions.”

16.      Anthony Ward/Mark Solloway – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“We were put off when we saw John Lloyd’s accident and have been taking it easy today.”

21.      Brian Barton/Chris Fryer – EAK/EAK – Peugeot 504

“Yesterday’s leg was the best rallying of the event; we also really enjoyed Uganda but Tanzania was even better, real Safari routes. The roads in Kenya have deteriorated, some are real car-breakers and don’t necessarily demand driving skill. The event has been superb but we’d love to have been on the first page of the results!”

25.      Paul-Eric Jarry/Craig Redelinghuys – F/ZA – Porsche 911

“We’ve just very quietly been getting to the finish today!”

27.      Chris Angel/Mike Bowen – EAK/EAK – Datsun 1600SSS

“We’ve had prop-shaft and suspension problems, but it’s great to be at the finish, that’s what matters. I grew up watching this event and am so so happy to be here.  Nothing can describe the feelings I have at the moment.”

 33.      Roddy Sachs/Geoff Bell – D/GB – Alfa Romeo 2000

“Yesterday we broke a ‘donut’ between the gearbox and prop-shaft and had to make a part from bits the Mercedes crew gave us. We skipped the last two sections but it’s been a fantastic experience and the organisation has been great.”

38.      Marzio Kravos/Renzo Bernardi – EAK/EAK – Mercedes 200

“The objective was to get to the finish; we spent very little money and just had fun. We had an unfortunate second day when we blew the engine and got a six hour penalty, but it was re-built in Nairobi and we’ve made it.”

47.      Richard Pugh/Liz Pugh – GB/GB – Volvo 122S

“We’re very pleased to be here but disappointed not to have done more of the competitive sections. There’s a certain sense that we’ve not done the rally, but it’s been a great adventure and our first time in Africa; wonderful.”

 48.      Peter Banham/Bettyann Banham – GB/GB – Mercedes 220SE

“It’s great to have finished; we’ve buried another demon! Second time round we’ve done it; it was a tall order though!”

50.      Paul Maaskant/Peter Stone – NL/EAK – Austin Healey 3000

“In the last section today we had the scariest moment of the rally. At 140kph the wheel came off and overtook us.”

 The event is also sponsored by Minilite Wheels, WEC Lines and SDV Transami.

 Please note, the full entry list, results and photographs can be found on www.eastafricansafarirally.com.


Hayley Maxfield
Press Officer
East African Safari Rally

Tel/fax: +44 1483 459555
E-mail: hayleymaxfield@dial.pipex.com
Web: www.eastafricansafarirally.com

 

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2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally

Day 9 (Thursday 18 December)

CONSERVATION THE NAME OF THE GAME

The Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally crews have been focused on conservation and reaching the finish of this mammoth historic event and, although the fight continues, many have eased the pace to get their cars to Mombasa tomorrow. Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan continue to head the leaderboard in their Datsun 240Z, with Frederic Dor ans Struart Rolt holding station in second and third respectively, both in Tuthill- prepared Porsche 911.

Tanzania hosted the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally convoy for day nine of the event, the crews contesting three competitive sections totaling 252.18 kilometres, the second longest leg of the event. The route headed east from Arusha for one section on the edge of the Mkomazi Game reserve and the border of Kenya, before bearing south through to Usambara Mountains, a section that has claimed many competitors in Safaris gone by and which decimated the field of entrants to the 'Magnificent Seven' finishers in 1963. At the finish of this final section, the town of Korogwe was awash with hundreds of Bondaei, Misikwa ans Samba tribes people, all of whom cheered on the crews in an exceptional display of enthusiasm for the event

Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan set the pace once again in the opening two sections, winning both and further extending their lead to 45 minutes and 45 seconds. The car has not missed a beat throughout the day and the crew is now focused on the cruising to the finish tomorrow.

"The opening section was very nice and one tricky junction was only minor problem." commented Rob. "There were a few concrete dips after crests in the second one and then the Usambara mountains were wonderful. Hopefully now we can cruise to the finish without problems."

Fredric Dor and Didier Breton have maintained the pace and the lead the Porsche team challenge in second position. The French crew is still struggling with suspension problems, but set two fifth section times and were second in the final one of the day.

"We're still on the standard shock absorbers, but they're okay if the roads are not too rough," commented Frederic. " The roads in the Usambara Mountains were magnificent; it would be great to drive them with the proper suspension! We have one set left for tomorrow's final day."

Team-mates Struart Rolt and Richard Tuthill have had a trouble-free run, maintaining third position and in no hurry to attempt to catch Dor. The crew have enjoyed today's sections, but are also focused on finishing this legendary event.

" I knew we'd lose time in the opening section, but that's fine," commented Struart. " Richard is slowing me down and that's the right approach. The second section was classic , absolutely great and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The third was particularly challenging with lots of steep drops, scary Safari stuff ! I t was hard work for an old man like me!"

Fourth position is held by Andrew Barnes and David Lewis in the leading David Sutton prepared Ford Escort, with the local Porche crew of Bruce Field and Jan Thoenes climbing to fifth after Iain Freestone's puncture in the opening section. The ex-Skoda driver now holds sixth. ahead of John Lloyd in seventh.

The final day of the 2003 Kenya Airways East African safari rally takes the crews from Tanga in Tanzania back to Kenya and the finish on Diani Beach, Mombasa. The route takes in 119 competitive kilometers over three sections as it heads north up the coast of the Indian ocean.

Leader board after Day 9

1. Rob Collinge         Datsun 240Z    16hr 23min 59sec
2. Frederic Dor         Porsche 911     17hr 09min 44sec
3. Stuart Rolt           Porsche 911     17hr 42min 14sec
4. Andrew Barnes     Ford Escort      18hr 13min 11sec
5. Bruce Field          Porsche 911      18hr 20min 56sec
6. Iain Freestone     Ford Mexico      18hr 24min 01sec
7. John Lloyd          Ford Escort        18hr 48min 47sec
8. Ray Bellm           Ford Escort        19hr 36min 07sec
9. Wolfgang Pfeiffer Porsche 911       19hr 45min 12sec
10.Anthony Ward    Ford Escort        19hr 49min 30sec

DRIVER QUOTES - DAY 9

2. Bruce Field/Jan Thoenes - EAK/EAK - Porsche 911

"The first section couldn't have been better for me; I'm happy! ( The crew passed Iain Freestone in the section). We than had a really bad landing in the second section, Jan hurt his back and the rear window popped out. We landed full on the sump and the engine's been misfiring a bit since then. the final one was fine, good for us and Jan survived intact."

3. Michele Mouton / Ana Goni - F/YV - Ford Escort

"Today's been good, but so much dust from the guys in front. There was a big jump not marked in the second section, but we are not fighting so no problem. The final section was just like Corsica on gravel! And I just wanted to get ahead of the Skoda in the final classification, which we have done today."

5. Alastair Cavenagh/Carl Tundo - EAK/EAK - Ford Escort

" We had our first clean run for about four days in the opening section. it was very nice; we just needed a few hundred more horsepower! We broke the steering in the second one and the guys who came to help us then also broke down!"

6. Iain Freestone / Rod Maclean - GB/GB - Ford Mexico

" In the middle of the night David (Kedward) knocked on my hotel door and asked if he could borrow my spare gearbox. I phoned the service crew and got them to sort it all out, and then spent the rest of the night worried sick about my own!. It was puncture city in the first section; there were loads of embedded rocks and we had one flat on a straight, Amazingly we then had an oil leak from the gear box in the second section! I can't believe it! the final section was marvelous; I'd have turned round and done it again. The gearbox is playing up a bit and it's difficult to find some of the gears at times. I just need to get through tomorrow without problems."

7. Ray Bellm/Pasquale Lanzante - GB/I - Ford Escort

" We hit a bump and a hole at 130 kph in the second section and landed straight on the nose on the up-slope, and then had two punctures a kilometer from the finish. How this car is still in one piece, I don't know! It was a section of survival. This rally is bloody hard work and the final one was like driving 100laps of Brands Hatch!"

8. John Lloyd/Paul Amandini - GB/GB - Ford Escort

" We followed Iain (Freestone) for more than 50 kilometers in the opening section, but it was a lovely stage. from then we took it a bit slower; we've got nothing to gain and everything to lose. The car's got a bit of misfire, but otherwise no problems."

9. Wolfgang Pfeiffer/ Peter Knoebel - D/D - Porsche 911

" We lost both rear dampers after 10 kilometers in the first section so had to go slowly as we've now run out of shock absorbers".

12. Josef Pointinger / Wolfgang Nolscher - A/A - Ford Escort

" We had no brakes in the opening section and driving through the stage, in the downhill section, was a special experience".

14. Richard Martin -Hurst/Tony Devantier - GB/NZ - Rover V8

" The car's running fine today, no overheating, and we passed Pfeiffer in the first section. It's very tired now though...."

15. James Ingleby/ Moira Ingleby - GB/GB - Ford Mustang

"We've had a great day, the sections have been good and we've had no problems. we had to do a bit of welding yesterday and amazingly it turned out that the daughter of the manager of the garage went to school with Millie, and his other daughter is my godson's friend! so far we've raised 8,000 pounds for the Anthony Nolan trust, which is great." The crew's entry is in support of the leukemia charity and specifically a young girl called Millie and is running under the banner of 'Millie's Mustang'.

16. Anthony Ward/ Mark Solloway - GB/GB - Ford Escort

" There were great jumps in the opening section; a fabulous stage. There was a bit of dust. but that's by far my favorite section."

18. Jayant Shah/ Lofty drews - EAT/AUS - Datsun 1600SSS

" We've had too many things go wrong, the engine overheating being the major one. Continuous head gaskets problems have been with us for six days and the penalties have added up to telephone numbers! We've enjoyed the last few days though."

19. Henri Guyonnet- Duperat/ Claude Valion - F/F - Porsche 911

" We've had no problem all day, but it'll be good to arrive at the finish tomorrow. i have done many events without a service crew, but this is too much; it is much harder than anything else. It's great experience though, and the organization is absolutely top."

25. Paul-Eric jerry/Craig Redelinghuys - F/ZA - Porsche 911

" We were stuck for 10 kilometers behind car 26,for the second time. we also had a bit of a moment for the same reason right at the end of the section."

26. Don Simmons/Tony Jolly - GB/GB - Ford Escort

"We had a split fuel tank at the end of the day two, but managed to borrow a standard steel one to keep us in the rally. That split two days ago and since then we've spent n=more money on fuel than anything else!"

29. Aslam Khan/Arshard Khan - EAK/EAK - Datsun 180B

" It was a good day for us and the Usambara Mountains were wonderful, just a pity the section was rough at the end. there was 60 kilometers of pure fun! Three more sections to go then home and to the party."

35. Andrew Barnes/David Lewis - GB/GB - Ford Escort

" We were stuck in Stuart's (Rolt) dust for miles in the first section; very difficult, and then we came across a truck blocking the road in the second.  The second one was awesome; I've never seen so many twists and turns but we're pretty pleased with the way everything's going and hope to get through the last day without problems."

36. Paul Haym/Tim Ryce - CDN/CDN - Datsun 1600SSS

The crew drove non-competitively from Arusha to Tanga.

45. Jiri Kotek/Juergen Berti - CZ/D - Skoda

" We lost the rear shock absorber in the second section and bent the front arm on the last. we're here and that's what matters, but the car's tired; so are we!"

47. Richard Pugh/Liz Pugh - GB/GB - Volvo 122S

" The rear diff broke and we've spent three days going round scrap yards and old dealers looking for a replacement. driving in a straight line is okay, but cornering is impossible." The crew drove non-competitively from Arusha to the overnight halt in Tanga.

48. Peter Banham/Berttyann Banham - GB/GB - Mercedes 220SE

" We've had a catalogue of problems, from silicone in the fuel tank in the opening legs, to hydraulics and the wrong size con rods. we've had to have pistons re-welded, we blew the head gasket; an oil seal has gone on the back and the starter's broken. Having said that, we've only missed day five of the competition and the middle section yesterday when the shock absorber bracket broke. the car's done 40,000 competitive kilometers; it couldn't hire it to anyone else so we thought we'd kill it here! Betty was 60 last week, it's my 60th in a couple of months, we've been married 25 years and this is the 50th anniversary event. we've blown all our savings to do it and we have drive over the finish ramp, not push the car; drive it. we competed in this event in 1982 and didn't finish; it's the only international rally we've not finished in over 50 event; we had to do it."

49. Robert Kaugi/Willy mburu - EAK/EAK - Ford Capri

The crew went off the road in the final section but were uninjured. Their service vehicle then ran out of fuel on the way to assisting them.

 

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2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally

Day 8 (Wednesday 17 December)

SAFARI CONVOY HEADS TO TANZANIA


The eighth day of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally proved to be a tough one for many of the competitors, but the all-Kenyan crew of Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan continue to lead in their Datsun 240Z. Behind them, Frederic Dor has maintained second position, despite on-going suspension problems, and Stuart Rolt is still within striking distance of his Porsche team-mate, in third.

Forty two crews left Nairobi early this morning and the route covered two countries, three sections and 177.80 competitive kilometres. The opening section took the crews over 50.25 kilometres from Corner Baridi to Kajiado, immediately followed by a 61.40 kilometre run from Ulu to Olkejiado. The Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally convoy then crossed the border from Kenya into Tanzania, via the bustling Namanga border post, and rounded the day off with a twisty 66.15 kilometre section from Makuyuni to Jeshini, plains awash with Warusha warriors with decoratively chalked white faces. The crews then spent the overnight halt in Arusha, in the foothills of Africa’s highest mountain, the famous Kilimanjaro.

Rob Collinge powered through today’s sections, setting fastest time in both CS19 and 20 to increase his lead to 43 minutes and 26 seconds. The Datsun driver’s comfortable lead ensures he can ease the pace in the closing days, the reason he dropped time in the final section of the day.

“Everything’s been good for us today; the first section was very fast and we had to resort to sign language in the car when the intercom failed,” commented Collinge. “We’ve backed off a bit today because our lead is good, but you never know… all sorts of things can still happen. Tomorrow will be a telling day.”

Frederic Dor and Didier Breton have continued to struggle today, the French Porsche 911 crew now forced onto standard competition shock absorbers after breaking all their optimum specification units. In the opening section the crew lost nearly six minutes to Collinge and a further four minutes in the following test. After service however, Dor reverted back to an old set-up and posted fastest time in the first section in Tanzania this afternoon, clawing back 36 seconds in 66.15 competitive kilometres.

“We’ve driven a bit slower today but we have worn out so many shock absorbers,” commented Frederic. “Stuart (Rolt) passed us in the first section but then when we changed the shocks again, the ride height was too high and we had to go slowly. A difficult day.”

Tuthill Porsche team-mates Stuart Rolt and Richard Tuthill have therefore narrowed the deficit to Dor, but the Britons are still 26 minutes 48 seconds adrift. The pair was never out of the top four all day and is now focused on reaching the finish in Mombasa on Friday.

“The sections have all been good for us today, but it was very hard work for Richard in the final section where the navigation was so difficult; he did a brilliant job,” commented Stuart. “Our plan now is to look after the car, not do anything stupid and make sure we get to Mombasa in third position. Richard has helped me enormously and also built the car; it’s great having someone who knows it so well. He also keeps me under control!” added the 2003 post-historic Welsh Rally winner and son of Tony Rolt, winner of the 1953 Le Mans in a Jaguar.

Andrew Barnes and David Lewis are now piloting the leading Ford, the British pair fourth overall in their Escort after Iain Freestone lost 14 minutes 38 seconds in the final section and dropped from fourth to fifth overall this evening. All the more impressive is that Barnes and Lewis are contesting only their fifth rally and are beating considerably more experienced crews in one of the world’s toughest events. Their team-mate and business colleague John Lloyd, who got the pair into the sport, is seventh overnight in Tanzania, with Bruce Field sixth.

Tanzania will host the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally convoy for day nine of the event, the crews contesting three competitive sections totalling 252.18 kilometres, the second longest leg of the event. The route heads east from Arusha for one section on the edge of the Mkomazi Game Reserve, before bearing south through the Usambara Mountains, a section that has claimed many competitors in Safaris gone by and which decimated the field of entrants to the ‘Magnificent Seven’ finishers in 1963. After a tough penultimate day of competition, the crews overnight in Tanga, on the coast.


Leaderboard after Day 8

Rob Collinge Datsun 240Z 13hr 23min 09sec

Frederic Dor Porsche 911 14hr 06min 35sec

Stuart Rolt Porsche 911 14hr 33min 23sec

Andrew Barnes Ford Escort 15hr 03min 24sec

Iain Freestone Ford Mexico 15hr 09min 37sec

Bruce Field Porsche 911 15hr 12min 56sec

John Lloyd Ford Escort 15hr 36min 54sec

Ray Bellm Ford Escort 16hr 12min 07sec

Wolfgang Pfeiffer Porsche 911 16hr 19min 13sec

Anthony Ward Ford Escort 16hr 22min 49sec



DRIVER QUOTES – DAY 8


2. Bruce Field/Jan Thoenes – EAK/EAK – Porsche 911

“I was chicken in the first section, lifting off too much but it was real puncture country. The final section was a bit of a cock-up, but we just went cross-country! Fantastic fun and we gained a lot on Iain (Freestone), even though we lost a bit to the guys in front of us.”

3. Michele Mouton/Ana Goni – F/YV – Ford Escort

“The last section was terrible, very very difficult.”

5. Alastair Cavenagh/Carl Tundo – EAK/EAK – Ford Escort

“A reasonably good day by yesterday’s standards, but we lost third gear in the opening section.”

6. Iain Freestone/Rod MacLean – GB/GB – Ford México

“We really need more power on the long straights, but the car’s been fine and I can’t complain. The last section was a disaster; we were lost for hours!

7. Ray Bellm/Pasquale Lanzante – GB/I – Ford Escort

“We caught John (Lloyd) in the second section and just as we were about to take him, a tyre blew. We managed to change it in a record three minutes though.”

8. John Lloyd/Paul Amandini – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“The crew did a huge service on the car last night, replacing the gearbox, steering, front suspension and clutch, such was the excitement of our day yesterday!”


11. David Kedward/Crispin Sassoon – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“The fuel pump broke in the opening section.”


12. Josef Pointinger/Wolfgang Nolscher – A/A – Ford Escort

The crew suffered a broken rear axle in the opening section and then drove direct to Arusha for the overnight halt.

14. Richard Martin-Hurst/Tony Devantier – GB/NZ – Rover V8

The Rover arrived at the end of the section leaking water and with a suspected broken head gasket. “The car kept cool for the rest of the day though and we’re still here. It could be a head gasket, we’re not sure.” Co-driver Tony Devantier actually has a vested interest not only in their Rover, but 12 other cars in the event; the New Zealander prepared the wiring looms for a number of the Porsches, Escorts and the Mustang!

26. Balaraj Matharu/Timothy Mammen – EAK/EAK – Datsun 1600SSS

“We really tried to break the car in the opening section!! It was rough and rocky and there was a big ditch at the end that caught us out. Fortunately there was no damage.”

31. SMW Murji/Mo Verjee – EAK/EAK – Peugeot 504

“We’d like a Porsche engine please! Everything was fine for us though, but we took it easy in the first section, despite knowing it well; it was very rough and rocky.”

35. Andrew Barnes/David Lewis – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“Navigation in the final section was very tricky, unbelievably hard and we were clueless at times! It was just a question of trying to follow tracks.”

42. Steve Pickering/David Lea – ZA/ZA – Porsche 911-6

“The opening section was a good one for us; rocky, but good. We took a hell of a hammering though; the car was bouncing around all over the place as we’ve got no shock absorbers.”

44. Fergus Robley/Rachel Robley – EAK/EAK – VW Beetle

The crew did not contest the competitive sections and met the convoy in Arusha this evening.
 

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2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally

Leg 6 (Monday 15th December)

DOR HITS PROBLEMS BUT MAINTAINS SECOND IN KENYA

The all-Kenyan crew of Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan continue to lead the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally, the Datsun 240Z drivers extending their advantage to 34 minutes and 45 seconds. Frederic Dor hit problems, but the French businessman, co-driven by Didier Breton, nursed his Porsche 911 through the day to maintain second position. Stuart Rolt and Richard Tuthill remain third in the second of two Tuthill-prepared 911s in the top three.

After the rest day in the Masai Mara yesterday, where crews enjoyed balloon safaris, game drives and witnessed hippopotamus and crocodile basking in the river alongside the Simba Lodge, the action got underway once again early this morning. The route covered two competitive sections and took the crews northeast from the Mara up to Nakuru, before heading southeast to Nairobi for the overnight halt at the Safari Park Hotel. The opening section covered 71.20 competitive kilometres from Seyabei to Tipis and lived up to its reputation as the roughest and toughest section of the event. The road section then took the drivers down the Mau Escarpment and into the Delamere Estate, where Lord and Lady Delamere hosted brunch and the second section. President of the FIA Rallies Commission and five times Safari Rally winner, Shekhar Mehta, and his wife, former World Championship co-driver Yvonne Mehta, manned the time control on the Delamere Estate, the Safari legends relishing the atmosphere of days gone by. The run from Mbweha to Mbaruk covered 71.17 competitive kilometres, starting off on fast and flat grassy tracks before heading into tricky navigation around the vast farm estate.

Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan once again set the pace, the Kenyans extending their lead after winning both sections in their Datsun 240Z. While Dor managed to keep on their heels in the opening section, dropping just over a minute to the Kenyans, Collinge gained more than four minutes when Dor hit problems in the second section.

“We had a couple of punctures in the opening section and then missed our service on the road section,” commented Collinge. “It was very good for us though, excellent. The car was specifically set up for this stage and it paid dividends as it goes well on the rough. This could well be enough for us to win now, but nothing is guaranteed.”

Frenchman Frederic Dor and fellow countryman Didier Breton are still in fine form, but the Porsche 911 crew has been hampered all the way today. Despite a broken rear shock absorber in the opening section, they managed to set second fastest time, but then they suffered the same problem on the following road section and were forced to limp through CS18, dropping more than six and a half minutes.

“The first section was very rough and we broke a shock absorber, but the service crew changed it at the service afterwards,” commented Frederic. “Another one then broke on the road section before CS18 and that’s why we lost so much time and were only 14th on the section. It’s harder to drive slowly, but we were lucky and the important thing is that we are still here and managed to maintain our position.”

Stuart Rolt and Richard Tuthill have also held on to their third position, despite unease about unlucky position three! The Porsche 911 crew were fifth fastest in the opening section and fourth in the second and are now just over 30 minutes adrift of team-mate Dor.

“One kilometre from the start of CS17 a calliper broke and we stopped to fix it, driving like hell after that to only lose about a minute,” commented Stuart. “Navigation in the following section was very hard and it was difficult to see where to go. It was a real mix of fast sections and narrow rough stuff and we both had to work really hard; total concentration, but we’re glad to be here.”

The Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally continues to receive a warm and enthusiastic welcome from the local inhabitants along the 4,893 kilometre route, many of the elder generation recognising the Safari legends who are working as senior officials and volunteers. John Sakau Nkamate, a security official at the gates of the world-famous Masai Mara commented: “We love this rally so much; there are good cars and many good people.”

After the overnight halt in Nairobi, the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally convoy heads south to Tanzania, via the Namanga border post. The leg starts at 06:00 hrs on Wednesday 17 December and takes in three competitive sections, two in Kenya and one in Tanzania before arriving in Arusha for the overnight halt. In total, the day takes in 177.80 competitive kilometres in a total distance of 633.86 kilometres.


Leaderboard after Day 7

Rob Collinge Datsun 240Z 11hr 14min 34sec

Frederic Dor Porsche 911 11hr 49min 19sec

Stuart Rolt Porsche 911 12hr 17min 53sec

Iain Freestone Ford México 12hr 40min 35sec

Andrew Barnes Ford Escort 12hr 46min 09sec

Bruce Field Porsche 911 12hr 53min 36sec

John Lloyd Ford Escort 13hr 08min 25sec

Wolfgang Pfeiffer Porsche 911 13hr 16min 58sec

Josef Pointinger Ford Escort 13hr 30min 03sec

Ray Bellm Ford Escort 13hr 45min 22sec

DRIVER QUOTES – DAY 7

2. Bruce Field/Jan Thoenes – EAK/EAK – Porsche 911

“I just laughed all the way through CS17; it was so outrageously rough that’s all you could do! I guess I really enjoyed it though, some perverse sort of enjoyment, and we caught three cars, which was good. The second section was too much like hard work; I’m dead! But Jan did a fantastic job with the navigation.”

3. Michele Mouton/Ana Goni – F/YV – Ford Escort

“We broke the suspension before the start of CS17 but repaired it in time and although it was a rough one, it was good and ok for us. There was then so much dust in the car in the second section; there’s a hole somewhere and neither Ana nor I could speak at the end because we got stuck behind Andrew (Barnes) in the section.”

6. Iain Freestone/Rod MacLean – GB/GB – Ford México

“Ok, the event showed us how tough it can be in CS17; we’ve done that now! We then caught someone in the next section and had to slow right down, but otherwise everything’s ok. With the way the regulations work – allowing you to miss three days – at least we know we’re now classified as finishers.”

7. Ray Bellm/Pasquale Lanzante – GB/I – Ford Escort

“Section 17 was alright for us but we then got stuck in a ditch on the road section afterwards. Fortunately about 55 locals suddenly arrived and pushed us out!”

8. John Lloyd/Paul Amandini – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“First and reverse gears broke in CS17, but it was ok for the rest of the day. We got caught behind Wolfgang (Pfeiffer) in the second section, along with some other people, and it was impossible to get passed him. In the dust we then hit a rock and were lucky the suspension didn’t break. I can’t believe it though; I hit exactly the same rock two years ago and retired in the Mitsubishi!”

9. Wolfgang Pfeiffer/Peter Knoebel – D/D – Porsche 911

“I don’t have an English word for competitive section 17 (Seyabei – Tipis)!” The crew then hit problems in CS18, dropping more than 24 minutes for unconfirmed reasons. They have dropped from sixth to eighth today.

14. Richard Martin-Hurst/Tony Devantier – GB/NZ – Rover V8

“The first section was okay but we got stuck in someone’s dust and lost a bit of time. The second one was very tricky for navigation and we caught a Porsche with problems (Pfeiffer) and had to bump him a couple of times to get past. The car’s now tired…!”

19. Henri Guyonnet-Duperat/Claude Valion – F/F – Porsche 911

The crew had mechanical problems, missed the competitive sections and met the convoy in Nairobi this evening.

26. Balaraj Matharu/Timothy Mammen – EAK/EAK – Datsun 1600SSS

“CS17 was rough as hell, terrible, but we went slowly and nothing broke.”

27. Chris Angel/Mike Bowen – EAK/EAK – Datsun 1600SSS

“CS17 was fun, we really enjoyed it and it’s the right sort of conditions for this car; home territory! No problems at all but we really need more tyres; we have none left…”

35. Andrew Barnes/David Lewis – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“The road section after CS17 was worse than the section itself! We got caught behind Iain (Freestone) in the section for about 50 kilometres; I don’t think he could see us in all the dust. We had to back off and because the window winder has broken, the dust was choking in the car. We also damaged a wheel bearing, but everything’s ok. The second section was tough for David, but we didn’t make any mistakes and it was good fun.”

47. Richard Pugh/Liz Pugh – GB/GB – Volvo 122S

The crew did not contest the competitive sections and met the convoy in Nairobi this evening.

 

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2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally

Leg 5 (Sunday 14th  December)

LEADING CREWS HIT PROBLEMS

Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan continue to lead the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally, the Kenyan duo’s advantage over Frederic Dor slightly reduced to 23 minutes and 57 seconds. Behind them, the leaderboard was shaken up during the leg however, with Britain’s Ray Bellm plummeting from third to 10th and Richard Martin-Hurst falling from fifth to 14th overnight.

The fifth leg of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally started from Kampala, Uganda at 06:00 hrs this morning and ultimately took the crews back to Kenya through the Busia border post. The opening 33 kilometre section from Mukono to Lugazi proved a tough one for many of the crews, low sun and fog creating near impossible visibility. After swift customs formalities, the crews returned to Kenya to contest the 57.80 kilometre competitive section from Changoi to Ndaraweta before heading south-east, via Kisumu, for the world famous Masai Mara and the overnight halt. The entire convoy also has the luxury of a rest day tomorrow (Monday), although for those who have struggled through today’s leg, the day is sure to be full of service activity in preparation for competition on Tuesday.

Collinge won the opening section by just 34 seconds in his Datsun 240Z and was hot on Dor’s heels in the second, dropping one minute and 45 seconds to the Frenchman in the 57.80 kilometre section. “The opening section was full of big mud holes, it was wet and very misty,” commented Collinge. “It was rough, slippery and the sunlight made visibility very difficult.”

Frederic Dor may well have previous experience of the Safari, seventh his best result in 1999, but the French businessman’s performance is all the more impressive being that this is the first time he has driven his Tuthill-prepared Porsche 911. “Everything is still going well and we’ve had no problems today. The first section was very foggy and slippery, but I’m happy with the way things are going,” he said.

Third position is now held by Stuart Rolt in another Tuthill Porsche 911. The Briton was fourth and third fastest respectively in the two sections, climbing from fourth to third overnight after Ray Bellm hit problems in the opening section. “We had a lovely day; reasonably quick in the first section, which was the toughest stage I have ever driven in my life! The combination of the low sun and the conditions made it incredibly difficult,” said Stuart. “The second one was trouble-free, but there are quicker guys behind us and we just need to make sure they don’t get past. When we entered the event I thought a top 10 finish would be good, top 5 great. Third position is now the worst position we could have! Both Richard (Martin-Hurst) and Ray (Bellm) have been there and hit problems!”

Bellm’s day started badly, he and Italian co-driver Pasquale Lanzante losing just over an hour in CS14 with suspension problems. They have now dropped from a potential podium position to 10th. “We broke the stub axle six kilometres into the first section on the one jump I’ve been waiting to find all week!” said Ray. “It wasn’t a heavy landing but when we looked at it afterwards there were already two small cracks, so it looked like it was going to happen anyway. We lost about an hour and our position’s a bit disappointing now. We then also broke a damper on the run into the Masai Mara.”

Richard Martin-Hurst was another victim, the Briton arriving at the end of the opening section with a broken differential in the Rover V8 and all set for retirement. Roadside repairs carried out by New Zealand co-driver Tony Devantier however kept the crew in the event, but they have dropped from fifth to 14th overnight. “We broke the diff in the opening section and it looked like that was our rally over,” commented Richard. “But Tony managed to repair it and here we still are! It just goes to show that you can get these big cars round.”

Commenting on the progress of the Rally, Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally Event Director Mike Kirkland said: “I’m delighted the way the event is going. Everyone has a different perception of our beautiful country and everyone has enjoyed the variety of sections and accommodation. Most overseas competitors have said that every day has been the best rallying day of their life.”

Eric Cecil, the founder of the East African Safari back in 1953, also joined the crews at the Masai Mara overnight halt, relishing the atmosphere. “The event is a memory generator; a forward-looking reflection of the past,” he said.

Monday’s rest day could not be at a more spectacular location, the legendary Masai Mara providing the opportunity for game drives and hot air balloon safaris. The action resumes on Tuesday however, as the crews head towards the Delamere Estate and overnight in the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi.

Leaderboard after Leg 5


Rob Collinge Datsun 240Z 9hr 25min 15sec

Frederic Dor Porsche 911 9hr 49min 12sec

Stuart Rolt Porsche 911 10hr 15min 57sec

Iain Freestone Ford México 10hr 33min 49sec

Andrew Barnes Ford Escort 10hr 42min 21sec

Wolfgang Pfeiffer Porsche 911 10hr 51min 47sec

Bruce Field Porsche 911 10hr 55min 14sec

John Lloyd Ford Escort 10hr 56min 49sec

Josef Pointinger Ford Escort 11hr 10min 35sec

Ray Bellm Ford Escort 11hr 14min 45sec


DRIVER QUOTES - LEG 5

2. Bruce Field/Jan Thoenes – EAK/EAK – Porsche 911

“The opening section was pretty good for us, although there were a few little cock-ups! And I know second gear is in the box, but finding it is a nightmare!”


3. Michele Mouton/Ana Goni – F/YV – Ford Escort

“We finished the first section without the trip working, but it all doesn’t matter. We are here because Ana asked me and I love this country; the competition is not the important thing for me; it is simply being here.”

5. Alastair Cavenagh/Carl Tundo – EAK/EAK – Ford Escort

“We wrong-slotted and lost about four minutes in the first section. It was rough and slippery and we hit a rock and got an oil leak.”

6. Iain Freestone/Rod MacLean – GB/GB – Ford México

“The rising sun made it an incredibly difficult section but it was good for us as we climbed from seventh to fourth in that one run.”

8. John Lloyd/Paul Amandini – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“The opening section was much rougher than I expected; after the lovely ones of yesterday, this one wasn’t so good for us.”

9. Wolfgang Pfeiffer/Peter Knoebel – D/D – Porsche 911

“The car was good this morning, no problems at all, but the section was really rough and it was impossible to see with the sun so low.”

15. James Ingleby/Moira Ingleby – GB/GB – Ford Mustang

“We’ve had a very good day. The first section was rough as ever but the car ploughed through it all. Actually we’ve had a pretty lucky day, as we were very short on fuel for a while. The last section was very good, real Mustang country.”

19. Henri Guyonnet-Duperat/Claude Valion – F/F – Porsche 911

The rear suspension collapsed on the run into the Masai Mara overnight halt.

20. Stuart Rolt/Richard Tuthill – GB/GB – Porsche 911

“CS14 (Mukono-Lugazi) was very rough, but fun. The low sun was in my eyes the whole time though and with the fog as well, it was a bit of a challenge.”

21. Brian Barton/Chris Fryer – EAK/EAK – Peugeot 504

“The car and the crew are deteriorating at the same rate! We’ve had some troubles during the event, but today’s actually not been as bad. We’ve had broken shock absorbers, shock turrets and basically we have no left rear suspension and the front left shock absorber has blown.”

33. Roddy Sachs/Geoff Bell – D/GB – Alfa Romeo 2000

“We’re back in the rally after our engine problems, and even though we’re effectively two days behind, we are here and are going to enjoy the rest of the event.”

35. Andrew Barnes/David Lewis – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“The opening section was a bit of a wake-up call! The sun was appalling and there were loads of spectators.”

38. Marzio Kravos/Renzo Bernardi – EAK/EAK – Mercedes 200

The differential fell out on the road section into the Masai Mara overnight halt.

40. Imtiaz Dewji/Uwe Kuurtzen Berger – GB/GB – Datsun 240Z

A broken rear axle meant the crew did not contest the competitive sections, but has joined the convoy at the Masai Mara this evening.

42. Steve Pickering/David Lea – ZA/ZA – Porsche 911-6

“Kenya has some of the roughest roads I have seen on five continents in more than 23 different countries. We wrecked all our shock absorbers in the first day and since the middle of the third day we’ve had no shocks at all!”

47. Richard Pugh/Liz Pugh – GB/GB – Volvo 122S

The crew did not contest today’s competitive sections having worked most of the night repairing their car. They joined the convoy in the Masai Mara and are still determined to reach the finish in Mombasa.

50. Hans Zaalberg/Peter Stone – NL/EAK – Austin Healy 3000

The crew got stuck in mud in the opening section.

 

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2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally

Leg 4 (Saturday13th December)

COLLINGE EXTENDS LEAD INTO UGANDA


The Kenyan crew of Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan have extended their lead in the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally at the end of Leg 4 and now have just over 25 minutes in hand to second place Frederic Dor. The day has however been filled with drama for some of the crews and the weary convoy arrived in Kampala with many a tale to tell.

Today covered just one competitive section of 44.69 kilometres in Kenya, but the route took in 621.66 kilometres as the crews headed from Kenya across the border into Uganda. Taking a step back in time however, two ‘timed-to-the-minute’ sections were run this afternoon and provided dramas for some of the crews as they attempted to power through nearly one kilometre of deep water in the middle of the run to Bujagali Falls, near the source of the River Nile. Some of the rear-engined Porsches found themselves ‘floating’ through the water as the front end lifted, while others just struggled to see the road to follow. The border crossing at Busia was also a colourful but organised affair and thousands of locals flocked to see the cars as they waited in formation to complete customs formalities. Once in Uganda, the crowds expanded and a colourful hoard lined the road sections and time controls, many of the younger generation witnessing competition cars for the first time in their lives, while their elders relived memories of 30 years ago.

Rob Collinge has maintained his fighting form and the Datsun 240Z driver set fastest time in CS11 to extend his advantage to 25 minutes and 8 seconds. “It has all been fine for us, no problems at all,” said Rob. “We took another minute off Dor in the section and really enjoyed the Cherangani Mountains.”

Frederic Dor and co-driver Didier Breton are having a fine run, all the more so considering Frederic had never sat in his Porsche 911 before the start of the rally on Wednesday! They were second fastest in the section and have escaped problems throughout the leg. “The competitive section was fantastic, really nice, and good for me as it was quite twisty,” commented Frederic. “The car’s fine, but we still have a problem with an engine flat spot before 4,000 revs. It’s more than just the altitude, as none of our other team Porsches has the same problem. But our time was good, only one minute behind Rob (Collinge).”

1985 and 1988 Group C2 Le Mans class victor Ray Bellm rounds off the top three, the Briton and Italian co-driver Pasquale Lanzante climbing from fourth overnight in their Ford Escort. “We were lost for five kilometres, off the beaten track on the way to the section and then had to drive like loonies to get to the section start!” said Ray. “The second half of the section was very rough and Stuart (Rolt) caught us. This afternoon with the ‘timed-to-the-minute’ road sections was interesting, but we got through okay.”

Michele Mouton claimed fourth in the competitive section in another Escort and is gradually climbing up the leaderboard after problems in the opening leg. She and Ana Goni hold 25th position overall tonight. Richard Martin-Hurst, third overnight, has slipped to fifth after nearly slipping off the mountain road in CS11.

The fifth leg of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally starts from Kampala, Uganda at 06:00 hrs and ultimately takes the crews back to Kenya through the Busia border post. The crews contest the first competitive section in Uganda, a 33 kilometre run from Mukono to Lugazi, before rounding the day off with the run from Changoi to Ndaraweta, a 57.80 kilometre section of old back in the famous Masai Mara of Kenya. In total, the route covers 670.11 kilometres.

The organiser of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally would also like to confirm that Rolf Harald Firus, a member of the Trabant service crew, is stable in hospital after their accident yesterday. The Austrian has a punctured lung and broken hip, but is recovering in Nairobi and expected to return home within a week.
 


Leaderboard after Leg 4

Rob Collinge Datsun 240Z 8hr 20min 13 sec

Frederic Dor Porsche 911 8hr 45min 21sec

Ray Bellm Ford Escort 9hr 02min 54sec

Stuart Rolt Porsche 911 9hr 09min 26sec

Richard Martin-Hurst Rover V8 9hr 12min 04sec

Alastair Cavenagh Ford Escort 9hr 21min 30sec

Iain Freestone Ford México 9hr 25min 27sec

Andrew Barnes Ford Escort 9hr 32min 50sec

Bruce Field Porsche 911 9hr 32min 56sec

Wolfgang Pfeiffer Porsche 911 9hr 37min 12sec



DRIVER QUOTES - LEG 4

2. Bruce Field/Jan Thoenes – EAK/EAK – Porsche 911

“We didn’t have a great section time; it was all a bit sluggish. No dramas and we played a bit with the Rover in the dust which was good fun. I guess it’s been a bit of a ‘rest’ day for us, but the car’s fine so we’re happy.” Commenting on Wolfgang Pfeiffer’s problem in section 13A, Bruce added: “Wolfgang had the whole back end of the car underwater and then said in all seriousness ‘somehow we seem to have water in the ignition!’; very funny!”

3. Michele Mouton/Ana Goni – F/YV – Ford Escort

“The section was very good and it’s the first day the engine’s been running well, so that helped. But we broke a half-shaft on one of the ‘timed-to-the-minute’ sections this afternoon.”

5. Alastair Cavenagh/Carl Tundo – EAK/EAK – Ford Escort

“The fuel pump packed up in the section, some sort of electrical problem. We lost a lot of time.”

6. Iain Freestone/Rod MacLean – GB/GB – Ford México

“We caught Wolfgang Pfeiffer in the section and got past but it was a shame to see Richard Martin-Hurst off the road in the section. The last part was terrible, but we made it.”

8. John Lloyd/Paul Amandini – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“The Cherangani Mountains were fantastic; 3,000 kilometres - higher than the top of the mountain in Verbier where I go skiing!” Adding to his comment, team-mate Andrew Barnes joked: “But we’re only in our fifth rally and John is doing his ninth Safari…. and we’re beating him all the time!!”

9. Wolfgang Pfeiffer/Peter Knoebel – D/D – Porsche 911

“The competitive section was very tough, but we want to see the finish so we’ve been trying to take care when necessary and then push when the conditions are good. The first leg we were way too fast; now we understand how you have to drive this rally and you have to be patient. But we had a big problem in the ‘timed-to-the-minute’ road sections this afternoon. On the run to Bujagali Falls there was nearly a kilometre of deep water and I took it too fast. You couldn’t really see where the road was and then the Porsche just started to swim! We ended up in a ditch with the backend, and engine, in so much water it was like sitting in a bath! We had to be towed out and lost about 11 minutes.”

14. Richard Martin-Hurst/Tony Devantier – GB/NZ – Rover V8

“We took a corner too wide in CS11 and there was a lot of loose gravel and we ended up with the back wheels off the edge of the mountain. We had to wait for a tractor and lost nearly 20 minutes.”

20. Stuart Rolt/Richard Tuthill – GB/GB – Porsche 911

“We had a lovely morning and a cracking section, even though we were held up by Ray (Bellm) for half of it. I reckon we could have been two minutes quicker, but it was very nice and good fun.”

23. Alexander Hack/Ingolf de Clemente – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“A very good section and we were much faster, but then we had water up to the windows in the timed road section! We nearly got stuck but luckily escaped.”

25. Paul-Eric Jarry/Craig Redelinghuys – F/F – Porsche 911

“I didn’t like the competitive section because it was too rough, or the road section into Uganda. But overall the event is splendid.”

29. Aslam Khan/Arshad Khan – EAK/EAK – Datsun 180B

“A perfect section, no problems at all. Cherangani was rough but pretty much what we expected. The car is running ok; at the moment we’ve only had problems in Legs 1 and 2, so let’s hope it carries on the way it has today.”

31. SMW Murji/Mo Verjee – EAK/EAK – Peugeot 504

We’re still having plenty of punctures! It was an excellent crossing into Uganda, very well organised.”

35. Andrew Barnes/David Lewis – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“We had a nice run through the section; not too mad, no damage and no flats – an added bonus! And we’re beating the boss (John Lloyd), which is rather entertaining as he got us into rallying and this is only our fifth event!”

45. Jiri Kotek/Juergen Bertl – CZ/D - Skoda

“We’re having good fun and the competitive sections are the best I have ever done. We only have a small engine though, so it is quite tough on the car.”

 

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2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally

Leg 3 (Friday12th  December)

PORSCHE OUTPACE THE ESCORTS IN LEG THREE


The historic Porsche 911s have excelled in the third leg of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally and in contrast to the four Escorts and lack of German machinery at the top of the leaderboard yesterday, Porsche cars are now in second and fifth, with a pair of Escorts in fourth and sixth. Rob Collinge and co-driver Anton Levitan have however powered back into the lead, the all-Kenyan crew holding a 24 minute and 4 second lead over Frederic Dor.

The third leg of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally took in some of the harshest terrain of the event and 37 crews made it to the overnight halt in Eldoret this evening. The opening 176.37 competitive kilometre section from Matura to Loruk, a section covering nearly half the distance of a full three-day World Rally Championship event, took the crews down into the Kerio Valley, across its floor and up the other side. Section 9 then took the drivers across ‘God’s Bridge’, a spectacular pass with frightening drops either side, while the final 45.10 competitive kilometre section of the leg brought the crews towards the town of Eldoret, 900 kilometres northwest of Mombasa. With the route climbing to 3,000 metres, altitude has caused problems for some of the crews, but the drop in temperature, from a searing 40 degrees and near maximum humidity in Mombasa to 32 degrees and little humidity today, has been a welcome break for the entire convoy. Locals have thronged the route and various time controls, both young and old remembering the Safari of old, cheering on the crews in an event that visually re-captures the essence and history of the world’s most legendary event. “We are very happy to see the Safari Rally; we have missed it,” said a BP petrol attendant in Nanyuki!

Kenyans Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan started the day in second position over 10 minutes adrift, but fastest time in sections 8 and 10 have elevated the Datsun 240Z crew back into the lead. “It’s been the best day so far, a very clean run,” said Rob. “The car… it’s strawberries and cream!”

Frederic Dor has had an awesome day, climbing from ninth to second overall by the end of the third leg. The Swiss businessman set fastest time in CS9 by nearly two and a half minutes in his Porsche 911 and enjoyed third fastest times in the other two. “Yesterday when we broke a shock absorber it was a day or survival. Today has been back to normal and it’s been good,” said Frederic. “CS7 was a bit difficult, but it’s easier to make up time in the twisty sections where you don’t take any risks; you drive as you see it. We had some problems with the altitude and there’s a hole in the throttle until 4,000 revs. It’s difficult to know what Gerard Marcy’s pace would have been today, but I’m very happy, obviously.”

Despite his claims of easing the pace yesterday, Rover man Richard Martin-Hurst has climbed from fourth to third this evening. The British V8 driver and co-driver Tony Devantier have had a good day of competition with top 10 times in all three sections. “A good day; although we overshot a junction in CS8 and found Mouton and Bellm coming towards us in dust when we rejoined the section,” said Richard. “Frederic Dor was lucky though, as he was about to make the same mistake so we directed him, but then had to wait for his dust to settle before continuing. The car’s in good shape, but we’ve definitely got rust worm!”

Overnight leader Gerard Marcy has had a nightmare day and has had to withdraw from the event after an accident in CS8. “The pace note was a bit too late and we had to get round a sharp left corner; the options were either to roll or go through a ditch. We dropped into the ditch and the cross-member pushed back into the radiator and broke it. We lost all the fluid and had to retire from the section. Here at the overnight halt in Eldoret, it’s clear the damage is too much to repair in a field and we’ve sadly had to withdraw. This has been a fantastic event, quite spectacular, and I so hope that it is run again next year.”

The fourth leg of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally takes the crews into Uganda, covering just one competitive section in Kenya before the border crossing at Busia. Once in Uganda, the East African Safari Rally goes back to its roots with a series of tight timed-to-the-minute road sections before the overnight halt at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala.


Leaderboard after Leg 3

Rob Collinge Datsun 240Z 7hr 45min 00sec

Frederic Dor Porsche 911 8hr 09min 04sec

Richard Martin-Hurst Rover V8 8hr 17min 28sec

Ray Bellm Ford Escort 8hr 22min 52sec

Stuart Rolt Porsche 911 8hr 31min 09sec

Alastair Cavenagh Ford Escort 8hr 39min 19sec

Wolfgang Pfeiffer Porsche 911 8hr 47min 28sec

Iain Freestone Ford México 8hr 49min 03sec

Andrew Barnes Ford Escort 8hr 49min 12sec

Bruce Field Porsche 911 8hr 53min 39sec

DRIVER QUOTES - LEG 2

2. Bruce Field/Jan Thoenes – EAK/EAK – Porsche 911

“We had a good road position today and took four cars in CS7. Then running behind Rob Collinge meant we had no dust. We’re actually trying to slow down a bit as there’s such a big gap to the guys in front it’s crazy to race against them and risk problems. If we can continue to hold fourth or fifth position in each section I reckon we’ll slowly come back from behind.”

3. Michele Mouton/Ana Goni – F/YV – Ford Escort

“No problems at all today, very good, although we had a puncture in the first section and lost a bit of time. The engine is not running well, but all three of our team cars are like that; it’s just difficult in the low revs. But that’s all, and I’m very happy and still here. I feel the event is exactly the same, almost not historic! It’s fast on the sections, fast everywhere; the same feeling as years ago with everything.”

6. Iain Freestone/Rod MacLean – GB/GB – Ford México

“We had an oil problem in CS8; after hitting the antelope yesterday the remote oil filter got pushed into the wing, which wasn’t actually a problem. But then as it was shifting around it created a hole in the oil filter. John Lloyd and the guys in the Volvo stopped and we borrowed some of their oil to keep us going. We dropped 60 minutes though, which is really disappointing. Even so, I’ve had the best day of rallying in my life.”

7. Ray Bellm/Pasquale Lanzante – GB/I – Ford Escort

“The silencer broke in CS7 and my ears are still buzzing! We then finished CS8 with just five litres of fuel, as we couldn’t find a petrol station and then we wrong-slotted in CS9 and lost about 8 minutes. But fourth is great, we have no penalties and the car is running well.”

12. Josef Pointinger/Wolfgang Nolscher – A/A – Ford Escort

“The rear axle dropped in the last section and the back end of the car was swinging around making it very difficult to drive. We’ve had some problems with the altitude and are a bit down on power, but otherwise not such a bad day.”

16. Anthony Ward/Mark Solloway – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“A troublesome day! We broke the front suspension in the first section and had to bind it together with rope, so it was slow going to the finish. We then had a fuel leak in CS8 and had to stop, but then the final section was perfect. A mixed day, but we’re still here.”

20. Stuart Rolt/Richard Tuthill – GB/GB – Porsche 911

“We made a big mistake in CS7, choosing a route to avoid a rough section and then broke a wheel in a hole! It damaged the steering and we lost 13 minutes.”

25. Paul-Eric Jarry/Craig Redelinghuys – F/F – Porsche 911

“It’s going very well. The first stage today was very long (176.37 km) but good and fast and we passed four cars. The last one (CS10) was the most exhausting I have ever done as a driver; a succession of different surfaces and then ending up hill and extremely rough on the car. Still, the car’s still on its wheels and that’s the main thing.”

27. Chris Angel/Mike Bowen – EAK/EAK – Datsun 1600SS

“Great, we’ve loved it today but the tyres have had some work! We had a puncture this morning and then had to change a shock absorber this afternoon, which we borrowed from the other Datsun guys in car 26, which was really decent of them.”

29. Aslam Khan/Arshad Khan – EAK/EAK – Datsun 180B

“It’s been a good day but we had lots of problems overtaking cars in CS7 and cracked the windscreen. Otherwise it’s enjoyable, the car’s good and only needs a check-up tonight.”

31. SMW Murji/Mo Verjee – EAK/EAK – Peugeot 504

“A lousy day, especially compared to the first two. We were a bit too cautious in CS7, but it paid off as we got through with no problems. But 10 kilometres into CS8 we got a puncture, which spoilt the rhythm, and then 10 kilometres before the end of the last one we had another puncture. The jack wouldn’t work properly, the wheel wouldn’t come off and it was all annoying. We are enjoying every second though!”

35. Andrew Barnes/David Lewis – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“The first section (Loruk) was great, even though we had two punctures, but CS9 (Saos) was bloody horrible! ‘God’s Bridge’ wasn’t as bad as we’d thought, but we still had a nasty moment sliding with huge drops either side. David made one mistake with the pace notes and I made the mistake with the slide, so now we’re evens… there was a bit of a domestic about it though!”
 


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2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally

Leg 2 (Thursday 11 December)

BELGIANS LEAD SAFARI CLASSIC

The all-Belgian crew of Gerard Marcy and Dan Erculisse lead the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally after the second day of competition. The Ford Escort crew hold a 10 minute 30 second lead over Kenyan Rob Collinge, with Britain’s Iain Freestone maintaining a fine third overall in his first outing in East Africa. The leg has however been a tough one on the field of historic cars and just 44 made it to the overnight halt at Mount Kenya Safari Club this evening.

Thursday’s route took the crews over another three sections totalling 220.95 competitive kilometres, returning to the Taita Hills early this morning for a repeat of the Wunydani section at 07.02 hrs. Crews then headed further northwest and across Kajiado Plains for a further two sections of 76.60 and 117.27 competitive kilometres respectively, before arriving at the luxurious Mount Kenya Safari Club, in the foothills of Mount Kenya, for the overnight halt.

Gerard Marcy and Dan Erculisse started the day in second position, just over five minutes adrift of leader Rob Collinge; however the Belgian pair powered into the lead, setting the pace with two third fastest section times and fastest in the final section of the day by an impressive 1 minute 58 seconds. “We broke the steering arm about five kilometres before the end of the last section (CS7), but it wasn’t a great drama and we can sort everything out overnight,” commented Gerard. “We’ve had an easy day as there’s been no dust from cars in front and we’ve been running our own race today. We have to look after the car as there’s a long way to go, but hopefully we can now manage our position.”

Overnight leader Collinge and co-driver Anton Levitan have dropped back into second position, the Datsun 240Z crew losing 22 minutes with fuel problems early this morning. “We’ve had fuel problems today and it has cost us dearly,” said Rob. “The recycle system has been picking up a lot of heat and the fuel has heated up in the tank and caused massive vaporisation. We lost 22 minutes and are going to have to work hard to get that back tomorrow.”

Third position is being maintained by former Skoda UK driver Iain Freestone and co-driver Rod Maclean, the pair enjoying a fine debut competitive outing in Kenya in their Ford México. They too have had their own problems to contend with however, two sixth fastest times split by 14th fastest in CS6. “We had a hell of a scare when an antelope ran out in front of us and we hit it; I’ve never seen anything like that happen before. Really we need more power; we only have 1670cc and it’s not suited to the long stages where you’re flat-out the whole time,” said Iain at the overnight halt.

Michele Mouton has also been back behind the wheel of her Ford Escort, having been forced onto the sidelines yesterday afternoon with suspension problems. The Frenchwoman, renowned as the only female to win rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship, was 13th fastest in CS5, 15th in CS6 and eighth in the final section of the day. “It has been exactly like the ‘real’ Safari, just as tough and great sections. I’m really loving it and we’ve seen lots of wildlife, including camels and two donkeys lying in the road. It’s been great today.”

Tomorrow, leg three takes in possibly the harshest terrain of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally. The 176.37 kilometre section from Matura to Loruk drops into the Kerio Valley, across its floor and up the other side. ‘God’s Bridge’ may be spectacular for tourists, but with 460 metre drops either side, the leg is sure to provide a taxing day of competition before the overnight halt on a private farm outside Eldoret.

Leaderboard after Leg 2

Gerard Marcy Ford Escort 4hr 33min 58sec

Rob Collinge Datsun 240Z 4hr 44min 28sec

Iain Freestone Ford México 4hr 44min 43sec

Richard Martin-Hurst Rover V8 4hr 49min 59sec

Andrew Barnes Ford Escort 4hr 53min 30sec

Ray Bellm Ford Escort 4hr 55min 03sec

John Lloyd Ford Escort 4hr 58min 54sec

Bo Axelsson Volvo 142/S 5hr 01min 53sec

Frederic Dor Porsche 911 5hr 01min 56sec

Stuart Rolt Porsche 911 5hr 02min 14sec

DRIVER QUOTES - LEG 2

2. Bruce Field/Jan Thoenes – EAK/EAK – Porsche 911

“I’d like to have days like this every day! We had a rude morning wake-up with the re-run of Shelembwa 2 (CS5) but we were fourth fastest, so not so bad. We’re not really pushing too hard to go off, but today’s been good, especially after a host of misery yesterday!”

5. Alastair Cavenagh/Carl Tundo – EAK/EAK – Ford Escort

“It was good to set fastest time in CS5 but then we got a 10 minute penalty on the road section with problems in service and the trip meter not working. We therefore started CS6 behind car 14, sat in dust and didn’t manage to pass for 40 kilometres. CS6 we started five minutes behind Michele (Mouton) and caught her, but because of all the dust she couldn’t see us and we crashed into a load of undergrowth. The steering bent and we got a puncture. All things considered we were lucky, but it’s been a disappointing day.”

6. Iain Freestone/Rod MacLean – GB/GB – Ford México

“We had a hell of a scare when an antelope ran out in front of us and we hit it; I’ve never seen anything like that happen before. Really we need more power; we only have 1670cc and it’s not suited to the long stages where you’re flat-out the whole time.”

7. Ray Bellm/Pasquale Lanzante – GB/I – Ford Escort

“We’ve had a loose rear damper all day and a clutch problem again, the same as yesterday. Hopefully we might have solved both problems this evening though.”

8. John Lloyd/Paul Amandini – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“We had one spin and hit a big rock, bending part of the suspension which lost us a couple of minutes. Otherwise, all fine.”

12. Josef Pointinger/Wolfgang Nolscher – A/A – Ford Escort

“Not such a bad day, but we seem to be missing a bit of extra horsepower! We were lucky last night though; just as we’d finished re-preparing the car, we noticed that the engine mounting bolts were totally loose. It’s a good job we spotted that before this morning!”

14. Richard Martin-Hurst/Tony Devantier – GB/NZ – Rover V8

“We’ve gone slower than yesterday and still need to slow down a bit more. We bent the sump shield today and had a few other problems; the important thing is to get to the end now.”

17. Simon Glover/Russ Langthorne – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“A great day and just one small problem with the alternator, which stopped working in CS6 (Makindu). After yesterday, when we lost the brakes in CS1, lost them again in CS2 and punctured the fuel tank, and then run with two jerry cans of fuel strapped down in the boot in CS3, today has been a bit more enjoyable!”

20. Stuart Rolt/Richard Tuthill – GB/GB – Porsche 911

“The day’s been very good indeed but I couldn’t believe the speed in CS7 (Olekejiado). That’s the fastest stage I’ve driven in my life! We had a puncture in CS6 and lost a lot of time, but other than that it’s been a lovely day… until I reversed into Frederic Dor in the fuel station!”

22. Bo Axelsson/Eugen Damstedt – S/FIN – Volvo 142/S

“The clutch broke coming through Nairobi and it was very difficult getting through the city and 160 kilometres up to the overnight halt. Today has been much harder than yesterday; tight and narrower, but we’re happy. There’s lots of work to be done tonight, but the show will go on.”

35. Andrew Barnes/David Lewis – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“The three competitive sections were great today…. It just went wrong when a Matatu smacked into us in Nairobi on a roundabout. Fortunately it looks only to be cosmetic, although we were really lucky as the fuel tank was so nearly hit. Hopefully we won’t find any structural damage tomorrow.”

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2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally

Leg 1 (Wednesday 10 December)

HISTORY RE-BORN IN KENYA

* Collinge leads crews in home event; Disappointing day for Michéle Mouton
 

One of the world’s most historic events started in Kenya today and the reception the 2003 Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally crews received was akin to the glory days of the past. Fifty years ago, Eric Cecil founded the East African Safari Rally and 53 crews took the start; today, on the 50 commemorate anniversary of an event conceived to mark the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, 53 crews once again crossed the ramp beneath the famous elephant tusks on Moi Avenue in Mombasa in what can only be described as a fitting tribute.

After being flagged off by Najib Balala, Kenya’s Minister of Sport, the crews headed northwest out of Mombasa in searing temperatures for the start of their 4,893 kilometre journey that will take them through some of the most remote yet spectacular terrain in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Today’s opening leg covered three sections and nearly 200 competitive kilometres, half the distance of a regular three-day World Rally Championship event, and took the crews over a varied route, encompassing fast and flowing sections and the semi-desert terrain of the Taru before arriving at Taita Hills Salt Lick Lodge for the overnight halt. In landscape awash with giraffe, antelope, buffalo and elephants, the crews could not have had a greater welcome to Kenya.

The all-Kenyan crew of Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan have taken the overnight lead and hold a 5 minute 5 second advantage in their Datsun 240Z. Like many of the crews on Safari Rallies both past and present, they have encountered a few problems but are delighted to be upholding national honours in their home event. “We started off badly and lost a lot of time with a puncture and blown fuse, then the car wouldn’t restart,” commented Collinge. “The rest of the day has been great though and it’s good to be leading at the end of the first leg.”

The international entrants are being led by Gerard Marcy and Dan Erculisse, the Belgian crew in second position in their Ford Escort. “We were going well in CS1 but then got a puncture 25 kilometres into the section and lost six minutes,” commented co-driver Dan. “The second one also started well but then we caught a car and sat in its dust for 45 kilometres. But we overtook four cars in the final section, so that must be good!”

Third position is held by Britain’s Iain Freestone and Rod Maclean, in a Ford México. Freestone, the 2002 National Rally Champion (Class N1) with Skoda Auto UK, is making a rare competitive appearance outside the UK and has made a fine start in his debut African outing. “If every day could be like that, I’ll be well happy!” commented Iain. “It’s been a relatively straight-forward leg and what I had hoped for. The event is exactly as I thought it would be… great.”

The legendary Michéle Mouton, the first woman to ever win a round of the FIA World Rally Championship, got off to a bad start early this morning. On the road section to the start in Mombasa, the Frenchwoman and Venezuelan co-driver Ana Goni had to contend with overheating problems, losing nearly all the water from the radiator before even taking the start. Then, in CS2, Mouton was temporarily forced onto the sidelines with front suspension problems. However, in the spirit of the regulations, competitors are permitted to re-start after failing to complete a leg, up to a maximum of three times. Mouton and Goni will therefore be back behind the wheel of their Escort tomorrow.

“Michéle had a broken stub axle (front suspension) in the second section and was forced out for the day,” commented David Sutton, of David Sutton Cars. “It happened after a big bump and is not a problem we ever expected to face. The last time one of my cars had this problem was with Malcolm Wilson back on the 1981 Cyprus Rally in one of the Rothmans Porsche. We haven’t had this type of failure for 22 years.”

After the overnight halt, the second leg of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally takes the crews over another three sections totalling 220.95 competitive kilometres. The route returns to the Taita Hills but then heads further northwest and across Kajiado Plains before arriving at the luxurious Mount Kenya Safari Club, in the foothills of Mount Kenya, for the overnight halt.

DRIVER QUOTES - LEG 1

2. Bruce Field/Jan Thoenes – EAK/EAK – Porsche 911

“We lost the brakes in the first section for about 15 kilometres, but other than that things have been good for us.”

3. Frederic Dor/Didier Breton –F/F – Porsche 911

“This morning was the first time I had ever sat in this car so it was a pretty big introduction! The seat position wasn’t perfect, too low, and I struggled to see the end of the bonnet, but this is all sorted and the rest of the day has been good. By the time we got into CS3 I’d found the pace and we just need to catch up some time now.”

4. Alastair Cavenagh/Carl Tundo – EAK/EAK – Ford Escort

“We finished all the competitive sections today and then the clutch cylinder packed up on the road section. We lost 22 minutes and got a four minute penalty, which is really disappointing after starting so well and setting the fastest time in CS1. So far the roads have been pretty smooth, more so that they used to be in this event, but we’re really enjoying it.”

5. Ray Bellm/Pasquale Lanzante – GB/I – Ford Escort

“We’re really enjoying it; so far it’s everything I thought it would be. We had a bit of a scare in CS1 when the clutch went, but then it came back half-way through the section and we’ve not had the same problem since.”

6. John Lloyd/Paul Amandini – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“We’ve had a few problems, but the car is going really well now and I feel comfortable with our speed. We wrong-slotted in CS2 and I’ve also driven most of the day with no gear knob; it’s somewhere in the car but not on the stick…!”

7. Wolfgang Pfeiffer/Peter Knoebel – D/D – Porsche 911

“Wonderful! No major problems, other than running out of fuel one kilometre before the overnight halt!”

14. Richard Martin-Hurst/Tony Devantier – GB/NZ – Rover V8

“A good day, although we got caught behind a few cars in each section and lost time.”

19. Henri Guyonnet-Duperat/Claude Valion – F/F – Porsche 911

“The last section (CS3) was tough on the car and we need to look after it. It was a long enough day but I am happy. Now I have to work on the car myself, because I have no service crew; I do many events like this…”

20. Stuart Rolt/Richard Tuthill – GB/GB – Porsche 911

“The first section was good, but then we broke a wheel in the second; totally my fault as Richard was saying ‘rough, bumpy, care!’ – I just took it all too fast. The final section went well (CS3) but we took it very slowly, too slowly though, and lost a fair bit of time. The car’s in perfect condition and really it’s been a wonderful day.”

23. Gerard Marcy/Dan Erculisse – B/B – Ford Escort

“We were going well in CS1 but then got a puncture 25 kilometres into the section and lost six minutes. The second one also started well but then we caught a car and sat in its dust for 45 kilometres. But we overtook four cars in the final section, so that must be good!”

24. Alexander Hack/Ingolf de Clemente – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“It’s been a wonderful day, no punctures, nothing! Good smooth driving, but not too slow, so I am happy. This is my first time doing the Safari and it is great, but not so easy to do I think.”

28. Don Simmons/Tony Jolly – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“It was a shade rough in CS3! The first two sections were very much what we expected, but then came the third! Otherwise things have been good and we’ve had no problems with the car.”


The event is also sponsored by Minilite Wheels, WEC Lines and SDV Transami.

Please note, the full entry list, results and photographs can be found on www.eastafricansafarirally.com/index.html

Please click on any one of the Rally Drumbeaters above to see information about the competitors, and to follow the news during the event itself.


Hayley Maxfield
Press Officer
East African Safari Rally

Tel/fax: +44 1483 459555
E-mail: hayleymaxfield@dial.pipex.com
Web: www.eastafricansafarirally.com





 

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