Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2013

21st - 29th November 2013

NEWSFLASH

Geoff Bell from South Africa drove well to finish a very credible 11th Overall against modern 4WD Group N turbo machinery. Here seen on the same corner in the Taita Hills.

Many drivers for the November KQ Safari Classic Rally entered the Voi Rally last weekend for some of the stages used might be part of the rally route in November. Here seen is Samira Khan testing her Ford Escort in the Taita Hills section.

Two unique entries in the 2013 KQ Safari Classic Rally will be these two Mazda RX7 rally cars which have been prepared in Canada. The cars run on a 1300cc Rotary engine which when first produced in 1976 was thought to be an innovation that would take over the motor industry....but it never happened. The cars will be driven by two Kenyan drivers Kishan Bhanderi and Jaspal Matharu.

Michel Campagne and Mike van Thiel from Netherlands have entered this Chevrolet Corvette Grande Sport for the 2013 KQ Safari Classic Rally. Car is being prepared in Netherlands.

Fantastic setting with KQ’s newest Aircraft and some rally cars at the Launch of the 2013 KQ Safari Classic Rally

Jonathan Somen of Access Kenya (IT sponsors for the EASR) Ford Escort Mark 2 looking well prepared for the event.

Four potent rally machines all lined up for the launch function.

Group CEO of our title sponsor Kenya Airways Mr. Titus Naikuni giving his address to the guests and press at the launch 28th February 2013

EASR Director Raju Kishinani receiving the “big” cheque for the sponsorship from the KQ CEO Mr. Titus Naikuni. Also in the photos KQ Marketing Director Mr. Chris Diaz and Rally Manager Mr. Ashok Bhalla.

No 1 – Team Tido

Team Tido from Sweden has entered six Porsche 911’s built by Tuthill Porsche with former World Champions Bjorn Waldegard and Stig Blomqvist as team drivers. The Team Principal Mr. David von Schinkel (on right) with Christer Johansson (centre) and Roger Samuelsson (left)all of who are also driving the other cars with one of the Safari Porsche’s which Roger will test during the Swedish Rally 2013.

No 2 – Bjorn and Francis

Also at the srcutineering for the historic Swedish Rally were Christer Johansson, Francis Tuthill, Bjorn Waldegard and Surinder Thatthi. Bjorn who was the winner of the 2011 edition which was a historic win for the mark Porsche which won after 43 years, having first done the Safari in 1968.

Classified Advertisements: Ford Escort For sale.......more

Competitors Infomation No.3...... click here to download

Geoff Bell from South Africa is sending his Datsun 260Z this month to Kenya to start testing by entering rallies of the Kenya National Rally series in 2013. Bell who came second overall between two World Champions in the 2011 event is definitely one of the top contenders for a win in the 2013 KQ Safari Classic Rally.

Competitors Infomation No.2...... click here to download

A roaring start: With just twelve months to go before the start of the 2013 Kenya Airways Safari Classic Rally, the entry list is filling up fast. It is not just quantity – there are twenty-six entries already – but also the quality of both cars and crews that will be bound to ensure an excellent and competitive event next November....click here for more

Photos from route survey for Day 1 and Day 9 in the Mombasa and Taita Hills region.....see more photos

Classified Advertisements: PORSCHE 911 For sale.......more

The 2011 Kenya Airways Safari Classic Rally winning cars was driven around London recently by Top Gear the BBC motoring programme and a photo of the car crossing the London Bridge. Check the rest on the link below: http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/urban-london-car-safari-2012-08-03?imageNo=10

Phil Mills of Viking Motorsport has just sent the photo of two Ford Escort Mark 2 rally cars being prepared for the 2013 KQ Safari Classic Rally at their workshops in Wales, UK. Phil has advised that there will be a very strong driver line up in their three entries.

Classified Advertisements: Porsche Rally Car for Sale.......more

Bjorn Waldegard and son, Mathias winners of the 2011 KQ Safari Classic Rally celebrate their victory on the finish podium. This is Bjorn’s sixth Safari Rally victory and the first ever win for Porsche in the Safari Rally.

MOMBASA – SAROVA WHITESANDS – VIRTUAL SAFARI: The Safari rally has always been known for its popularity with spectators and the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally has carried on this tradition. .............more

MOMBASA – SAROVA WHITESANDS – FIRST PORSCHE SAFARI WIN: On the last day of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic rally the priority of all crews was to drive their cars over the finishers’ ramp at Mombasa, come hell or high water. And there have been plenty of both on this incredible adventure of a rally...................more

VOI – WILDLIFE LODGE – WALDEGARD IS BACK IN THE LEAD: The Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic rally has seen yet another change of leader on its penultimate day. With true Swedish ..............more

NAIVASHA – SOPA LODGE – HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN!: Geoff Bell and Tim Challen have kept hold of the lead of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally by a mere seven seconds on the seventh day of this exciting ..............more

NAIVASHA – SOPA LODGE – THE TABLES TURN AGAIN: Fortunes turned yet again on the sixth day of the Kenya Airways East African Safari, proving just how unpredictable this unique event can be. Despite having a forty minute lead at the start of the day, the rally leaders ..............more

AMBOSELI – OL TUKAI LODGE – THE DAY OF "REST”: The Amboseli National Park is renowned for its lions but this morning is was the roar of another beast that broke the morning’s tranquillity. At eight ‘o’ clock the rally cars of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic ......more

AMBOSELI – OL TUKAI LODGE – A PORSCHE-DATSUN-PORSCHE SANDWICH: A Datsun has broken the Porsche 911 stronghold that was leading the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally. Unfortunately the Porsche 911 of Grégoire de Mévius and Alain Guehennec .. QUOTES FROM THE CREWS.....more

ARUSHA – MOUNT MERU HOTEL – A BATTLE OF THE PORSCHE 911s: The two leading Porsches of Bjorn Waldegård and Grégoire de Mévius have been swapping positions throughout the third day of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally. The first 154 km long competitive section... QUOTES FROM THE CREWS.......more

AMBOSELI – KILIMA CAMP – VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE: They say variety is the spice of life and this was definitely the case for the first competitive day of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally. There was a large range of conditions with the leader board chopping and changing throughout the day..... more

MOMBASA - THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: This year celebrates the tenth anniversary of the first East African Safari Classic rally and it looks set to be a classic event in every sense of the word. This was reflected in the turnout and warm reception at the ceremonial start under the tusks in Moi Avenue, Mombasa this afternoon........more

MOMBASA – THE FIRST ROAD BOOKS ARE RELEASED! : Safari fever was definitely in the air as the first road books for the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally were handed out this afternoon. The crews now have a chance to peruse the official route for Day 1 (Sunday) and, although the individual competitive spirit is high, so too is the team spirit........ more

Mark and Ed Bentley car returns after a test in Vipingo

Top contender Gregoire de Mevius from Belgium with the Kronos team.

KQ SAFARI CLASSIC BRINGS RALLY FEVER TO MOMBASA: Not only has Mombasa recently reaffirmed its claim as a major tourist hub, but it has suddenly burst into yet more life in the run up to this weekend’s Kenya Airways........more

Ian Duncan Ford Capri getting final touches for the the 2011 KQ Safari Classic Rally. Ian won the 2009 event in a Ford Mustang so will be starting at Car No. 1 position ahead of 52 cars entered in the rally.

2011 KENYA AIRWAYS EAST AFRICAN CLASSIC SAFARI RALLY STARTING NUMBER ORDER........more

Alastair Cavenagh tested his Ford Escort Mark 2 at full speed yesterday with a creditable 11th overall finish in the Guru Nanak Rally Round 7 of the Kenya National Rally Championship. Cavenagh said the car felt very different to his regular Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 rally car but was happy with the cars handling and performance.

Jonathan Somen in his orange Ford Escort Mark 2, Rommy Bamrah in his Datsun 260Z and Aslam Khan in his Porsche 911 all testing their cars for the 2011 KQ Safari Classic during the Guru Nanak rally yesterday in Nairobi. Most drivers are now ready for the event with many cars in containers on high seas scheduled to arrive in Mombasa by the first week of November.

The shop is closed ! : The entry list for the 2011 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally closed on Saturday evening with a confirmed entry of fifty-two cars...... more

Former Clubman Rally Championship winner Kulwinder Sandhu testing his Datsun 710 rally car as a zero car during a National rally in Kenya to take part in the 2011 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally. Navigating during the event will be Harpal Sudle, from the UK who has done the event before.

Heavy rains have been pounding the northern regions of Kenya and have washed away all the top soil in many sections exposing big rocks and making the roads much rougher that the last......more

Mark & Ed Bentley with their team and their Ford Escort just before loading them into the container to ship to Mombasa.

Kronos Vintage tested all their four beautiful Porsche 911 rally cars in Belgium yesterday and the drivers are confident of a great performance during the KQ Safari Classic in November 2011.

Canadian Dr. Steven Funk next to his new “chrome painted” Porsche 911 rally car in the UK at the Tuthill Porsche factory. The Race4Change team has entered this car and two others for Bjorn Waldegard and Travis Pastrana / Patrick Njiru who will share the driving of the third car.

Look out for the Ladies !

An all-Kenyan female rally team of Samira Khan, 32, and Safina Khan (not related) are to become only the second all-ladies crew to enter ...............more

This is the Escort that the ladies will drive on the Safari Classic. Here it is being crewed by Aslam Khan and his son, Farhaaz

Viking Invasion

Viking Motorsport is aptly named since its owner, Phil Mills was World Champion co-driver in 2003 to Petter Solberg, a man from.....more

Stig Blomqvist, ex-World Rally Champion, puts his Escort in typical pose

John Lloyd tests his Escort ready for the Safari Classic

The two Escort RS1800 Mk2s being prepared in the Viking Motorsport workshop.

The Germans are coming !

Three of the German crews that are entered on the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally got together last week for a combined test ...........more

Making a splash ! Franz Wunderlich tests the Tuthill Porsche 911

Gunther Kronseder with his Mercedes 450SLC in the sand.

Josef Jobst jumps the Autosport Kotek Porsche 911 towards the water.

Mark and Ed Bentley of Skipton Ford, Keighley Ford and Ocean Ford will be taking part in the Kenya Airways East African Safari Rally over eight full days of intense driving competition starting from Mombasa on the Kenyan Coast and covering approximately 4,300km of which 2000km will be competitive stages, running into Tanzania and then making its way back into northern Kenya before the finish in Mombasa.
The Bentley’s have asked companies and organizations to donate money or products to their two chosen charities, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and The WEMA Foundation. Feel free to take a look around their dedicated website www.bentleysonsafari.com Also, for information the Safari rally car (a Ford Escort Mk1) was recently tested at Sweet Lamb in Wales – footage can be seen on www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZqHIbY3NEc
Mark and Ed are keen to get their fundraising mission out there for all to see and have set up a page on Just Giving. The aim is to ’allow ordinary people to raise extra ordinary amounts of money’ and that exactly what they intend to do! To make a donation please visit www.justgiving.com/bentleysonsafari
They thank you in advance for your support to the charities.

Race4Change brings top drivers to Safari Classic: Race4Change, the philanthropic organisation behind efforts to promote the economic empowerment of women in Africa has announced the first three drivers supporting its entries on the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally..............more

Kenyan rally hero Patrick Njiru and Dr. Steven Funk try out a rally Porsche 911 cockpit at the Press conference to launch the Race4change team. Patrick will drive in a stars car shared with Travis Pastrana from the USA.

Five colorful Porsche 911's being prepared for the 2011 Kenya Airways Safari Classic Rally at Tuthill Porsche in Wardington, England for some of the seven drivers entered by them.

Four beautiful Porsche 911’s being prepared at the Kronos Vintage workshops for Gregoire de Mevius, Jean-Pierre Mondron, Philippe Vendromme and Theirry Latre du Bosqueau. Kronos Vintage is based in Belgium

World Champion on Safari Classic: It is now confirmed that the second entry for Viking Motorsport on the Kenya Airways Safari Classic Rally.......more

Steven Funk from Canada visited Kenya to start the planning for his entry in the KQ Safari Classic Rally 2011 and seen handing his entry form to Surinder Thatthi. Also in the photo from left to right are Andrew Doig (co-driver), Steven Funk. Ingrid Munro (Jamii Bora) Surinder Thatthi and Mr. Habibi (Jamii Bora)

Ford Escort Mark 2 as will be driven by Alastair Cavenagh and Carl Tundo in the 2011 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally.

IAN DUNCAN ENTERS KENYA AIRWAYS SAFARI CLASSIC RALLY

Ford Capri from a past event similar to the car Ian Duncan is building to use in the 2011 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally in November this year......more

Porsche or Escort ?: It looks very much as if the first eleven months of 2011 will be the last time that anyone can say ‘a Porsche has never won the Safari Rally’. The line-up from the famous Stuttgart marque for the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally is simply amazing – and continues to grow with every passing day.....more

Viking Motorsport in the UK are preparing two Ford Escort Mark 2 rally cars for John Lloyd and Adrian Cavenagh and the second car for a driver to be advised soon but Phil Mills from Viking said we would not be disappointed with their second driver who is it?

Marzio Kravos (right) discussing the roll cage placement in the body shell of his Ferrari 308 Dino with Jim Heather-Hayes (left). The Ferrari is being prepared for the 2011 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally in November this year.

Ferrari entry for Kenya Airways Safari Classic Rally 2011: Kenyan Marzio Kravos, a motor garage owner in Nairobi and also a former leading national navigator has started to prepare a unique car for his entry in the 2011 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally.........more

Photos from route survey in Tanzania in January 2011 to see more photos click here

Press Release: Monday, 20th December 2010
In just under twelve months time, the participants in the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally of 2011 will be enjoying the prize giving on the shore of the Indian Ocean........more

TITUS NAIKUNI LAUNCHES KENYA AIRWAYS EAST AFRICAN SAFARI CLASSIC RALLY 2011 SPONSORSHIP: Titus Naikuni, Managing Director and CEO of Kenya Airways launched the partnership with the East African Safari Rally this week with a press briefing in a glamorous setting at the Kenya Airways Embakasi headquarters with a KQ aircraft and three rally cars providing a rare photo opportunity of the cars with an aircraft......more

Bulletin No. 1 to amend the Supplementary Regulations has been issued .....click here for more

The first entry for the 2011 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally has been received from Mark Bentley and Edward Bentley from England driving a Ford Escort Mark 1. This will be the first time this team will contest the KQ Safari Classic and with the route planning of the event almost complete the organisers expect the 2011 edition to be the toughest event yet with many new sections not used in the past.

Regulations and Entry Form for the 2011 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally are now on this site and entries are open as from 1st April 2010.

The dates for the next edition the 2011 Kenya Ariways East African Safari Classic Rally were announced today 8th April 2010 and the event will be held from 19th - 28th November 2011. The event planning is already at an advanced stage and the route survey's will start as soon as the long rainy season is over in May 2010.