The race for the top honours in the 2017 East Africa Classic Safari Rally kicks off this morning as foreign and local drivers engage in the supremacy battle in what has become to be the world famous marathon rally.
The nine-day competition will be flagged off this morning at Mombasa’s Whitesands Hotel, where the Porsche 911 of the defending champion, Stig Blomqvist will head the list of 36 rally cars.
The Swede, who is the former World Rally champion, will no doubt be looking for his second consecutive victory of Kenya’s round of the Classic Rally though the challenge looks set to come from the local drivers led by Ian Duncan in a Ford Capri.
Duncan has won the rally twice though he was unlucky not to start the 2015 round of the series when his Capri developed engine failure just before the start of the competition.
With lots of experience gained after the recent participation in Bulgaria Classic Rally, several of the local drivers will be beaming with excitement going into the sixth edition of the East African Classic.
The team led by former national and Safari Rally champions, Baldev Chager and Carl Tundo, are serious challengers for top honours in the week-long competition. Tundo will be in his Triumph TR7 while Chager will chase for victory in a Porsche 911. Both will be supported by Menengai Oil.
Onkar Rai, one of the leading local drivers, who did well in the recent Bulgaria Classic Rally, will be among the top drivers in his Menengai-sponsored Porsche 911.
Rai will be joined by his younger brother Tejvir Rai in the nine-day competition which will concentrate on stages mostly in Kenya.
Riyaz Ismail, the sole graduate from the Abdul Sidi Rally Academy will attempt his first-ever E.A. Classic Rally as co-driver to Ramesh Vishram, who will be taking part in his fourth out of the last six rounds of the competition. The crew will be in a Ford Escort Mark2.
“I served as a volunteer in all the previous editions of the classic and the dream was to the end one day,” said Ismail while talking from Mombasa prior to the start of the rally.
Shell’s Vivo Energy is coming in as a service sponsor for the rally.
They will be supplying fuel to the whole classic rally team, which will be fully running on V-power and Shell fuel safe diesel.
Shell is also sponsoring one of the drivers, Richard Hechle by giving his crew fuel worth Ksh150,000. After the start from Mombasa, the cars will head for the Amboseli Lodge for the end of Day One action.
The first day of the nine-day competition will head for the customary three stages per day towards Amboseli Park where the crews will spend the night.
Cars will pass through Samburu, Mwatate and Isineti before reaching the Amboseli Park for the first of the two night rest halts.
The second day will revolve around the Lodge with further three stages through Ol Tukai (100kms), Ol Donyo Sambu ( 117kms) and Ambo Gate (51kms).