• Kenyan drivers dominated the top five positions with another rally star, Lee Rose, in his Ford Escort RS 1800, clinched fourth sport ahead of Piers Daykin in a Datsun 240Z.
• Rose, a former Kenyan champion, also clinched the CL Class.
Image: HANDOUT
Multiple Kenya National Rally Championship winner Baldev Chager is the winner of the 2022 East Africa Classic Rally in a Kabras-sponsored Porsche 911.
Chager clinched the 10th edition of the regional championship with an incredible time difference of 07:43.9.
The veteran driver was the favourite to win the race especially after building up on a Day Two lead even though he was not lucky enough to win any of the stages
The new champion said relying on his co-driver, Drew Sturrock helped him stay steady and ensured the consistency they required to win this year’s trophy.
“It was a matter of judging each day as you see it and working together as a team that pushed us to victory,” Chager said.
Swedish national Patrick Sandell, also in a Porsche 911, overhauled Kenyan legend Ian Duncan in his Rover Vitesse to take the second position with a cumulative total of 16:47:54.5, pushing the Kenyan rally icon to third position with a total cumulative time of 16:52:49.3.
Kenyan drivers dominated the top five positions with another rally star, Lee Rose, in his Ford Escort RS 1800, clinched fourth sport ahead of Piers Daykin in a Datsun 240Z.
Philip Kadoorie, Kris Rosenberger, Joost Van Cawenberge, David Danglard and Federico Polese, in their Tuthill Porsches, completed the top 10 finishes.
Glen Edmunds of Kenya won Class CL1 navigated by Czech Republic’s Jiri Kotek in a Skoda 130LR/S.
Rose, a former Kenyan champion, also clinched the CL Class.
The day started off at Chamaka in Kilifi County and finished at Arabuko, covering a distance of 128.19km.
The 10th edition of the East African Safari Classic Rally was sponsored by Victoria Commercial Bank, Standard Group, A&K, Safaricom, NTT Dimension Data, Kenya Tourist Board, Aquamist, Vivo Energy and East African Breweries Limited.
East African Safari Classic Rally Standings
1 Baldev Chager(Ken) / Drew Sturrock (Porsche 911) 16:40:11.1 0
2 Patrik Sandell(Swe) / Henrik Bolinder(Swe) Porsche 911 16:47:54.9
3 Ian Duncan(Ken) / Anthony Neilsen(Ken) Rover Vitesse 16:52:49.6
4 Lee Rose(Ken) / Douglas McNeil(Ken) Ford Escort RS 180- 17:12:12.5
5 Philip Kadoorie(Hkg) / Ryan Champion(Gbr) Porsche 911 17:18:27.5
6 Kris Rosenberger(Aut) / Nicola Bleicher(Deu) CL3 Porsche 911- 17:26:36.4
7 Joost Van Cauwenberge(Bel) / Jacques Caste CL3 Porsche 911- 17:33:30.7
8 Piers Daykin(Ken) / Pierre Arries(Zaf) Datsun 240Z 17:39:06.6
9 David Danglard(Usa) / Gavin Laurence(Ken) CL3 Tuthill Porsche Porsche 911 -17.58.24.1
10 Federico Polese(Ita) / Nicolas Arena(Ita) CL3 Tuthill Porsche Porsche 911 -18:03:07.3