The East African Safari Classic Rally 2011 will be held November 19th through November 28th, starting in Mombasa on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast. It may seem a long way away in both distance and time but there are some people who are moving to make sure they are a part of the action when the 58th Safari Rally kicks off.
The Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally is one of the most highly regarded rally for historic cars. The entry list for 2011 is already open and though it does not close until mid-October, it is beginning to fill up and has reached twenty-two entries so far.
There is among them what one might call ‘The Usual Suspects’, drivers who have developed a taste for the unique qualities of the Safari and have done well on past events. These include Steve Perez, Geoff Bell, Aslam Khan, John Lloyd and Gunther Kronseder. The Kronos Vintage team from Belgium whose Porsches were so strong in 2009 are back in force with entries for Kronos boss, Jean-Pierre Mondron, and Thierry de Latre du Bosqueau both of whom finished in 2009, and a third Porsche 911 for the winner of the Rallye du Maroc, Gregoire de Mevius. In addition they have reserved three more entries for Porsche 911s while, as yet, the rival Tuthill organisation have not shown their hand. But at the current rate of progress, it could well be that Porsches will for the first time eclipse Datsun for the largest number of cars entered.
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.
The car is a 1975 model Ferrari 308 GT4 Dino, a sleek, three-litre V8 powered machine normally seen on tarmac roads rather than the demanding tracks of Kenya and Tanzania. When this car takes the start of the KQ Safari Classic, it will be the first time in the history of Ferrari that one of its models will have been used on the rugged terrain of the African continent.
Marzio Kravos is a Kenyan of Italian origin and explained his choice of car by saying, “Being ‘a good’ Italian, I decided that the only car for me to drive was a Ferrari which has been my dream car from when I was young.”
(See 2009 East African Safari Classic Rally – Results and Photos)
Rumour of further entries is considerable and, while organizers cannot confirm anything until formal entries are made, the name of the winner of the 2007 event and ex-World Champion, Björn Waldegård, has been linked to several possibilities. The maximum number of entries is sixty so for those who may be considering an entry, a decision should not be put off for too long or hopes may disappear of taking part in one of the great rallying adventures that still exists.
Perhaps it should be pointed out that competing is not the only way of participating in the East African Safari Classic Rally adventure. Starting in Mombasa on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, the Safari travels through Kenya and Tanzania and takes in the sight of both Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya and several famous game parks in its travels from the coast to the highlands and back again. Following the East African Safari Classic Rally to watch the rally cars and spend time in the wonderful scenery of East Africa is possible by means of the special tourist packages that will soon be marketed by Kenya Airways through their web site.
Everything being considered, the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2011 has so much to offer in every respect. And at its heart, there is one of the toughest and most amazing rallies in the World.
For more information, visit www.eastafricansafarirally.com.
[Source: East African Safari Rally]
