East African Classic- 2011

[pmac]

Pete, now that would be amusing I agree...I suspect the Perez zed is now in the GBP 300K + category, ..was he using a carbon composite propshaft, which failed??

Hmm, I may give up posting updates....100+ views and 2 replies. But then why am I suprised?.

Dont be surprised... Just keep up the daily reports please.
There will be someone in Coalville reading them too.
I can give you all the details about the prop failure off forum.

There are some absolutley stunning images .
Of course Im especially interested in the VK team cars.
others on the forum should also be interested because little do they know but they may have supplied parts for one of the 3 cars

 

[bigblock]

eyes open wide

Not into watching rallying for years,now this i could watch.Is there any video footage available.scratch that question just found their home page some nice older vids.

 

[datsfun]

Free 30 min? follow this link for superb pictures

sorry but I can not copy them as they are protected

Day 3 Photos#

 

[datsfun]

Anyone for a Porsche - datsun - porsche sandwich...read on

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 hit problems 60 km into the first section of the day. The crew, who led the rally on day two and were in second place yesterday, broke the front suspension and had to wait for service. This means that Bjorn and Mathias Waldegård have expanded their lead to nearly forty minutes over the second-placed crew which is now Geoff Bell and Tim Challen in a Datsun 260Z. Third place is the Race4Change team mates of the Waldegårds, Steven Funk and Andrew Doig, in a Porsche 911 who are behind the second-placed Datsun 260Z by another forty minutes.
Today competitors had the chance to sample some of the section that was cancelled on the second day. The 124 km section started with twisting downhill hairpins followed by a very fast road at the bottom of the Rift Valley. Waldegård set fastest time by nearly three minutes with Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander taking the second fastest time in their Datsun 260Z, whilst third fastest time on this section was set by Stig Blomqvist and Ana Goni in their Ford Escort.
After crossing the border from Tanzania back into Kenya, the second 87 km section was rough with stone corrugation near the end. Perez set fastest time by over 20 seconds from Waldegård. After suffering problems with a broken propshaft on the first day Perez’s Datsun 260Z was flying and, after the second section, he moved up into sixth place behind Blomqvist who suffered clutch problems which were fixed after the second section. Perez is now creeping up on Kick Rally team mate Geoff Bell who took third fastest time on the second section, remaining third place overall.
The third section which was fast and open saw another change of positions in the top three as the Porsche 911 of Gérard Marcy and Stephane Prévot got stuck in a mudhole about half way through the 112 km section. This left overall second place open for Bell to take in his Datsun 260Z behind the overall leader Waldegård who set third fastest time on this final section. “We had brilliant safari stages today,” said Waldegård. “With lots of different landscapes and terrain but it’s a pity Grégoire (de Mévius) had problems – we were having a good fight.” Bell was very pleased to have moved up into overall second place, especially as it meant breaking up the Porsche domination. “We were in Marcy’s dust in the final section and suddenly the dust stopped,” he explained. “And there he was… stuck in a mudhole. Now at least there’s a bit of persity in the top three!” Third place overall had now been taken by Steven Funk and Andrew Doig. “I’m shocked we’re doing so well,” said Funk. “It’s all credit to the car with a bit of lady luck. I had a super day.” After his problems in the mudhole in the last section Marcy slipped down to fourth place with Blomqvist in fifth, despite driving on only three cylinders for the last section.
X-Games hero Travis Pastrana had his last day of the rally today in the third Race4Change Porsche 911 as he will be handing the driving over to former Kenyan Rally Champion Patrick Njiru after tomorrow’s rest halt. Pastrana left on a good note, setting fastest time in the last section. “This rally is absolutely epic,” he said. “One of the best experiences of my life.” Current Kenyan Rally Champion Ian Duncan set second fastest time on the final section in their Ford Capri. Due to a series of problems yesterday, Duncan slipped down the leader board from third place and started in 22nd position this morning. The Kenyan crew suffered a puncture on the first section but were slowly pulling up the field during the day.
With the rest day tomorrow, the crews will be looking forward to some recuperation whilst the service crews will be spending the day working on the cars. Currently Waldegård’s lead is looking secure but there’s still another four days remaining on a rally that is well-known for its ability to change the fortunes of the crews overnight. As the current leader Waldegård himself says: “The Safari has its own rules.”

DAY 4. AMBOSELI – OL TUKAI LODGE – QUOTES FROM THE CREWS
1 Ian Duncan / Amaar Slatch (Ford Capri)
“Today was fine – no real problems apart from a puncture on a rear tyre on the first section”
2 Gerard Marcy / Stephane Prévot (Porsche 911)
“The day was ok. The first two sections were good, but we have tested our suspension and our engine isn’t perfect. In the third section, we received a direction that we could go left around a mud hole but got completely stuck and lost about an hour, maybe more.”
3 Grégoire de Mévius / Alain Guehennec (Porsche 911)
“Not a good day! We broke a front wishbone in the first section and had nearly an hour’s wait as a result. We missed the second section but the third went ok.”
4 Bjorn Waldegård / Mathias Waldegård (Porsche 911)
“We had a good day with no real drama. The first section was brilliant and throughout the day they were real safari sections with lots of different landscapes. Navigationally first section was the most difficult of the rally but my son is a bloody good navigator. The last section was very fast – a nice one!”
5 Stig Blomqvist / Ana Goni (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“Today was not so good. We had problems in the first section and had to change the clutch after the second section. Then the engine was only running on three cylinders for the last section until the last 5 km.”
6 Steve Perez / Staffan Parmander (Datsun 260Z)
“In the first section we hit a big drift and damaged the steering rack and limped out. The next section was fine and the last section we were held up by cattle and went off on the slippery surface and drove straight over a big bush but the car just kept going. However it looks like we gained 5 points on the Gentleman’s World Rally Championship (GWRC), putting us neck and neck with Geoff Bell!”
7 Geoff Bell / Tim Challen (Datsun 260Z)
“On the first section we had no brakes 50 km in as we pulled a brake pipe and we had a puncture on the second section and drove out. The third section was great…we were in Marcy’s dust and suddenly the dust stopped and we saw he was stuck in a mudhole. So now we’re in second place.”
8 Alastair Cavenagh / Carl Tundo (Ford Escort Mark 2)
Tundo was driving today: “We lost ten minutes at the beginning of the first section when the car wouldn’t start but otherwise no problems. You’ll probably notice the change of driver in the section times!”
9 Andrew Siddall / Mike Borissow (Datsun 260 Z)
“Good day, but testing. We had a bit of a problem with the differential initially but sorted it out, and accidentally set off the fire extinguisher into our bonnet as we arrived at Parc Ferme!”
10 John Lloyd / Adrian Cavenagh (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“We did very well until we drove into the back of Thomas Flohr’s overturned car! But all went ok other than that.”
11 Aziz Tejpar / Andy Nagi (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Good day, no hassle. We took a jump too high on the second section and landed pretty hard but learned from it!”
12 Simon Tysoe / Imran Khan (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“In the slow stuff on the first section we ripped the RA off and bent the steering arm. Then we got stuck in the sand on the last section in the river bed.”
Co-driver Imran Khan added: “And he made me get my trainers wet.”
14 Steven Funk / Travis Clarke / Andrew Doig (Porsche 911)
From Funk who drove the first two sections: “I’m shocked we’re doing so well. All credit to the car and a little bit of lady luck. The first section was incredibly difficult and the second section there were so many jumps I thought it would shake my kidneys out. A super day!”
From Clarke who drove the final section of the day: “It was awesome – way more fun than the other sections I’ve driven – I really felt I was in Africa.”
15 Jürgen Bertl / Bernhard Ettel (Porsche 911)
“Compared with the rest of the rally, today was perfect. We had one puncture and had to stop twice to change a cable, but all in all very good!”
16 Thomas Flohr /Didier Breton (Porsche 911)
17 Steve Troman / Michael Nutt (Porsche 911)
“Good day but lost a bit of time on the last section. Looking forward to the rest day!”
18 Aslam Khan / Arshad Khan (Porsche 911)
“We had a good day. It was rough in places but we took it easy and got through.”
19 Jean-Pierre Mondron / Nicolas Gilsoul (Porsche 911)
“Good day! We got stuck in the first section and lost about 6 minutes but the second and third sections were smooth.”
20 Louis Antonini / Pierre Antonini (Porsche 911)
21 Jayant Shah / Lofty Drews (Datsun 260 Z)
22 Richard Jackson / Preston Ayres (Porsche 911)
“We got stuck in the mud and lost about 10 minutes in the first section, but had to navigate our way through as best we could. The second and third sections were both ok.”
23 Thierry de Latre de Bosqueau / Eric Werner (Porsche 911)
“Today was a long day! The first section had perse obstacles like mud, water and rocks. We had to slow down on the second section because there were unpredictable features on the route, and in the third we spent some time finding our way past the Savage brothers, who were stuck in front of us. We saw lots of people stuck in the mud! All in all we were lucky though, and we got through.”
24 Travis Pastrana / Patrick Njiru / Fabrizia Pons (Porsche 911)
“In the first section the wipers stopped working and on the second the brakes went with 57 km to go. Then we had a puncture – probably because we were going so fast with no brakes! The last section we had no problems – nothing broke on the car and the section was really fast with lots of jumps. This rally is absolutely epic – one of the best experiences of my life.”
25 Mark Bentley / Edward Bentley (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“We got lost on the first section and had a puncture later. The rest was rough but we got through, and all in all it was a good day.”
26 Marzio Kravos / Renzo Bernardi (Mercedes 450 SLC)
“We broke the right hand stub axle 19 km into the first section but fixed it in the section and battled the rest of the day which was good.”
27 Rommy Bamrah / Harvey Jutley (Datsun 260Z)
“The rally has been ok so far! We had a good day, and didn’t get stuck anywhere.”
28 Nick Mason / Alex Horsey (Datsun 260Z)
“Wonderful – absolutely fantastic. The car’s falling apart but otherwise everything is alright!”
29 Albert Michiels / Patrick de Coninck (Porsche 911)
“The day went very well. We lost three quarters of an hour in the first section but had a very smooth run in the afternoon. We are definitely happy!”
31 Jacques Walens / Thierry Lacroix (Porsche 911)
“We are TIRED! But it was a good day. We are gentlemen drivers – so took it easy and smooth!”
32 Kulwinder Sandhu / Harpal Singh Sudle (Datsun P710)
“Not a very good day. We got stuck in the first section – 70 km in where the zero car got stuck earlier. And in the last section we were stuck behind the Savages for 25 minutes. In addition a guinea fowl hit the windscreen and broke it – they’re very stubborn birds!”
33 Richard Arrowsmith / Norris Midwood (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“We had an alright day. It was really good until the last section where the Savages were stuck. We showed all the other competitors the way through but then they just continued and left us to tow out the Savages… which we did since we are proper gentlemen! We also managed a bit of bird watching and saw an ostrich, a yellow bearded something (sorry the press officer couldn’t read her own writing!), a pied crow, a magpie and a kite.”
34 Jac Nellemann / Joseph Huber (Porsche 911)
“Great – we’re here and that’s what matters! We had three punctures – one on each section – and broke an engine mount so we were only drifting through on the last section. There wasn’t too much water or too much mud and we were like “Jumping Jack Flash” over all those bumps.”
35 Minesh Rathod / Sachin Sumaria (Colt Lancer GSR)
“A lovely day. We were behind car 34 for 25 km in the last section which was the second car we caught. Apart from that no problems.”
36 Gunther Kronseder / Gerd Petzold (Mercedes 450SLC)
37 Phillipe Vandromme / Frederic Vivier (Porsche 911)
“This section was very difficult. Three sections were too much, there were lots of different obstacles to be overcome. We’re pretty tired!”
38 Jonathan Somen / Richard Hechle (Ford Escort Mark 2)
39 Ramesh Vishram / Atul Kochhar (Ford Escort Mark 2)
40 Arron Banks / Tim Chesser (Ford Escort Mark 1)
42 Josef Jobst / Uwe Kurtzenberger (Porsche 911)
“Yesterday we broke a torsion bar and driveshaft and the co-driver was also slightly damaged so we’ve had a change of co-driver today! In the first section today we stopped before the mud to see the best way to get through but then we realised we were in the mud! In the third section we lost 5 to 6 minutes stuck behind the Savages in the river.”
43 Peter Stoehr / Crispin Sassoon (Datsun 1600SSS)
44 Kurt A Engelhorn / Johan Nel (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“It went well, and we had a lot of fun!”
45 Franz Wunderlich / Klaus-Peter Kristek (Porsche 911 )
“This was the hardest day so far with lots of rocks and bumps. There was a big jump where we took off and came down on the nose – the car is okay but the co-driver needed a large beer when we arrived.”
46 Jean-Michel Martin / Ronain Martin (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“We had a good day but got stuck in a river about 50 km from the end of the third sectoin and lost nearly an hour. We were helped by the Masai to get on our way again.”
47 Bernhard Kessel / Ronny Kessel (Porsche 911)
48 Paolo Faldini / Nicolas Beech (Porsche 911)
51 Samira Khan / Anita Irwin (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“It’s been a long day, and we’ve had better! The sections were long and rough, and we lost some time on the first section getting stuck. But the car is good and we made it through.”
52 Quentin Savage / Russell Savage (Datsun 180B)
“We had a really good first two sections but then we got stuck coming out of the river bed on the last section. Richard and Norris (car 33) pulled us out. Actually they showed all the others through who just carried on and then they pulled us out so we owe them a big thank you.”

 

[SeanDezart]

I'm following it Preet - I also could swap news of another 710SSS found near Paris in original condition and possibly up for sale for your photos in big format please !

Wonderful commentary and I'd hate to see too much "chatter" spoiling the essence of this thread so don't bemoan the lack of comments please.

 

[datsfun]

I'm following it Preet - I also could swap news of another 710SSS found near Paris in original condition and possibly up for sale for your photos in big format please !

Wonderful commentary and I'd hate to see too much "chatter" spoiling the essence of this thread so don't bemoan the lack of comments please.

Sean I dont have ^^^ pics in big format...if only! ...pictures of todays stages to come !

Now please pass on details of the seven ten in Paris and yes, perhaps for the sake of this thread, less is more??

 

[datsfun]

Today was a "rest " day...to date, the cars have done 1100 stage Km's, and perhaps another 1500km of road sections

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 were taken out of parc fermé to go into service. The fifth day of the rally has traditionally been a rest day for the drivers and co-drivers but not for the service crews. Nevertheless there were several drivers pacing around the service park and some were working on the cars.
Amongst them was Grégoire de Mévius whose Porsche 911 lost its second overall place yesterday due to a broken front suspension on the first section. “That’s life,” he said. “Half way through the section we went into a mud hole and the car went sideways but I didn’t feel anything in the steering and then I felt the problem afterwards. I think the mud might have exacerbated previous damage incurred earlier in the rally. We managed to complete the third section but didn’t do the second section, which is a shame. But luckily it will mean that I will have to come back to do the East African Safari Classic for another year so that I can get on the podium!” The former FIA WRC Production Car Champion competed once on the original Safari in 1989 in a Group N Mazda 323 but didn’t finish. He is determined to finish the Classic rally and has only fallen down to 15th place overall so still has a chance of making the top ten or even the top five. Current leader Bjorn Waldegård, who had been battling for the lead with de Mévius for the first three days of the rally was also in the service park and commiserated with the Belgian driver. “It’s a real shame,” said Waldegård. “We were having a good fight and now it will be difficult to know how to pace the driving. Forty minutes is a bit too much of a lead at this stage in the event! But the roads will get harder as we go up towards Lake Baringo.”
Waldegård’s Porsche 911 has been running faultlessly throughout the rally but was being fitted with a new set of shocks to set it up for the next four days, as well as having a thorough check by the Tuthill Porsche team. Meanwhile the service crew of the second placed Datsun 260Z of Geoff Bell had found problems with the rear control arm – one of mounting points was broken whilst the other was badly cracked. The third-placed Porsche 911 of Steven Funk was also having a thorough check over by the Tuthill Porsche team, meanwhile the fourth-placed Porsche 911 of Gérard Marcy and Stéphane Prévot was back to its original white colour after all the mud had been removed from its hour-long wallow in a mud hole in yesterday’s final section. As a result Marcy has dropped from second place to fourth place overall. The fifth placed Ford Escort of Stig Blomqvist was also having a thorough check by the Viking Motorsport team, which included welding a small crack on the axle.
Current Kenyan Rally Champion, Ian Duncan, was one of the drivers working on his car, which involved changing the clutch on the Ford Capri. Tomorrow the rally will be heading up to Naivasha, which is Duncan’s home ground, but he was sceptical that his local knowledge gained him an advantage. “I think too much knowledge can be a bad thing,” he said. “In that second section yesterday I knew the road well but I also knew how bad it can get in certain conditions so I backed off. Sometimes I think it might be better to have less knowledge about the terrain.” Yesterday Duncan moved up ten places from 22nd to 12th overall, after suffering problems on the third day. Former Kenyan Rally Champion Alastair Cavenagh is in 16th place alongside Carl Tundo in their Ford Escort whilst another former Kenyan Rally Champion Patrick Njiru will be taking the place of Travis Pastrana in a Porsche 911 for the next four days and currently lies in 19th place.
A number of crews came in late last night, including Aaron Banks and Tim Chesser in their Ford Escort and Jayant Shah and Lofty Drews in their Datsun 260Z who both drove the last section in the dark. Paolo Faldini and Nicolas Beech were another late arrival. The Italian driver, who was lying 15th after the third day, unfortunately hit problems in the first section when they broke the suspension. “Apparently it was a unique break in the arm,” said Faldini. “So I’m very proud of it! But it’s a shame as we dropped right down the field and it’s not so much fun anymore. ” Meanwhile, after missing the last three days of the rally, the Corsican father-and-son team of Louis and Pierre Antonini have flown in a new distributor from Dubai and will be continuing tomorrow.
With another four days to go, tomorrow the rally will head north to Navaisha and then take in stages around Lake Baringo on Saturday before heading back towards Mombasa. At this point the forty minute gaps between the top three may seem large, but it only takes a few problems for everything to change again.

 

[datsfun]

Ok, pictures of yesterdays stages now available.

Lets start with the "Kick" team, shall we ? Check out the mobile service crew

 

[datsfun]

911's Vs African terrian...

The pictures capture the crew's emotions really well

 

[zbloke]

Preet, are you taking these pics yourself??

 

[datsfun]

Lets not forget the others..

 

[datsfun]

And these final few sum up this rally for me and the beauty of Africa

Tomorrow the crews head up to central Kenya and higher altitude..some of us here will be hoping for a mini-miracle that leading porsche loses its advantage and Mr Bell takes advantage..

 

[pmac]

And these final few sum up this rally for me and the beauty of Africa

Tomorrow the crews head up to central Kenya and higher altitude..some of us here will be hoping for a mini-miracle that leading porsche loses its advantage and Mr Bell takes advantage..

Yes We will be hoping....

Brilliant pics Preet

 

[datsfun]

Preet, are you taking these pics yourself??

Sorry I am NW London, wish I was back "home" for this...

Anyway, my source is here, the legend,,,,
Imagedatabase


I am just doing a direct link for forum users in the hope that maybe one of you will be inspired to do this rally and take me as a sidekick with local knowledge...

 

[zbloke]

Sorry I am NW London, wish I was back "home" for this.

No worries, if you where the one behind the camera I was just going to ask if you could get some engine bay shots of the Z's

I am just doing a direct link for forum users in the hope that maybe one of you will be inspired to do this rally and take me as a sidekick with local knowledge...

Well, pmac's building a rally car, and it'll need a shakedown.....

 

[pmac]

No worries, if you where the one behind the camera I was just going to ask if you could get some engine bay shots of the Z's



Well, pmac's building a rally car, and it'll need a shakedown.....

No need to mention that to Datsfun .. he already knows as does his good buddy out on the event ...Hatari

 

[datsfun]

OK chaps here is a picture treat...found these amazing pictures of the event so far..

 

[datsfun]

and some more..

 

[SeanDezart]

Can I ask a question please sir ?

Where are the Kronos racing Porsches placed - any incidents?

Lovely photos - merci bcp.

 

[datsfun]

Tomorrow the crews head up to central Kenya and higher altitude..some of us here will be hoping for a mini-miracle that leading porsche loses its advantage and Mr Bell takes advantage..

Remember what I said last night....looks like Z folk were busy praying last night

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 Bjorn and Mathias Waldegård moved down to second place overall after a collision with a truck that was stuck in a mud hole right at the end of the second section. “We saw the truck but I took the wrong side despite what my navigator told me,” said Waldegård. “The wheels got stuck in a rut and I couldn’t get them out so we clipped the corner of the lorry on the right hand side. It’s not easy to make a clean Safari even for an old fox!” The Porsche 911’s roll cage was badly damaged which meant it had to be fixed en route to the third section and they incurred 41 minutes as road penalties. This has put Geoff Bell and Tim Challen into the lead in their Datsun 260Z by six and a half minutes. Bell, who had been setting excellent times all day, was elated when he arrived at Naivasha. “I’m just glad Bjorn and Mathias are not hurt,” he said. “But I do think perhaps we should stop the rally here!! Unfortunately I think the legend will be back tomorrow.” The Porsche 911 of Gérard Marcy and Stéphane Prévot has moved into third place as Steven Funk and Andrew Doig must have had some problems in the final section.
Drama started early on the sixth day of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic rally. Half-way through the first section, in almost biblical fashion, a flash flood inundated a river crossing, just after the first ten cars had passed through. The rest of the competitors were then left stranded on the other side and had to be re-routed to the start of the second section at Kajiado. Unfortunately the third-placed Porsche 911 of Steven Funk passed the first river crossing only to find a flash flood in a second river, leaving them stranded between the two until the water subsided. Behind them, Alastair Cavenagh and Frank Tundo were the last car into the first river but their Ford Escort was stuck for some time before joining Funk. It was a real “tale of two rivers”. Even more stranded were the crew of Simon Tysoe and Imran Khan: when co-driver Khan went to test the depth of the water, a flash flood approached causing him to flee to the opposite bank leaving Tysoe and the Ford Escort on the other side of the river. Many of the later crews got stuck in mud at the beginning of the first section but then took the re-route from the river, whilst the last few crews didn’t start the section and went straight to the second section at Kajiado.
Out of those who completed the first section Stig Blomqvist and Ana Goni set fastest time by over two and a half minutes in their Ford Escort and the crew that had been battling with Waldegård for the lead on the second day, Grégoire de Mévius and Alain Guehennec, set second fastest time in their Porsche 911. Third fastest on this section was the second-placed overall Datsun 260Z of Geoff Bell who was already closing the gap on the rally leader. Waldegård was over eight minutes slower than the fastest time set on this section by his fellow Swede Blomqvist. Meanwhile current Kenyan Rally Champion Ian Duncan and co-driver Amaar Slatch got stuck earlier in the section and lost a lot of time but made it through the section. “We got stuck for about ten minutes but the river crossing later on wasn’t a problem when we went through.” Apart from the ten crews that managed to pass the river crossings, the rest of the crews were given a notional time for the section.
The second section was relatively short for the Safari at just under 50 km but was wet and slippery in places. Bell set the fastest time with Blomqvist over a minute behind and Waldegård setting third fastest time for this section, despite his incident with the truck. Due to the earlier problems with the floods on the first section there was a regroup at Whistling Thorns where Waldegård’s rollcage was deemed unsafe by chief scrutineer Karl-Heinz Goldstein. Since the holding area is parc fermé no work could be done on the car until it was back on the road section, which is where Waldegård incurred his penalties.
The final Suswa section of the day was a classic Safari stage that goes over “God’s bridge”, which is a very narrow man made passage with thousand-metre drops either side. Waldegård was clearly driving hard to make up time, setting fastest time by a minute and a half from de Mévius whilst Duncan took third fastest. Unfortunately Funk had problems on this section and slipped down to fifth place behind Marcy and Blomqvist.
Although the Porsche 911 of de Mévius hit problems on the fourth day, dropping down the field from second to fifteenth position, they have now climbed up to ninth overall, whilst the other two Kronos Vintage Porsches in the rally are doing well. Director of Kronos Vintage Jean-Pierre Mondron with co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul are lying in seventh place overall behind Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander in their Datsun 260Z in sixth, whilst Phillipe Vandromme and Frédéric Vivier are in eighth place overall. Making up the top ten behind the three Kronos Vintage Porsches in tenth place overall are John Lloyd and Adrian Cavenagh in their Ford Escort who moved up one place today.
Once again the Safari has sprung another surprise on its competitors and there are still another three days to go. With some hard and rough roads around Lake Baringo tomorrow there could be yet another change of fortunes to come.
Day 6. NAIVASHA – SOPA LODGE
Corrigendum 1: Since the last press release for day 6 the stewards have decided to give those who didn’t complete the first section of the day a different notional time. This does not affect the positions of the top ten but it does change their overall times. The latest results are attached.
Corrigendum 2: Keen followers of Kenyan geography will have noticed that in our earlier story today we placed the infamous ridge known as 'God's Bridge' in the middle of the Suswa section and exactly one day before the competitors tackle it as part of CS 18, the Fluorspar section. We are sorry for that and can only blame that time traveller who keeps popping into the Press Office !
QUOTES FROM THE CREWS
1 Ian Duncan / Amaar Slatch (Ford Capri)
“We got stuck in a mud hole at the start of the first section and lost about ten minutes but when we went through the river there was no problem.”
2 Gérard Marcy / Stephane Prévot (Porsche 911)
“We had a difficult day. The first section was okay and we just took it slowly, slowly. In the second section we got stuck behind Perez for quite some time and the third section was okay.”
3 Grégoire de Mévius / Alain Guehennec (Porsche 911)
“We had a good day and managed to get through the river in the first section. We passed Ian (Duncan) stuck in the mud and then at about 80 km into the section we started to catch Bjorn (Waldegård) and he let us go past near to the end. The second section was very slippery and fast and we were opening the road as we had nearly hit the truck that Bjorn hit and we went to left. The last section was nice – fast and rough. The car is going great – I love it!”
4 Bjorn Waldegård / Mathias Waldegård (Porsche 911)
“The first section was the most difficult Safari section I have ever seen. We were also first on the road, which made it even more difficult as we had no tracks to see. The second section was going fine then 500 metres before the time control there was a lorry stuck sideways in a mud hole. I could see it from a long distance and I could see Gregoire had gone on the left hand side. Then I did a stupid thing, even though Mathias said to go on the right hand side I went on the left hand side and got stuck in Gregoire’s tracks and couldn’t get out so we slid and clipped the corner of the lorry which hit the side of the car and damaged the roll cage. It’s not easy to make a clean Safari even for an old fox! We rebuilt the roll cage on the road section and I was a bit upset for the last section so I didn’t go slow but I didn’t go to the max either. And so the Safari starts again!”
5 Stig Blomqvist / Ana Goni (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“It was alright.”
After hearing he had set fastest time on the first section, Stig remarked: “I just wanted to get out of the bloody place.”
6 Steve Perez / Staffan Parmander (Datsun 260Z)
“It was as if we were in Wales today – we’ve had rain and fog so I feel really at home! On the second section we had a big spin and the back end got stuck so we couldn’t start it for a while as the exhaust was in the bank. We lost about six minutes and Marcy caught us.
7 Geoff Bell / Tim Challen (Datsun 260Z)
“I’m just glad Bjorn and Mathias are not hurt. But I really do think we should stop the rally here as unfortunately I think the legend will be back.”
8 Alastair Cavenagh / Carl Tundo (Ford Escort Mark 2)
After getting drowned in the river on the first section the Escort had water in the oil. The crew managed drain the oil and put new oil in but they stopped to check it at Kajiado and the car wouldn’t start so they came on a tow rope back to Naivasha.
9 Andrew Siddall / Mike Borissow (Datsun 260 Z)
“We’ve had a very stressful day – first a herd of giraffe crossed us and then a donkey! The river in the first section was easy to get through! It was just all the wimps that didn’t go through!”
10 John Lloyd / Adrian Cavenagh (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“I’m (expletives removed) tired! The day went fine and we had a clean run. The river in the first section was fine too so I hope we’ve pulled up some places.”
11 Aziz Tejpar / Andy Nagi (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Crap!!! We got to the river in the first section and had to turn back. It was a very interesting second section – a real car breaker!
12 Simon Tysoe / Imran Khan (Ford Escort Mark 1)
14 Steven Funk / Andrew Doig (Porsche 911)
“We got stuck between the two rivers on first section then we helped Alistair Cavenagh who was in the second river right up to the windows. Our car was literally carried over the river by 40 Masai and also towed by Cavenagh. Afterwards we lost about 15 minutes in the dust of slower cars and because of trucks.”
15 Jürgen Bertl / Bernhard Ettel (Porsche 911)
“Not such a good day. We broke something in the rear but not sure what it is yet. We broke the reverse gear in the mud and in the last section it was like we were driving through a river.”
17 Steve Troman / Michael Nutt (Porsche 911)
“We had a good day and turned back at the river in section one. However we made some silly mistakes when we were stuck for over 10 minutes about 100 meters from the flying finish.”
18 Aslam Khan / Arshad Khan (Porsche 911)
“It was very wet, very tough and very slippery! But we had a very good run! “
19 Jean-Pierre Mondron / Nicolas Gilsoul (Porsche 911)
“We’ve had a lot of water and it isn’t like the last Safari Classic in 2009. It’s so slippery it’s like driving on ice and difficult to keep the car on the road. I have to say I prefer the Safari in the hot dry weather.”
20 Louis Antonini / Pierre Antonini (Porsche 911)
21 Jayant Shah / Lofty Drews (Datsun 260 Z)
The 260Z ran a bearing in the clutch and replaced the clutch (again). The crew didn’t do any sections today and came straight to Naivasha.
22 Richard Jackson / Preston Ayres (Porsche 911)
23 Thierry de Latre de Bosqueau / Eric Werner (Porsche 911)
“Today was very, very wet and difficult and we had lots of problems. We got stuck in the black cotton on the first section, then our starter motor broke on the second section but we made it to service. And we had to push a cow off the road which just would not move. On the third section we went through a storm with fog, rain and mud.”
24 Patrick Njiru / Fabrizia Pons (Porsche 911)
“We started the rally 21st. It was SO SAFARI! It is very exciting and very good to be back after a 10 year break.”
25 Mark Bentley / Edward Bentley (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“It was interesting and wet. We got as far as the river in the first section and the second section was extremely slippery!”
26 Marzio Kravos / Renzo Bernardi (Mercedes 450 SLC)
“We got quite a bit of rain in the sections but nevertheless they were all good. The second section was very slippery. Things on this rally change every day.”
27 Rommy Bamrah / Harvey Jutley (Datsun 260Z)
“We are really freezing now. We broke a rear control arm on the last section and needed one and a half hour to fix it. Then the road turned into a river and we drove cross-country to get around it. It was a proper flash flood.”
28 Nick Mason / Alex Horsey (Datsun 260Z)
“We have never seen anything like this before. At the end of the third section the road turned into a river which just picked you up. The whole car was full of water, it even went over the roof. We just managed to make it. But it destroyed our head gasket.”
29 Albert Michiels / Patrick de Coninck (Porsche 911)
31 Jacques Walens / Thierry Lacroix (Porsche 911)
The car got stuck on the last section at the very end and the water was so deep it was coming in the windows. They were pulled out the section and phoned the service crew because the engine wasn’t working well. They managed to drive the car but got lost on the way back to Naivasha.
32 Kulwinder Sandhu / Harpal Singh Sudle (Datsun P710)
“In the last section we encountered a major storm after about 10 km but how we got out is beyond me! The damage done today is more than the previous four days put together!”
33 Richard Arrowsmith / Norris Midwood (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“We had a really good day. We didn’t make it through the river and the second section was very wet! The third section was even better! Just what we have paid money to do!”
From co-driver Norris: “I saw a snowy eagret, a grey and white falcon and plenty of sand grouse.”
34 Jac Nellemann / Joseph Huber (Porsche 911)
“The first section was closed before we went through and we expected to gain a few places but it didn’t happen! In the last section we cut a corner, hit stones and got a puncture! We’re surviving and looking forward to a cold beer!”
35 Minesh Rathod / Sachin Sumaria (Colt Lancer GSR)
“The water was about 50 cm high inside our car, you can feel how wet our seat is. We are now completely wet and freezing. And we did not have any windscreen wipers the whole day.”
36 Gunther Kronseder / Gerd Petzold (Mercedes 450SLC)
37 Phillipe Vandromme / Frederic Vivier (Porsche 911)
“That was a varied day! The first section was so wet and slippery it was like the Andros Trophy on the first section. The second section was like the Camel Trophy and the third was like Morocco.”
38 Jonathan Somen / Richard Hechle (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“A very interesting day with lots and lots of water and lots of mud. We did not complete the first section and the second section was super. On the third section we drove into a wall of water, which was a metre high. We had lots of fun. It was unbelievable.”
39 Ramesh Vishram / Atul Kochhar (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“Very very very wet!!!!!! We had no problems though.”
40 Arron Banks / Tim Chesser (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“That was wild! The road turned into a river a few kilometres from the end of the third section. For us it was the first day we have not crashed and the first day we have not been out of the car on the section!”
42 Josef Jobst / Uwe Kurtzenberger (Porsche 911)
“AMAZING! How did we get here?! The first two sections were ok, however in the last section we couldn’t see a meter ahead of us! We broke the front right arm. This rally is definitely an education!”