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East African Classic- 2011
- Thread starter datsfun
- Start date
datsfun
Club Member
Todays ramblings...
VOI – WILDLIFE LODGE – QUOTES FROM THE CREWS
1 Ian Duncan / Amaar Slatch (Ford Capri)
“It was just a stupid little mud hole in the last section. We went past Gregoire (de Mevius) who had ripped off a wheel and got stuck sideways. The other sections were rough and horrible – I’m looking forward to a rest at the coast.”
2 Gérard Marcy / Stéphane Prévot (Porsche 911)
“We were stuck for at least fifteen minutes in a mud hole in the first section. Waldegard managed to jump over but he was going very fast. We put the brakes on and then got stuck.”
3 Grégoire de Mévius / Alain Guehennec (Porsche 911)
“We were going well until 6 km into the last section when I hit a big stone as if I was driving like a beginner. The rim was bent and broken and we fixed it with a ratchet so we could just drive out slowly but the front wheels were facing outwards. We found Duncan was stuck in a mud hole and we tried to pass him but the repairs we had done failed and the wheel came off. Then all the other crews came and eventually we were towed out and put the wheel on again, fixing it with a rope around the shock and onto the suspension and drove it to the rest halt at 50 kph. So I think we will have lost a lot of time.”
4 Bjorn Waldegård / Mathias Waldegård (Porsche 911)
“Today was very good. I went to fast in the first section – I know the section and I like it and I also like a small attack in the morning but I went too fast. We hit a drift hard at one point. In the second section we got a front puncture. I had hoped to do the whole rally without a puncture but that’s not possible on the Safari. In the last section we drove through the mudhole – it was about 50 m long and I thought this would be a close one. Tomorrow is another Safari day and I’ll drive it like one.”
5 Stig Blomqvist / Ana Goni (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“It’s been okay today with no drama. The car has been working perfectly at last and the clutch is okay. We will see how we have done today but we still have a day to go.”
6 Steve Perez / Staffan Parmander (Datsun 260Z)
“It was a tough day. In the first section we had no problems but we broke the front suspension on the third section. We caught Stig and were in his dust and hit something and then had to limp out of the section. In the last section we got stuck in that mud hole with several others.”
7 Geoff Bell / Tim Challen (Datsun 260Z)
“That first section was hard and rocky and in the third section we had a puncture. It was a slow change because the jack gun was flat. In the last section we tried to go around the mud hole and then a 4x4 pulled us out. After that I drove with anger which was excellent fun but tomorrow I’m going to be very, very cautious.”
9 Andrew Siddall / Mike Borissow (Datsun 260 Z)
10 John Lloyd / Adrian Cavenagh (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“It was a **** day. We blew the clutch on the second section and then the new clutch didn’t work for the last section. We perted around the mud hole for about 5 km.”
11 Aziz Tejpar / Andy Nagi (Ford Escort Mark 1)
12 Simon Tysoe / Imran Khan (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“We had to be towed into service after our car cut out at the time control after the last section. On the stage we went into a massive culvert and thought we had damaged the suspension. Then we limped to the finish where the engine stalled and would not start again.”
14 Steven Funk / Andrew Doig (Porsche 911)
“We had a wonderful run and the car held together all day. It was even nice to me when I started to beat her up a bit. On the last section we gambled and went through the bush to avoid the mud hole.”
15 Jürgen Bertl / Bernhard Ettel (Porsche 911)
“The traffic on the main road was just crazy. We were overtaking everywhere, on the left and on the right. On the long section we broke the rear left shock after just 20 km and had to make 80 km without it. But we made it.”
17 Steve Troman / Michael Nutt (Porsche 911)
“Not a very good day. We broke a steering arm, got stuck in the mud and then perted round the mud and got lost for ten minutes. The last section was very nice, though. We are looking forward to the finish.”
18 Aslam Khan / Arshad Khan (Porsche 911)
“We had a very clean and very nice day. Now we only want a day like this tomorrow. We thought we would get stuck in the mud hole on the last section but we did not. We did not get stuck at all today.”
19 Jean-Pierre Mondron / Nicolas Gilsoul (Porsche 911)
Co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul: “The first three sections were quite good, nothing special. On the last one we had a big misunderstanding with a girl from the organization at the mud hole. We went into a dead end road and lost 15 minutes.”
20 Louis Antonini / Pierre Antonini (Porsche 911)
21 Jayant Shah / Lofty Drews (Datsun 260 Z)
22 Richard Jackson / Preston Ayres (Porsche 911)
“Section three was very rough. Sometimes we were not quite sure if we were ionn the right road. We got stuck in that hole in the last one. Today was still better than the last days. But we are here and still running.”
23 Thierry de Latre de Bosqueau / Eric Werner (Porsche 911)
“Today went very well. As a driver I enjoyed the spectator stage very much. The third section was very rough. We got stuck but we were lucky because we were towed out by a 4x4 immediately.”
24 Patrick Njiru / Fabrizia Pons (Porsche 911)
25 Mark Bentley / Edward Bentley (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Sadly we missed the first section because the car would not start. It was a distributor problem. After that, the Mercedes got stuck in the mud in front of us and we were perted. I am not sure if that was the right decision. Anyway, we are still here.”
26 Marzio Kravos / Renzo Bernardi (Mercedes 450 SLC)
“Today was fine. We got slightly stuck in the last section. We took it slowly and now we just want to make it to the end. We are not fighting for a position so we take it easy.”
27 Rommy Bamrah / Harvey Jutley (Datsun 260Z)
“We nearly made it through the mud on the last section but we stopped 3 metres from the end. On section one we broke the rear control arm and had to change it in the stage. Now we are very thirsty.
28 Nick Mason / Alex Horsey (Datsun 260Z)
29 Albert Michiels / Patrick de Coninck (Porsche 911)
“A good day. We did not have any problems. We only got towed through the mud.”
31 Jacques Walens / Thierry Lacroix (Porsche 911)
32 Kulwinder Sandhu / Harpal Singh Sudle (Datsun P710)
“The first three sections were very good but the last one was a mess. Marzio (Kravos) spun in the mud and blocked the whole road. We perted and let car 25 (Bentley brothers) past and then drove in their dust.”
33 Richard Arrowsmith / Norris Midwood (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“The first section was good and the third one was very rough, for the car it was the hardest section of the rally so far. The last one was nice but we were in the dust of other cars.”
Co-driver Norris Midwood’s daily bird report: “We saw pelican, ibis, Egyptian geese and shrike today.”
34 Jac Nellemann / Joseph Huber (Porsche 911)
“We made it back to service again and it was a long day again. I do not know what was more difficult today – the competitive sections or the traffic on the main road. Section three was very rough, there were really big washaways on the road. It was a true Safari day.”
35 Minesh Rathod / Sachin Sumaria (Colt Lancer GSR)
“We had a lovely day. We broke the clutch cable before the start of the last section but we changed it and maybe lost a few minutes. We got stuck on the last section but were towed out and didn’t have to wait for long.”
37 Phillipe Vandromme / Frederic Vivier (Porsche 911)
“Today was OK, we had no problems. The last stage was like a WRC stage, very nice.”
Co-driver Frederic Vivier added: “And the navigation was very good today.”
38 Jonathan Somen / Richard Hechle (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“The car is here in one piece, that’s the main thing. It is only our third rally and our learning curve is steep. Today was a good day. It was great fun apart from the long middle section.”
Co-driver Richard Hechle added: “The last section was the best stage for me in the rally. The light was beautiful. Glorious!”
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)
“We had a busy day. We were one of the cars to do the last section yesterday so we were busy in service last night. I had to be careful not to fall asleep on the road section today. We wanted to go carefully because we want to see Mombasa tomorrow but we had one special moment in the last section when we were going much too fast over a narrow bridge and hit a drift. It was a happy moment though because it was a lucky moment and everything was okay. At the beginning of the rally we were having bad moments but now we are having more lucky moments.”
43 Peter Stoehr / Crispin Sassoon (Datsun 1600SSS)
“We had a funny experience on section three when a motorbike driver came from the opposite direction and despite seeing us for a while made a somersault forward when he wanted to get around us. And he was even smiling. It felt like being in a circus. After two bad days we had fun again.”
44 Kurt A Engelhorn / Johan Nel (Ford Escort Mark 1)
45 Franz Wunderlich / Klaus-Peter Kristek (Porsche 911 )
“In the last section we must have been stuck for 50 minutes behind the Porsche 911 of de Mevius. I think the first and second sections were okay but it was so long ago it’s difficult to remember. I think tomorrow will be a good day.”
46 Jean-Michel Martin / Ronain Martin (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“We had a nice day but a long day. I think it’s the same for everybody. On the short spectator section my door opened so I had to hold onto it when I was driving and trying to steer so the co-driver changed the gears. Then we went through some mud and since yesterday the wipers weren’t working so I was operating them manually. But as I was keeping the door closed with one hand and steering with the other there were no spare hands left! It was like a comedy.”
47 Bernhard Kessel / Ronny Kessel (Porsche 911)
The crew did not start today.
48 Paolo Faldini / Nicolas Beech (Porsche 911)
51 Samira Khan / Anita Irwin (Ford Escort Mark 1)
52 Quentin Savage / Russell Savage (Datsun 180B)
VOI – WILDLIFE LODGE – QUOTES FROM THE CREWS
1 Ian Duncan / Amaar Slatch (Ford Capri)
“It was just a stupid little mud hole in the last section. We went past Gregoire (de Mevius) who had ripped off a wheel and got stuck sideways. The other sections were rough and horrible – I’m looking forward to a rest at the coast.”
2 Gérard Marcy / Stéphane Prévot (Porsche 911)
“We were stuck for at least fifteen minutes in a mud hole in the first section. Waldegard managed to jump over but he was going very fast. We put the brakes on and then got stuck.”
3 Grégoire de Mévius / Alain Guehennec (Porsche 911)
“We were going well until 6 km into the last section when I hit a big stone as if I was driving like a beginner. The rim was bent and broken and we fixed it with a ratchet so we could just drive out slowly but the front wheels were facing outwards. We found Duncan was stuck in a mud hole and we tried to pass him but the repairs we had done failed and the wheel came off. Then all the other crews came and eventually we were towed out and put the wheel on again, fixing it with a rope around the shock and onto the suspension and drove it to the rest halt at 50 kph. So I think we will have lost a lot of time.”
4 Bjorn Waldegård / Mathias Waldegård (Porsche 911)
“Today was very good. I went to fast in the first section – I know the section and I like it and I also like a small attack in the morning but I went too fast. We hit a drift hard at one point. In the second section we got a front puncture. I had hoped to do the whole rally without a puncture but that’s not possible on the Safari. In the last section we drove through the mudhole – it was about 50 m long and I thought this would be a close one. Tomorrow is another Safari day and I’ll drive it like one.”
5 Stig Blomqvist / Ana Goni (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“It’s been okay today with no drama. The car has been working perfectly at last and the clutch is okay. We will see how we have done today but we still have a day to go.”
6 Steve Perez / Staffan Parmander (Datsun 260Z)
“It was a tough day. In the first section we had no problems but we broke the front suspension on the third section. We caught Stig and were in his dust and hit something and then had to limp out of the section. In the last section we got stuck in that mud hole with several others.”
7 Geoff Bell / Tim Challen (Datsun 260Z)
“That first section was hard and rocky and in the third section we had a puncture. It was a slow change because the jack gun was flat. In the last section we tried to go around the mud hole and then a 4x4 pulled us out. After that I drove with anger which was excellent fun but tomorrow I’m going to be very, very cautious.”
9 Andrew Siddall / Mike Borissow (Datsun 260 Z)
10 John Lloyd / Adrian Cavenagh (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“It was a **** day. We blew the clutch on the second section and then the new clutch didn’t work for the last section. We perted around the mud hole for about 5 km.”
11 Aziz Tejpar / Andy Nagi (Ford Escort Mark 1)
12 Simon Tysoe / Imran Khan (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“We had to be towed into service after our car cut out at the time control after the last section. On the stage we went into a massive culvert and thought we had damaged the suspension. Then we limped to the finish where the engine stalled and would not start again.”
14 Steven Funk / Andrew Doig (Porsche 911)
“We had a wonderful run and the car held together all day. It was even nice to me when I started to beat her up a bit. On the last section we gambled and went through the bush to avoid the mud hole.”
15 Jürgen Bertl / Bernhard Ettel (Porsche 911)
“The traffic on the main road was just crazy. We were overtaking everywhere, on the left and on the right. On the long section we broke the rear left shock after just 20 km and had to make 80 km without it. But we made it.”
17 Steve Troman / Michael Nutt (Porsche 911)
“Not a very good day. We broke a steering arm, got stuck in the mud and then perted round the mud and got lost for ten minutes. The last section was very nice, though. We are looking forward to the finish.”
18 Aslam Khan / Arshad Khan (Porsche 911)
“We had a very clean and very nice day. Now we only want a day like this tomorrow. We thought we would get stuck in the mud hole on the last section but we did not. We did not get stuck at all today.”
19 Jean-Pierre Mondron / Nicolas Gilsoul (Porsche 911)
Co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul: “The first three sections were quite good, nothing special. On the last one we had a big misunderstanding with a girl from the organization at the mud hole. We went into a dead end road and lost 15 minutes.”
20 Louis Antonini / Pierre Antonini (Porsche 911)
21 Jayant Shah / Lofty Drews (Datsun 260 Z)
22 Richard Jackson / Preston Ayres (Porsche 911)
“Section three was very rough. Sometimes we were not quite sure if we were ionn the right road. We got stuck in that hole in the last one. Today was still better than the last days. But we are here and still running.”
23 Thierry de Latre de Bosqueau / Eric Werner (Porsche 911)
“Today went very well. As a driver I enjoyed the spectator stage very much. The third section was very rough. We got stuck but we were lucky because we were towed out by a 4x4 immediately.”
24 Patrick Njiru / Fabrizia Pons (Porsche 911)
25 Mark Bentley / Edward Bentley (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Sadly we missed the first section because the car would not start. It was a distributor problem. After that, the Mercedes got stuck in the mud in front of us and we were perted. I am not sure if that was the right decision. Anyway, we are still here.”
26 Marzio Kravos / Renzo Bernardi (Mercedes 450 SLC)
“Today was fine. We got slightly stuck in the last section. We took it slowly and now we just want to make it to the end. We are not fighting for a position so we take it easy.”
27 Rommy Bamrah / Harvey Jutley (Datsun 260Z)
“We nearly made it through the mud on the last section but we stopped 3 metres from the end. On section one we broke the rear control arm and had to change it in the stage. Now we are very thirsty.
28 Nick Mason / Alex Horsey (Datsun 260Z)
29 Albert Michiels / Patrick de Coninck (Porsche 911)
“A good day. We did not have any problems. We only got towed through the mud.”
31 Jacques Walens / Thierry Lacroix (Porsche 911)
32 Kulwinder Sandhu / Harpal Singh Sudle (Datsun P710)
“The first three sections were very good but the last one was a mess. Marzio (Kravos) spun in the mud and blocked the whole road. We perted and let car 25 (Bentley brothers) past and then drove in their dust.”
33 Richard Arrowsmith / Norris Midwood (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“The first section was good and the third one was very rough, for the car it was the hardest section of the rally so far. The last one was nice but we were in the dust of other cars.”
Co-driver Norris Midwood’s daily bird report: “We saw pelican, ibis, Egyptian geese and shrike today.”
34 Jac Nellemann / Joseph Huber (Porsche 911)
“We made it back to service again and it was a long day again. I do not know what was more difficult today – the competitive sections or the traffic on the main road. Section three was very rough, there were really big washaways on the road. It was a true Safari day.”
35 Minesh Rathod / Sachin Sumaria (Colt Lancer GSR)
“We had a lovely day. We broke the clutch cable before the start of the last section but we changed it and maybe lost a few minutes. We got stuck on the last section but were towed out and didn’t have to wait for long.”
37 Phillipe Vandromme / Frederic Vivier (Porsche 911)
“Today was OK, we had no problems. The last stage was like a WRC stage, very nice.”
Co-driver Frederic Vivier added: “And the navigation was very good today.”
38 Jonathan Somen / Richard Hechle (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“The car is here in one piece, that’s the main thing. It is only our third rally and our learning curve is steep. Today was a good day. It was great fun apart from the long middle section.”
Co-driver Richard Hechle added: “The last section was the best stage for me in the rally. The light was beautiful. Glorious!”
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)
“We had a busy day. We were one of the cars to do the last section yesterday so we were busy in service last night. I had to be careful not to fall asleep on the road section today. We wanted to go carefully because we want to see Mombasa tomorrow but we had one special moment in the last section when we were going much too fast over a narrow bridge and hit a drift. It was a happy moment though because it was a lucky moment and everything was okay. At the beginning of the rally we were having bad moments but now we are having more lucky moments.”
43 Peter Stoehr / Crispin Sassoon (Datsun 1600SSS)
“We had a funny experience on section three when a motorbike driver came from the opposite direction and despite seeing us for a while made a somersault forward when he wanted to get around us. And he was even smiling. It felt like being in a circus. After two bad days we had fun again.”
44 Kurt A Engelhorn / Johan Nel (Ford Escort Mark 1)
45 Franz Wunderlich / Klaus-Peter Kristek (Porsche 911 )
“In the last section we must have been stuck for 50 minutes behind the Porsche 911 of de Mevius. I think the first and second sections were okay but it was so long ago it’s difficult to remember. I think tomorrow will be a good day.”
46 Jean-Michel Martin / Ronain Martin (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“We had a nice day but a long day. I think it’s the same for everybody. On the short spectator section my door opened so I had to hold onto it when I was driving and trying to steer so the co-driver changed the gears. Then we went through some mud and since yesterday the wipers weren’t working so I was operating them manually. But as I was keeping the door closed with one hand and steering with the other there were no spare hands left! It was like a comedy.”
47 Bernhard Kessel / Ronny Kessel (Porsche 911)
The crew did not start today.
48 Paolo Faldini / Nicolas Beech (Porsche 911)
51 Samira Khan / Anita Irwin (Ford Escort Mark 1)
52 Quentin Savage / Russell Savage (Datsun 180B)
Nigel Brook
Well-Known Forum User
and here is Hatari...may bring back memories for Nigel?
Close, but mine was a 2door SSS. Became a rally car after around 3 years on the road. Very strong, ideal for a safari car. I think it was called the "Bomber" by Datsun Team Europe at the timm.
datsfun
Club Member
Right, I am hacked off now, I can no longer rip into my porsche owning friends...
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. Out of the forty-six crews that started the rally nine days ago, forty-three crews set off from Voi this morning for the final day of competition. This is an impressive number of survivors on this epic event that combines endurance with high speed competition over some of the toughest terrain and through some of the toughest conditions.
Bjorn and Mathias Waldegård, who were leading the event yesterday by twenty-four minutes, took it cautiously all day in their Porsche 911, setting respectable times but by no means the fastest. “It was a cruising day today,” said Waldegård. “And we didn’t put in an attack. I’m very glad to be here and very, very glad to have won the rally. Mathias has done an absolutely brilliant job and done everything 100 %.” Second-placed crew Geoff Bell and Tim Challen were also taking things easy in their Datsun 260Z but still suffered two punctures in the last section. “We had two punctures only 400 metres apart from each other,” said Bell. “And we managed to bend a rim. I’m very glad to be here. We’ve been taking it easy today but maybe that was problem!” Third placed Stig Blomqvist and Ana Goni also decided not to push too hard in their Ford Escort. “It’s been a really hard rally this year,” said Blomqvist. “But that’s the way it is on the Safari.”
As the cars went over the ramp at the Sarova Whitesands hotel in Mombasa there had been no change in the top three from yesterday. After an impressive battle with several top crews Waldegård was the overall winner by thirty-five minutes from Bell. This is the first Porsche victory on the Safari rally. Third place overall went to Blomqvist who, despite hitting major problems with a broken axle on the first day, had climbed up from thirty-first position and was forty-one minutes behind Bell. Considering that the majority of the cars in the rally were Porsche 911s, the final 1-2-3 of a Porsche 911, a Datsun 260Z and a Ford Escort provided a nice persity.
On the first 27 km section in the Taita foothills Gérard Marcy and Stéphane Prévot set fastest time by only five seconds from Steven Funk and Andrew Doig in another Porsche 911, while third fastest time went to Ian Duncan and Amaar Slaatch in their Ford Capri. Waldegård set only twelfth fastest but with, twenty-four minutes in hand over Bell, it was clear that the former World Rally Champion had a safe steady finish in his sights. The other former World Rally Champion on the event, Stig Blomqvist, had problems on the road section when the engine cut out but, having changed the coil, the car continued.
The second section of the day was the rally’s first section in reverse with a small twist in the centre. Funk was clearly getting into his stride on this fast open section, setting quickest time by over half a minute from Duncan, while Perez, who also went well in the first section, set third fastest. Waldegård set eighth fastest time and his lead over Bell had now been diminished to twenty-two minutes but, with only 45 competitive kilometres and the road section back to Mombasa left to go, the Swedish crew clearly didn’t want to take any risks.
However the last section was not without its problems. Second overall crew Geoff Bell and Tim Challen hit problems in their Datsun 260Z when they had two punctures in quick succession and bent a rim, losing at least ten minutes. Fortunately for Bell he had a substantial lead over third placed Blomqvist and managed to maintain his second place overall, putting him between two former World Rally Champions on the podium which is no mean feat! This meant that Waldegård’s lead extended to thirty-five minutes over Bell, whilst the gap between second placed Bell and third placed Blomqvist was reduced to just under forty-one minutes. Steve Troman and Michael Nutt set fastest time on this last section in their Porsche 911 with Marcy setting second fastest and Duncan setting third fastest. This meant the top three remained the same from yesterday, as did the top ten indicating that everyone was adopting a cautious approach to ensure a safe finish.
Multiple Safari competitor Marcy finished in fourth place in his Porsche 911, followed by Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander in their Datsun 260Z in fifth place. The Kick Energy rally team had battled through a fair amount of adversity from the offset and moved up an impressive 28 places from the first day when they were lying 33rd. Sixth place was taken by Steven Funk and Andrew Doig in their Porsche 911 who had put in a reliable performance throughout the rally and set their first fastest time on today’s second section.
Current Kenyan Rally Champion Ian Duncan finished in seventh place alongside co-driver Amaar Slatch. The Ford Capri crew were in the top three for the first part of the rally but dropped down to 22nd place due to mechanical problems on the third day but managed to pull up to seventh place overall. Having driven a consistent rally, the Kronos Vintage Porsche 911 crew of Jean-Pierre Mondron and Nicolas Gilsoul finished in eighth place whilst John Lloyd and Adrian Cavenagh were in ninth place. A keen fan of the Safari principles of rallying, Lloyd has promised that this WILL be his last Safari but only time will tell. Making up the top ten was another Kronos Vintage Porsche 911 crew in the hands of Philippe Vandromme and Frédéric Vivier, whilst a third Kronos Vintage Porsche was eleventh in the hands of Grégoire de Mévius and Alain Guehennec. De Mévius, who is a former Production Car World Rally Champion, led the rally on the second day but broke his suspension on the fourth day and dropped down to 15th place. At the beginning of yesterday he had pulled up to sixth place but then dropped down to 13th after hitting a rock and then losing a wheel in a mud hole in yesterday’s final section.
Although getting on the podium of this remarkable event is an incredible achievement so too is making the finishers’ ramps, which was clear by the huge smiles on each and every one of the crews that finished today. Indeed, it’s difficult to find words to describe the experience of competing on this event but, one thing’s for sure, it’s definitely addictive.
MOMBASA – SAROVA WHITESANDS – QUOTES FROM THE CREWS AT THE END OF THE EAST AFRICAN SAFARI CLASSIC RALLY
1 Ian Duncan / Amaar Slatch (Ford Capri)
“Today was okay but it was a shame we couldn’t do another section rather than coming in with all that traffic on the Mombasa road. We’ve had fun racing with Steven (Funk) today and everyone seems happy with the rally.”
2 Gérard Marcy / Stéphane Prévot (Porsche 911)
“I enjoyed today and was pushing a little bit but the engine got very hot in the second section so we didn’t go too fast that section. I’m here and that’s very nice.”
3 Grégoire de Mévius / Alain Guehennec (Porsche 911)
“We went gently today. We caught up two cars and are in eleventh place overall. This rally is really something special and much tougher than I thought, especially for a classic car rally. And from what I heard it was especially tough this year.”
4 Bjorn Waldegård / Mathias Waldegård (Porsche 911)
“We had a cruising day today and some of the sections were rough like hell so we didn’t put in an attack. I’m very glad to be here and very, very glad to have won the rally. Mathias has done an absolutely brilliant job. He was very good in 2007 but he has got even better and done everything 100 %. He has set quite a record on the Safari, winning both times he has competed in 2007 and 2011.”
5 Stig Blomqvist / Ana Goni (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“It has been a really hard rally this time but that’s the way it is. On the road to the first section the engine stopped and we still had problems with the ignition in the first section.”
6 Steve Perez / Staffan Parmander (Datsun 260Z)
“We made it! We pushed a bit today because we thought we had nothing to lose. We caught Marcy on one section and got caught in his dust and we caught Geoff (Bell) in the last section. We’ve had no problems today and no punctures for all of the rally. We were disappointed with what happened on the first day but we’ve managed to pull up. We’ve finished the whole rally and haven’t missed a section or a kilometre. It’s a great rally – I’ll definitely be back in 2013.”
7 Geoff Bell / Tim Challen (Datsun 260Z)
“That last one was a section from hell. We had two punctures only 400 metres apart. We changed one and then changed the other and then there was this terrible vibrating noise but we crawled through and realised we had bent a rim. I’m very glad to be here. We’ve been taking it easy today and maybe that was the problem!”
9 Andrew Siddall / Mike Borissow (Datsun 260 Z)
“On the first section the engine temperature went up and we lost water. Then on the second we had a driveshaft fail and were stranded as the spare did not fit. We had heard a bad noise at the right rear end since yesterday and now we know where it came from. But the third section was alright.”
10 John Lloyd / Adrian Cavenagh (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“We’re lucky to be here. The coil went in the last section and we had to change it. It’s been a lot tougher than I expected and that hour we spent in the river wasn’t too fun. Judging how I feel today this is definitely the last Safari I’ll do.”
11 Aziz Tejpar / Andy Nagi (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Today was a day from hell! On the second section after 44 kilometres the engine started overheating. We had to stop the engine for it to cool down and later stop three more times to get water again.”
14 Steven Funk / Andrew Doig (Porsche 911)
“There’s no comparison to when I competed last time. This is a great car and I’ve been competing against great cars. Ian (Duncan) and Bjorn (Waldegard) taught me so much. I’m just amazed that this little boy from Iowa can come sixth in this event - that go-karting I did when I was younger must have helped!”
15 Jürgen Bertl / Bernhard Ettel (Porsche 911)
“The first section was okay. On the second we first had a puncture after 30 km and then I was not concentrating and took a ditch flat out. We bent the rim which got stuck in the brake pad and destroyed the cross member. We fixed it with some tools from the locals. Now we are more than happy that we have crossed the ramp.”
17 Steve Troman / Michael Nutt (Porsche 911)
“Today was okay – we got lost in the second section and lost quite a lot of time. We had a quite a good run on the last section.”
18 Aslam Khan / Arshad Khan (Porsche 911)
“The car was fantastic but the notes for the second section were not great – a ditch came too early and my nephew crashed behind us. This is our second best position on the event but this year the rally and the car I’m driving are much, much quicker. The only big problem we had was getting stuck in a river for one and a half hours but we have been climbing up the field. I’m so happy that it’s over – it is a tough event.”
19 Jean-Pierre Mondron / Nicolas Gilsoul (Porsche 911)
“We had a pretty good day and we had to go very fast to protect our 8th place from John Lloyd. We were eighth last time in 2009 as well but this year the drivers and the cars were a lot better and the event was a lot harder. I’m very pleased with how the Kronos Vintage cars have gone and we were the first of the Kronos team.”
20 Louis Antonini / Pierre Antonini (Porsche 911)
“We are tired. Today we did all the sections, but before that we had lots of problems. Only the gearbox of the car behaved.”
21 Jayant Shah / Lofty Drews (Datsun 260 Z)
“I had a lot of pain in the last days because one of my fingers was broken during our roll in the first half of the rally. Today was fine, it was our best day of all.”
Co-driver Lofty Drews added: “The car is now almost ready!”
22 Richard Jackson / Preston Ayres (Porsche 911)
“The first section was fine but in the second we hit a washaway very hard and broke the steering rack and control arm. We went slowly to service and fixed it and had a reasonable run on the last section.”
23 Thierry de Latre de Bosqueau / Eric Werner (Porsche 911)
“Section two was very tough and the notes were very bad. There was a big jump and we saw it too late and put a dent in the bonnet. They were very nice sections today and a fantastic event. It lives up to its reputation as the longest and toughest!”
25 Mark Bentley / Edward Bentley (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“It is a shame we lost 40 minutes on the road due to a broken TCA. So we lost a couple of places again. But we are at the finish!”
26 Marzio Kravos / Renzo Bernardi (Mercedes 450 SLC)
“We had to weld the bottom of the spring and lost thirty minutes but this Mercedes has given us very few problems.”
27 Rommy Bamrah / Harvey Jutley (Datsun 260Z)
“Today was a disaster. We broke the rear arm again in the first section. They are supposed to be unbreakable but that is obviously not true. They will now go into the sea. But we are here and we will be back in 2013.”
28 Nick Mason / Alex Horsey (Datsun 260Z)
“The Safari is never, never predictable. Nothing prepares you for this and it is a proper event. It is THE event. We had a good day and were just cruising. It’s been very different from previous years.”
29 Albert Michiels / Patrick de Coninck (Porsche 911)
“A fantastic event! We are very happy. We had no problems today. This is my fifth Safari and the fourth for my co-driver. We know that it is not possible to have no problems on this event.”
31 Jacques Walens / Thierry Lacroix (Porsche 911)
The crew went over the ramp on a tow rope: “The petrol tank started leaking after the last section and the petrol was going underneath and onto the exhaust so it was too dangerous to continue. This was a big adventure – it was my first ever rally so it was a really big adventure! Thank you to everyone.”
32 Kulwinder Sandhu / Harpal Singh Sudle (Datsun P710)
“It was a good day. We took it easy like everybody to get it back in one piece. We are happy to be here and were trying to avoid drama.”
33 Richard Arrowsmith / Norris Midwood (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Apart from the second section we had a good day. Half way through we caught a Porsche 911 with a broken steering and we were trailing him to the finish and had to eat his dust. Otherwise I think we could have gone up a place.”
From co-driver, Norris Midwood: “The rally took over today so I didn’t see much wildlife – only a cockerel and a black hen!”
34 Jac Nellemann / Joseph Huber (Porsche 911)
“Today was super. Really nice. The last section had a bit of everything and after nine days you have a bit more confidence than before. It is hard to believe how quick the fastest drivers are.”
35 Minesh Rathod / Sachin Sumaria (Colt Lancer GSR)
“We had a lovely day although we lost the clutch in the last section and suffered some punctures. We were just taking it easy.”
37 Phillipe Vandromme / Frederic Vivier (Porsche 911)
“The tyre exploded 10 km before the end of the last section but we drove through and changed it afterwards. The rest of day we drove it cool. Tenth is a good position but amongst so many champions it is beautiful! We are very happy!”
38 Jonathan Somen / Richard Hechle (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“We’re happy and we had a great day with good times. The first section was quite good and we did the second section faster than when it was run on the first day. Great day, great rally, great fun!
From co-driver : “I’d like to do it all over again.”
39 Ramesh Vishram / Atul Kochhar (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“We have done everything in this Safari, we have rolled, we crashed into a zebra, we had the suspension collapse and we got stuck in the mud. So we are happy to be here. Now I don’t want to see the car for a couple of weeks.”
40 Arron Banks / Tim Chesser (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Today was really good. We saw a lot of wildlife including a snowy owl. It was our first ever rally and we started and finished every stage. The car was running well.”
42 Josef Jobst / Uwe Kurtzenberger (Porsche 911)
“The Safari is a great event. I like it very much, despite the mud. Today we damaged the suspension at the rear left corner in section two but got it fixed in time.”
Co-driver Uwe Kurzenberger added: “This is my third Safari as a co-driver and Josef was the fastest driver of all of them.”
43 Peter Stoehr / Crispin Sassoon (Datsun 1600SSS)
“On the second section today the rear differential was really hot. When we let the oil out, the bucket and the tarpaulin were melting because it was so hot. I thought we would not make it to the finish but we did.”
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. Out of the forty-six crews that started the rally nine days ago, forty-three crews set off from Voi this morning for the final day of competition. This is an impressive number of survivors on this epic event that combines endurance with high speed competition over some of the toughest terrain and through some of the toughest conditions.
Bjorn and Mathias Waldegård, who were leading the event yesterday by twenty-four minutes, took it cautiously all day in their Porsche 911, setting respectable times but by no means the fastest. “It was a cruising day today,” said Waldegård. “And we didn’t put in an attack. I’m very glad to be here and very, very glad to have won the rally. Mathias has done an absolutely brilliant job and done everything 100 %.” Second-placed crew Geoff Bell and Tim Challen were also taking things easy in their Datsun 260Z but still suffered two punctures in the last section. “We had two punctures only 400 metres apart from each other,” said Bell. “And we managed to bend a rim. I’m very glad to be here. We’ve been taking it easy today but maybe that was problem!” Third placed Stig Blomqvist and Ana Goni also decided not to push too hard in their Ford Escort. “It’s been a really hard rally this year,” said Blomqvist. “But that’s the way it is on the Safari.”
As the cars went over the ramp at the Sarova Whitesands hotel in Mombasa there had been no change in the top three from yesterday. After an impressive battle with several top crews Waldegård was the overall winner by thirty-five minutes from Bell. This is the first Porsche victory on the Safari rally. Third place overall went to Blomqvist who, despite hitting major problems with a broken axle on the first day, had climbed up from thirty-first position and was forty-one minutes behind Bell. Considering that the majority of the cars in the rally were Porsche 911s, the final 1-2-3 of a Porsche 911, a Datsun 260Z and a Ford Escort provided a nice persity.
On the first 27 km section in the Taita foothills Gérard Marcy and Stéphane Prévot set fastest time by only five seconds from Steven Funk and Andrew Doig in another Porsche 911, while third fastest time went to Ian Duncan and Amaar Slaatch in their Ford Capri. Waldegård set only twelfth fastest but with, twenty-four minutes in hand over Bell, it was clear that the former World Rally Champion had a safe steady finish in his sights. The other former World Rally Champion on the event, Stig Blomqvist, had problems on the road section when the engine cut out but, having changed the coil, the car continued.
The second section of the day was the rally’s first section in reverse with a small twist in the centre. Funk was clearly getting into his stride on this fast open section, setting quickest time by over half a minute from Duncan, while Perez, who also went well in the first section, set third fastest. Waldegård set eighth fastest time and his lead over Bell had now been diminished to twenty-two minutes but, with only 45 competitive kilometres and the road section back to Mombasa left to go, the Swedish crew clearly didn’t want to take any risks.
However the last section was not without its problems. Second overall crew Geoff Bell and Tim Challen hit problems in their Datsun 260Z when they had two punctures in quick succession and bent a rim, losing at least ten minutes. Fortunately for Bell he had a substantial lead over third placed Blomqvist and managed to maintain his second place overall, putting him between two former World Rally Champions on the podium which is no mean feat! This meant that Waldegård’s lead extended to thirty-five minutes over Bell, whilst the gap between second placed Bell and third placed Blomqvist was reduced to just under forty-one minutes. Steve Troman and Michael Nutt set fastest time on this last section in their Porsche 911 with Marcy setting second fastest and Duncan setting third fastest. This meant the top three remained the same from yesterday, as did the top ten indicating that everyone was adopting a cautious approach to ensure a safe finish.
Multiple Safari competitor Marcy finished in fourth place in his Porsche 911, followed by Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander in their Datsun 260Z in fifth place. The Kick Energy rally team had battled through a fair amount of adversity from the offset and moved up an impressive 28 places from the first day when they were lying 33rd. Sixth place was taken by Steven Funk and Andrew Doig in their Porsche 911 who had put in a reliable performance throughout the rally and set their first fastest time on today’s second section.
Current Kenyan Rally Champion Ian Duncan finished in seventh place alongside co-driver Amaar Slatch. The Ford Capri crew were in the top three for the first part of the rally but dropped down to 22nd place due to mechanical problems on the third day but managed to pull up to seventh place overall. Having driven a consistent rally, the Kronos Vintage Porsche 911 crew of Jean-Pierre Mondron and Nicolas Gilsoul finished in eighth place whilst John Lloyd and Adrian Cavenagh were in ninth place. A keen fan of the Safari principles of rallying, Lloyd has promised that this WILL be his last Safari but only time will tell. Making up the top ten was another Kronos Vintage Porsche 911 crew in the hands of Philippe Vandromme and Frédéric Vivier, whilst a third Kronos Vintage Porsche was eleventh in the hands of Grégoire de Mévius and Alain Guehennec. De Mévius, who is a former Production Car World Rally Champion, led the rally on the second day but broke his suspension on the fourth day and dropped down to 15th place. At the beginning of yesterday he had pulled up to sixth place but then dropped down to 13th after hitting a rock and then losing a wheel in a mud hole in yesterday’s final section.
Although getting on the podium of this remarkable event is an incredible achievement so too is making the finishers’ ramps, which was clear by the huge smiles on each and every one of the crews that finished today. Indeed, it’s difficult to find words to describe the experience of competing on this event but, one thing’s for sure, it’s definitely addictive.
MOMBASA – SAROVA WHITESANDS – QUOTES FROM THE CREWS AT THE END OF THE EAST AFRICAN SAFARI CLASSIC RALLY
1 Ian Duncan / Amaar Slatch (Ford Capri)
“Today was okay but it was a shame we couldn’t do another section rather than coming in with all that traffic on the Mombasa road. We’ve had fun racing with Steven (Funk) today and everyone seems happy with the rally.”
2 Gérard Marcy / Stéphane Prévot (Porsche 911)
“I enjoyed today and was pushing a little bit but the engine got very hot in the second section so we didn’t go too fast that section. I’m here and that’s very nice.”
3 Grégoire de Mévius / Alain Guehennec (Porsche 911)
“We went gently today. We caught up two cars and are in eleventh place overall. This rally is really something special and much tougher than I thought, especially for a classic car rally. And from what I heard it was especially tough this year.”
4 Bjorn Waldegård / Mathias Waldegård (Porsche 911)
“We had a cruising day today and some of the sections were rough like hell so we didn’t put in an attack. I’m very glad to be here and very, very glad to have won the rally. Mathias has done an absolutely brilliant job. He was very good in 2007 but he has got even better and done everything 100 %. He has set quite a record on the Safari, winning both times he has competed in 2007 and 2011.”
5 Stig Blomqvist / Ana Goni (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“It has been a really hard rally this time but that’s the way it is. On the road to the first section the engine stopped and we still had problems with the ignition in the first section.”
6 Steve Perez / Staffan Parmander (Datsun 260Z)
“We made it! We pushed a bit today because we thought we had nothing to lose. We caught Marcy on one section and got caught in his dust and we caught Geoff (Bell) in the last section. We’ve had no problems today and no punctures for all of the rally. We were disappointed with what happened on the first day but we’ve managed to pull up. We’ve finished the whole rally and haven’t missed a section or a kilometre. It’s a great rally – I’ll definitely be back in 2013.”
7 Geoff Bell / Tim Challen (Datsun 260Z)
“That last one was a section from hell. We had two punctures only 400 metres apart. We changed one and then changed the other and then there was this terrible vibrating noise but we crawled through and realised we had bent a rim. I’m very glad to be here. We’ve been taking it easy today and maybe that was the problem!”
9 Andrew Siddall / Mike Borissow (Datsun 260 Z)
“On the first section the engine temperature went up and we lost water. Then on the second we had a driveshaft fail and were stranded as the spare did not fit. We had heard a bad noise at the right rear end since yesterday and now we know where it came from. But the third section was alright.”
10 John Lloyd / Adrian Cavenagh (Ford Escort RS 1800)
“We’re lucky to be here. The coil went in the last section and we had to change it. It’s been a lot tougher than I expected and that hour we spent in the river wasn’t too fun. Judging how I feel today this is definitely the last Safari I’ll do.”
11 Aziz Tejpar / Andy Nagi (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Today was a day from hell! On the second section after 44 kilometres the engine started overheating. We had to stop the engine for it to cool down and later stop three more times to get water again.”
14 Steven Funk / Andrew Doig (Porsche 911)
“There’s no comparison to when I competed last time. This is a great car and I’ve been competing against great cars. Ian (Duncan) and Bjorn (Waldegard) taught me so much. I’m just amazed that this little boy from Iowa can come sixth in this event - that go-karting I did when I was younger must have helped!”
15 Jürgen Bertl / Bernhard Ettel (Porsche 911)
“The first section was okay. On the second we first had a puncture after 30 km and then I was not concentrating and took a ditch flat out. We bent the rim which got stuck in the brake pad and destroyed the cross member. We fixed it with some tools from the locals. Now we are more than happy that we have crossed the ramp.”
17 Steve Troman / Michael Nutt (Porsche 911)
“Today was okay – we got lost in the second section and lost quite a lot of time. We had a quite a good run on the last section.”
18 Aslam Khan / Arshad Khan (Porsche 911)
“The car was fantastic but the notes for the second section were not great – a ditch came too early and my nephew crashed behind us. This is our second best position on the event but this year the rally and the car I’m driving are much, much quicker. The only big problem we had was getting stuck in a river for one and a half hours but we have been climbing up the field. I’m so happy that it’s over – it is a tough event.”
19 Jean-Pierre Mondron / Nicolas Gilsoul (Porsche 911)
“We had a pretty good day and we had to go very fast to protect our 8th place from John Lloyd. We were eighth last time in 2009 as well but this year the drivers and the cars were a lot better and the event was a lot harder. I’m very pleased with how the Kronos Vintage cars have gone and we were the first of the Kronos team.”
20 Louis Antonini / Pierre Antonini (Porsche 911)
“We are tired. Today we did all the sections, but before that we had lots of problems. Only the gearbox of the car behaved.”
21 Jayant Shah / Lofty Drews (Datsun 260 Z)
“I had a lot of pain in the last days because one of my fingers was broken during our roll in the first half of the rally. Today was fine, it was our best day of all.”
Co-driver Lofty Drews added: “The car is now almost ready!”
22 Richard Jackson / Preston Ayres (Porsche 911)
“The first section was fine but in the second we hit a washaway very hard and broke the steering rack and control arm. We went slowly to service and fixed it and had a reasonable run on the last section.”
23 Thierry de Latre de Bosqueau / Eric Werner (Porsche 911)
“Section two was very tough and the notes were very bad. There was a big jump and we saw it too late and put a dent in the bonnet. They were very nice sections today and a fantastic event. It lives up to its reputation as the longest and toughest!”
25 Mark Bentley / Edward Bentley (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“It is a shame we lost 40 minutes on the road due to a broken TCA. So we lost a couple of places again. But we are at the finish!”
26 Marzio Kravos / Renzo Bernardi (Mercedes 450 SLC)
“We had to weld the bottom of the spring and lost thirty minutes but this Mercedes has given us very few problems.”
27 Rommy Bamrah / Harvey Jutley (Datsun 260Z)
“Today was a disaster. We broke the rear arm again in the first section. They are supposed to be unbreakable but that is obviously not true. They will now go into the sea. But we are here and we will be back in 2013.”
28 Nick Mason / Alex Horsey (Datsun 260Z)
“The Safari is never, never predictable. Nothing prepares you for this and it is a proper event. It is THE event. We had a good day and were just cruising. It’s been very different from previous years.”
29 Albert Michiels / Patrick de Coninck (Porsche 911)
“A fantastic event! We are very happy. We had no problems today. This is my fifth Safari and the fourth for my co-driver. We know that it is not possible to have no problems on this event.”
31 Jacques Walens / Thierry Lacroix (Porsche 911)
The crew went over the ramp on a tow rope: “The petrol tank started leaking after the last section and the petrol was going underneath and onto the exhaust so it was too dangerous to continue. This was a big adventure – it was my first ever rally so it was a really big adventure! Thank you to everyone.”
32 Kulwinder Sandhu / Harpal Singh Sudle (Datsun P710)
“It was a good day. We took it easy like everybody to get it back in one piece. We are happy to be here and were trying to avoid drama.”
33 Richard Arrowsmith / Norris Midwood (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Apart from the second section we had a good day. Half way through we caught a Porsche 911 with a broken steering and we were trailing him to the finish and had to eat his dust. Otherwise I think we could have gone up a place.”
From co-driver, Norris Midwood: “The rally took over today so I didn’t see much wildlife – only a cockerel and a black hen!”
34 Jac Nellemann / Joseph Huber (Porsche 911)
“Today was super. Really nice. The last section had a bit of everything and after nine days you have a bit more confidence than before. It is hard to believe how quick the fastest drivers are.”
35 Minesh Rathod / Sachin Sumaria (Colt Lancer GSR)
“We had a lovely day although we lost the clutch in the last section and suffered some punctures. We were just taking it easy.”
37 Phillipe Vandromme / Frederic Vivier (Porsche 911)
“The tyre exploded 10 km before the end of the last section but we drove through and changed it afterwards. The rest of day we drove it cool. Tenth is a good position but amongst so many champions it is beautiful! We are very happy!”
38 Jonathan Somen / Richard Hechle (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“We’re happy and we had a great day with good times. The first section was quite good and we did the second section faster than when it was run on the first day. Great day, great rally, great fun!
From co-driver : “I’d like to do it all over again.”
39 Ramesh Vishram / Atul Kochhar (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“We have done everything in this Safari, we have rolled, we crashed into a zebra, we had the suspension collapse and we got stuck in the mud. So we are happy to be here. Now I don’t want to see the car for a couple of weeks.”
40 Arron Banks / Tim Chesser (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“Today was really good. We saw a lot of wildlife including a snowy owl. It was our first ever rally and we started and finished every stage. The car was running well.”
42 Josef Jobst / Uwe Kurtzenberger (Porsche 911)
“The Safari is a great event. I like it very much, despite the mud. Today we damaged the suspension at the rear left corner in section two but got it fixed in time.”
Co-driver Uwe Kurzenberger added: “This is my third Safari as a co-driver and Josef was the fastest driver of all of them.”
43 Peter Stoehr / Crispin Sassoon (Datsun 1600SSS)
“On the second section today the rear differential was really hot. When we let the oil out, the bucket and the tarpaulin were melting because it was so hot. I thought we would not make it to the finish but we did.”
datsfun
Club Member
44 Kurt A Engelhorn / Johan Nel (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“We had a wonderful day, we really enjoyed it. It was our first Safari and we went as fast as we could. Our support group was very helpful.”
Co-driver Johan Nel added: “I did not have this much fun since I was a teenager. It was like a dream come true.”
45 Franz Wunderlich / Klaus-Peter Kristek (Porsche 911 )
“We broke two torsion bars today and drove one full section without one. We have collected 15 minutes of penalty but we are here.”
Co-driver Klaus-Peter Kristek added: “It feels like three times Christmas in one day.”
46 Jean-Michel Martin / Ronain Martin (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“No real problem today. Twenty seconds before the start the engine cut off and then started again ten seconds before the start. There was no problem in service and it was only when we were back in parc ferme that we realised the master switch was broken.”
47 Bernhard Kessel / Ronny Kessel (Porsche 911)
“The last two days we had problems with our clutch and did not do any driving. We wanted to improve on our position but now we are even further back. But still the event was super – except for the last two days.”
48 Paolo Faldini / Nicolas Beech (Porsche 911)
“Today was excellent. The last two days were very good. We set very fast section times and yesterday even came third once. I liked the rally very much. It was challenging, exciting with a lot of variety. Incredible!”
51 Samira Khan / Anita Irwin (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“We are fine. We had a problem with the clutch today and got a 20 minutes penalty. And the air scoop in the roof blew off – luckily it was only today. It is good to be here in the end and sad that the rally does not go on.”
52 Quentin Savage / Russell Savage (Datsun 180B)
“No problems today for a change. It was an excellent day and we had a lot of fun. The second section was really nice today.”
“We had a wonderful day, we really enjoyed it. It was our first Safari and we went as fast as we could. Our support group was very helpful.”
Co-driver Johan Nel added: “I did not have this much fun since I was a teenager. It was like a dream come true.”
45 Franz Wunderlich / Klaus-Peter Kristek (Porsche 911 )
“We broke two torsion bars today and drove one full section without one. We have collected 15 minutes of penalty but we are here.”
Co-driver Klaus-Peter Kristek added: “It feels like three times Christmas in one day.”
46 Jean-Michel Martin / Ronain Martin (Ford Escort Mark 2)
“No real problem today. Twenty seconds before the start the engine cut off and then started again ten seconds before the start. There was no problem in service and it was only when we were back in parc ferme that we realised the master switch was broken.”
47 Bernhard Kessel / Ronny Kessel (Porsche 911)
“The last two days we had problems with our clutch and did not do any driving. We wanted to improve on our position but now we are even further back. But still the event was super – except for the last two days.”
48 Paolo Faldini / Nicolas Beech (Porsche 911)
“Today was excellent. The last two days were very good. We set very fast section times and yesterday even came third once. I liked the rally very much. It was challenging, exciting with a lot of variety. Incredible!”
51 Samira Khan / Anita Irwin (Ford Escort Mark 1)
“We are fine. We had a problem with the clutch today and got a 20 minutes penalty. And the air scoop in the roof blew off – luckily it was only today. It is good to be here in the end and sad that the rally does not go on.”
52 Quentin Savage / Russell Savage (Datsun 180B)
“No problems today for a change. It was an excellent day and we had a lot of fun. The second section was really nice today.”
SeanDezart
Well-Known Forum User
Thanks mate for the coverage and :
Considering that the majority of the cars in the rally were Porsche 911s, the final 1-2-3 of a Porsche 911, a Datsun 260Z and a Ford Escort provided a nice persity.
Not bad considering !
Considering that the majority of the cars in the rally were Porsche 911s, the final 1-2-3 of a Porsche 911, a Datsun 260Z and a Ford Escort provided a nice persity.
Not bad considering !
Yes indeed. You make it all very easy by posting it on here.
Some stunning images.
Good to see this comment from Steve Perez(Team VK owner)
Its thanks to his deep pockets that the Zed has done so well
His continued involvement is good for lots of people further down the Zed food chain
datsfun
Club Member
some amazing pics of a days rallying in africa
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datsfun
Club Member
did someone say its wet in scotland and ireland
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datsfun
Club Member
few more...there is a samuri, merc, nice rear end in this selection
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datsfun
Club Member
I am aware that yours was a 2 door , just thought you may enjoy pictures of the 4 door version
And yep, Andy Dawson referred to it as the bomber. Anyone got a twin cam four pot L series lying in the garage?
datsfun
Club Member
Yes indeed. You make it all very easy by posting it on here.
Some stunning images.
Good to see this comment from Steve Perez(Team VK owner)
Its thanks to his deep pockets that the Zed has done so well
His continued involvement is good for lots of people further down the Zed food chain
Pete, I reckon he will be back all right, but in a porsche:lol: !!! He can affford to ignore the investment to date made in the Zed
Pete, I reckon he will be back all right, but in a porsche:lol: !!! He can affford to ignore the investment to date made in the Zed
well that just means there will be LOTS of spares available to buy back
If only he (mr Perez) knew it a small investment of say £20k would get his 260Z enough power to be as powerful as the porshes.
datsfun
Club Member
well that just means there will be LOTS of spares available to buy back
haha, always the businessman eh?
Hmm, I am not so sure you know. The Tuthill and Kronos Porsches are pushing 300+ brake and I am not convinced that the zeds can get to that level without compromsing torque and reliability....and we are not talking USA hp figures:lol:. The quickest zed IMHO was that built by Stewart Wilkins and driven by Rob Collinge a few years ago...
The Zed boys defo have to up their game (power wise) if they want to fight for podium positions
Great coverage for us Datsfun.
Is ultimate power really so important of this rally? I've not seen the stages so I can't comment either way.
It just seems to me that the way to do well is to have a strong reliable car, the ability to pace yourself to the conditions and to keep out of trouble. Yes I know that sounds easy.
I suppose it's accepted that competitiors and cars are not perfect so incidents will happen and so you need the speed to get between incidents quicker
.
Anyway I have lots of respect for all those taking part (including support crews).
Is ultimate power really so important of this rally? I've not seen the stages so I can't comment either way.
It just seems to me that the way to do well is to have a strong reliable car, the ability to pace yourself to the conditions and to keep out of trouble. Yes I know that sounds easy
.I suppose it's accepted that competitiors and cars are not perfect so incidents will happen and so you need the speed to get between incidents quicker
.Anyway I have lots of respect for all those taking part (including support crews).
Great coverage for us Datsfun.
Is ultimate power really so important of this rally? I've not seen the stages so I can't comment either way.
It just seems to me that the way to do well is to have a strong reliable car, the ability to pace yourself to the conditions and to keep out of trouble. Yes I know that sounds easy
I suppose it's accepted that competitiors and cars are not perfect so incidents will happen and so you need the speed to get between incidents quicker
Anyway I have lots of respect for all those taking part (including support crews).
Yes it is of VITAL importance. along with all the other attributes you have mentioned.
Dont forget driver skills too.
If you want to win.
If you just want to finish then ultimate power isnt quite so important.