Right, lets get to the bit that we all want to know...the 1200 did complete the days 3 competitive stages and has clocked in at the last service point; so it would seem the engine is coping with the abuse.
One more day and some 3 competitive sections. The rally cars at expected to reach Mombasa at 1500hrs, for the official finish. Lets hope this little gem does it.
BTW, the leader has 4 times the cubic capacity in his Mustang, when compared to the lill datsun
DAY 9 events
As the rally office for the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2009 was getting set up, news came in that Ian Duncan had set fastest time and taken a further four minutes from Björn Waldegård in the first competitive section outside Nairobi at Suswa. And then more news that Waldegård with his Porsche 911 had set fastest time on the second competitive section towards Emali to take a minute and a half back from the leading Ford Mustang. With one more competitive section at Ndi still to go before the cars arrive at the overnight halt at Taita Hills, the gap between Duncan and Waldegård is now seven minutes, fifty-two seconds. And third place man, Steve Perez in the leading Datsun 260Z is fifty-two minutes behind Waldegård and almost half an hour ahead of Gerard Marcy in fourth place with another Porsche 911.
Currently fifth is the Porsche 911 of Thomas Flohr followed by Graham Alexander in his Datsun 260Z and Jean-Pierre Mondron in yet another Porsche 911. Both Alexander and Mondron had started the morning classified behind Steve Troman's Porsche 911 but after recording a slow time on the second section, Troman has now dropped back to lie eighth overall. More news on this one when the cars arrive at Taita Hill Lodge later this afternoon.
News also came through from the second competitive section that Geoff Bell and Tim Challen had crashed in their Datsun 180B but, while the car might have difficulty in going any further, its occupants were OK. This was particularly harsh luck as they had been doing really well, running in fourth place, until Sunday when they were hit by all manner of transmission problems that dropped them back to fifth overall. Eventually they cleared the section and are still tenth overall. We await news of their adventures.
There was also an administrative problem before the rally cars passed through the second section when the course opening car discovered that some local people, keen no doubt to enliven the spectacle of watching the rally, had decided to build a low wall of stones across the road. The officials summoned the Kenya police and the wall, like the more famous one in Berlin, was removed.
Taita Hill Lodge, Monday - afternoon
There was very nearly a dramatic turn of events this afternoon as the rally cars headed south. Ian Duncan had the distributor drive shear on his Ford Mustang and the car coasted to a halt. But his luck was in as this all happened on the transport section between Email and Ndi and he was able to remove the old broken drive and fit a new one. Thus he was able to continue and take fastest time on the last competitive section thus bringing his lead over Björn Waldegård in the Porsche up to eight minutes, thirty-two seconds.
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Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch brought their Ford Mustang into Taita looking very relieved. "Yes, we had a few problems but nothing cost us very much in terms of time. There is a pipe to the power steering pump that is leaking a bit but we can fix that. And the distributor drive failure happened in a really fortunate place - away from the competitive sections. The pin joining it to the oil pump drive shaft had sheared and we were able to get the broken bits out using some masking tape and a screwdriver. We were lucky too that we managed to get the new part in without losing the timing. This evening, we hope to fix the starter problem. It just keeps getting filled up with dust - and we are fed up with push-starting !"
Incidentally, the Ford Mustang, it appears, was originally owned by Gurbux Nagi who was for many years a senior technical scrutineer in Kenyan motor sport events. His son, Andy Nagi, is co-driving Aziz Tejpar in the Ford Escort.
Björn Waldegård and Iqbal Sagoo had one fastest time today on the longest section of 115 kms. "But we started out this morning a bit too slow. The morning sun was directly in front and there was one chap in front of us who was not lifting off at all in that first section - Duncan ! I think that if I had tried to do that time of his, then I would not be here talking with you." Last night, the misfire they had felt on the last section was traced to a poor connection on the low tension feed to the ignition and is now cured. In service, the car looks OK but there is a small repair going on with the exhaust system.
Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot were a bit concerned that their puncture total was still rising with their Porsche 911. "We had another one ! It was a rear puncture on the second competitive section. I don't know what we must do to go at competitive speed and not have punctures. And it was a very hot this afternoon, especially in that last section. But the times are not so bad."
Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander described their day in their Datsun 260Z as a "day with no dramas". But "we had to change the alternator once, which is the second one now, and the guys are having to try and make one good one out to the two old ones in true bush mechanic style." It is noticeable that, with just one car to service, the BTR mechanics are always first to be ready in the service area so that the Perez car is always first to go in from the holding area for its two hour service.
The Datsun 180B of Geoff Bell and Tim Challen dropped back today. "We hit a big jump in the second section which threw us off course and into some trees. There was not a lot I could do bout it and I knew we would collect one of them. Fortunately, it was not the biggest one and came off worse than us. But we had done a lot of damage round the front and needed to do something about it if we were to carry on. We got the Datsun in a tug-of-war between a sand truck and a big tree and pulled out quite a lot of the damage to the front. Then we bought a stick from a chap for 500 shillings to wedge between the bulkhead and the radiator. As we didn't use all of the stick we tried to get him to pay back 150 shillings for what we didn't use, but he wasn't having that. So we got out of the section, did some fettling with the service and then on the last section we managed to catch and pass someone ! And they tell us we are still in the top ten."
Thomas Flohr and Didier Breton came in looking tired and dusty as they stepped out of their Porsche 911. "A pretty good day if a bit hot. No punctures, no camels, no trees - so straight to the bar !"
Graham Alexander and Ross Runnals started their day badly in the Datsun 260Z. "The throttle linkage broke about four kilometres from the end of the first competitive section. We stopped and wired it up so the engine ran on nearly full throttle and then drove using the brakes - and ignition key finally - to control our progress to the end of the section. The rest of the day was tame by comparison."
Quentin and Russell Savage with their Datsun 180B had asked to be re-seeded after losing fifteen minutes checking out of the holding area at Naivasha yesterday but that was not granted. "We got stuck in someone's dust on the first section and then got a puncture in the second which let Dad [Jonathan Savage] get past us and we raced him to the finish. Unfortunately, when we punctured we also bent the steering so that the car now oversteers and it was a bit of a hazard on that third section."
Jonathan Savage and Gavin Laurence were able to clarify the problem that had cost their Datsun 260Z so much time on Sunday. "A bolt sheared in the outer part of one of the rear suspension arms where it bolts onto the wheel hub. We think it must have been an old metal fatigue problem. Anyway, we wired the arm up but then the other bolt failed. Fortunately there were just the right spares - and the right spanner to get to that bolt - for Gavin to change it over but it took time. Today, the car was running fine again. The second section was rough to start with but then magnificent and the third section was simply awesome."
Paul-Eric Jarry and Jean-Francois Andreoli had an "approximately okay" day in their Porsche 911. "The whole day we had problems with the coils. We stopped in the second section to swap the coils and we're still not certain what the problem was but it was good apart from that."
Steven Troman and Calvin Cooledge had a "puncture day" in their Porsche 911. "We had three punctures. One in the first section and two in the second section. The third section was lovely - really nice." The 911 had a touch of play in the steering rack, which was drawn to the attention of the Tuthill mechanics.
Stefano Rocca and Piers Daykin had a mildly varied day with their Datsun 280Z. "We caught someone within the first seventeen kilometres of the start of the first section and, as there was no possibility to pass, we just cruised and enjoyed a cigarette. Then on the second one, we decided to test suspension settings and stopped a few times for Piers to click them up and down. And then we were going well on the third section when the road book says 'medium left over jump'. For me, a 'medium' is pretty quick bend so we took off and went straight over a ditch. What can I say ? But we didn't lose much and we are still here."
Aziz Tejpar and Andy Nagi with their Ford Escort reckoned that it had been "an excellent day" even if the first section was bit rough. "And of course we caught a rut on the second and wrenched my wrist again, In fact the car took quite a beating today and came through with flying colours. I am so pleased with my co-driver, Andy, as he is always controlling me in such an excellent fashion - by urging me to go faster !"
Richard Arrowsmith and Norris Midwood had been distributing spare parts from their Ford escort again. "We offered a fuel pump to Samit [Gehlot] but he must have fixed the problem because we got back again. We tried to calm things down for the third section as we had gone ridiculously fast in the first two. I don't think we could have gone any quicker had we wanted to and we somehow managed to avoid punctures despite not avoiding the rocks !"
Jean-Pierre Mondron and Dan Erculisse moved their Porsche 911 up the classification today. " Yes, this was despite having our very first puncture of the rally. We are no longer virgins in that respect. The car feels a bit tired around the rear suspension and maybe the guys can revitalise it this evening. But the route has been rough again, especially the first fifty kliometres of the second section. And the road book is occasionally a nightmare especially when you try to work with the modifications sent back by the 3-day car."
There is one very distinctive thing about the Porsche 911 of Martin Aguirre and Luis Mirasol. "No, we have still not had a puncture for the entire rally. The car is going well but today the temperature was much higher and you could feel it even on the long transport section."
Kishen Bandheri and Keith Henrie came in with their Datsun 1600SSS with the driver muttering something about Star Wars. "When he points out the triple cautions, he does it like that those little men in the film, Ewoks. 'It's there, look there' pointing with his whole body. Anyway, the car is fine so it must be working OK."
Aslam and Farhaaz Khan stepped out of their Ford Escort smiling despite a few problems. "Today was a much better day. After we went through a water splash in the first section the car was misfiring and we thought it must be an electrical problem. However after checking everything electrical it turned out to be the fuel pump. We must have lost twenty minutes. The second section was perfect and the third we spent the last 25 km in someone's dust but overall it was a good day."
Samit Gehlot and Asit Patel seemed keen to exit their Ford Escort, leaving the doors open as they walked out of the holding area. "We had fuel pump problems and a puncture in the second section," they said hastily. "And we lost the throttle cable in the last section and had to run it on full for the rest of the way."
Minesh Rathod and Sachin Sumaria in a Mitsubishi Lancer were looking a bit worried. "We hit a big rock on the first competitive section. First I tried to miss it but it looked small enough to go under the car but it hit the sump guard pretty hard. That must have knocked the bottom of the sump up closing off part of the oil pump pickup as we have seen lower oil pressures ever since. There is no leak and I think maybe we should leave it alone rather than dismantle everything and lose time coming out of service. Oh yes, and we had one puncture today but it was on the long transport section."
When Jayant Shah and Lofty Drews brought their Datsun 260Z into the holding area at Taita Hill Lodge, they were seething to the point where Lofty was looking to sign a death warrant for person or person's unknown. "We just ran over half a tree that some b*****s had put across the road not more that two kilometres from here. We bent two Minilites and lost a tyre. Someone ought to be shot ! We had two other punctures today on the sections so it has not been one of our best outings. And the car has started throwing fan belts on transport section. Every time you switch on the lights, the belt falls off. Thank goodness we don't have to drive at night."
Thierry de Latre and Nicolas Gilsoul from Belgium driving a Kronos Vintage prepared Porsche 911 are among the novice crews tackling a Safari for the first time. "Good, good fun - a great day in which we enjoyed the sections especially the enormous variety of surfaces that we encountered. It is amazing. Our car is going very well and we feel like beginners no longer !"
Albert Michels and Patrick De Connick were again smiling as they stepped out of their Porsche 911. "It was all fantastic and that last section was 'la cerise sur la gateau [which roughly translates as the icing on the cake into English]"
Andrew Siddall and Mike Borrisow enjoyed the day in their Datsun 280Z despite a few problems. "The first section was tough and we pushed a front right compression strut into the bodywork and the service crew had to weld the mounting so we lost about eighteen minutes on the transport section. The second section was very rough but we managed okay and we had a good clear run on the third section. By our standards we've had an excellent day and our sights are set on going over the ramp in Mombasa."
Jean-Marc and Patricia Bussolini were pleased with the performance of their Porsche 924. "The car was impeccable - no problems. Unfortunately we made a mistake on the way to the first competitive section so we arrived late and I wasn't concentrating very well for the section. The second section was superb and the third section was very good."
Roddy Sachs found his dual role as team manager and driver a little tricky to juggle today in his Datsun 180B. "We lost time waiting for a new radiator for Geoff's car and suffered some penalties on the transport section. But the car is 100 per cent. Despite it's cosmetic appearance it's actually handling today and seems to be getting into the swing of things."
Peter Stoehr and Crispin Sassoon had a pretty good day in their Datsun 1600SSS. "We didn't break an arm today but we had to stop and weld it and lost ten minutes on the transport section coming out of Ngong. Peter liked the first and the third section and neither of us liked the second section so we agreed about that!"
Hardev Singh Sira and Denis Giraudet had a much better day in their Ford Escort after the traumas of yesterday. "Everything was fine today and we got the car fixed up yesterday."
Frederic Daunat and Guy Chriqui and a trouble free day in their Citroen DS21. "All went well today and the competitive sections were super. It seems now we are near the end everything is good with the car. Perhaps in two years time for the next East African Safari Classic it will be perfect!"
Ekya and Zahir Shah had a much better day today after yesterday's troubles in their Colt Lancer. "We had a lot of problems yesterday. First thing we had a problem with the accelerator linkage and then in the first section the leaf spring U-bolt failed and because of the vibration the brake pipe broke. On top of that the gearbox mounting came loose. But today was much better. We had another problem with the accelerator linkage but we've done all three sections. In fact we've completed all the sections so far in the rally. However it'll be a while before we're setting fastest times."
Michel Pucheros and Nicholas Patel had a shaky start to their day in their Datsun 240Z. "We broke two rear struts in the first competitive section. First of all one jammed 20 kilometres in and we had to free it but then the other one broke. We managed to drive out and fitted new ones in service." From the co-driver: "And now we know what it feels like to be a pinball in a pinball machine." "After service it wasn't quite fixed so we had to go back but in the second section we overtook five cars and the third section was fine. It's been great but I'm looking forward to arriving in Mombasa now."
The fortunes of the Comas Racing Alpine Renault A110s has been a bit mixed today. Charles Firmenich and Jean-Pierre Martin have had a steady run and came into Taita Hill Lodge with no major problems to report. But news has just come in from the sweeper car that comes through the sections after all the rally cars have gone into it that they are giving Eric Comas and Ravi Soni a tow back from the end of the third section.
Marzio Kravos and Renzo Bernardi are reported to have retired to Nairobi after breaking a drive shaft in their Mercedes 450SLC shortly after they left the start this morning.
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