This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
On July 31, 2019, Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Mureithi flagged off 24 classic cars at the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nyeri County, kicking off the 2019 Top Fry Classic Safari Rally. The colourful ceremony took place against the backdrop of the picturesque Mount Kenya.
The rally featured 24 classic cars, categorized into three groups, which headed out to the plains of Laikipia County. Governor Ndiritu expressed excitement at hosting the event, saying it presented an opportunity to showcase Laikipia's tourism potential and sporting opportunities to locals and foreigners.
Smooth and blistering fast gravel roads, with gut-wrenching jumps, lay in wait for the rally drivers as they set out to cover 276.23km on the opening leg. The first car off the ramp was Baldev Chager, also known as Boldy, who teamed up with Ravi Soni in a Kabras Rally Team Porsche 911.
Carl 'Flash' Tundo navigated by Tim Jessop of Top Fry Rally team was second off the ramp, followed by South African Geof Bell co-driven by Tim Challen in a Team Magnum Cream Lique Datsun 240Z. The drivers faced a challenging route, with subtle changes expected to make it a drivers' rally rather than a navigators' one.
Day one saw several casualties, including veteran Jayant Shah's Porsche, which rolled into a ditch after hitting a bump, and Briton duo Andrew Sidell and Alex Lee, who pulled out due to steering problems in their Datsun 240Z.
