This archive report was first published on 4 December 2019.
Published on December 4, 2019, the penultimate day of the East African Safari Classic Rally will be flagged off Thursday morning at 8am from the Wild Life Lodge at Taita Hills.
Former East African Safari Classic Rally champion Stiq Blomqvist of Sweden has taken the lead in a Porsche, with six stages remaining in the competition. He is currently 55 seconds ahead of Kris Rosenberger of Austria, who is driving a similar car.
The rally has seen tough stages in both the Kenyan and Tanzanian regions, with some Tanzanian sections proving particularly challenging due to heavy rains. One complete day and part of one stage had to be cancelled as a result.
For the first time in the history of the marathon event, local drivers are outnumbered by foreign competitors, with only five locals remaining in the competition. These drivers include Onkar Rai, Tejvir Rai, Aslam Khan, Ian Duncan, and Baldev Chager.
Chager is currently trailing the leader by almost 303 minutes, while Onkar Rai is 30 minutes behind. However, both drivers still have a chance of winning depending on their luck.
Meanwhile, Ian Duncan, a two-time winner of the competition, is struggling with mechanical problems in his Rover Vitesse. He failed to tackle the last two stages on Wednesday and instead drove straight to Wild Life Lodge to carry out urgent repair work on the car engine.
Day Eight action will pass through Sagal/Kirumbi (39.61 kilometres), Estate/Kileva (58.30kms) and Maungu/MC (75.52kms) before cars get back to Whitesands Hotel for a night of rest.
The East African Safari Classic Rally has several sponsors, including Safaricom, Vivo Energy Kenya, and Aviation Gas (Avgas). Other co-sponsors of the event are Whitesands Hotel, Bidco Africa, and DT Dobie.
