This archive report was first published on 8 December 2019.
On December 8, 2019, the East African Safari Classic Rally came to a thrilling conclusion with Austrian Kris Rosenberger and his navigator Nicola Bleicher emerging victorious.
Rosenberger and Bleicher, driving a Porsche 911 car, recorded their first victory in the Safaricom East African Safari Classic Rally after a dramatic chase with Swede Stiq Blomqvist in the final stages of the 24-stage competition.
The Austrian duo led the event briefly at the start before drifting to second place for most of the competition, but their persistence paid off as they beat Blomqvist by a margin of one minute and 33.6 seconds at the end of the 10-day competition.
This historic win marked a significant achievement for Bleicher, who became the first lady to finish the major event. She was not the only female competitor to make a good impression, as Julia Savesson, Kate Hyes, and Juliette Brinkerhoff also impressed with their driving skills, guiding their respective co-drivers to sixth, 12th, and 15th places.
Despite the challenges posed by the Tanzanian leg of the competition, which included a cancelled day due to rains and mechanical problems for two of the leading drivers, Baldev Chager and Onkar Rai, the rally remained an exciting and grueling test of endurance for the crews.
Only 16 of the original 20 starters finished the rally, with Tejveer Rai emerging as the best-placed local driver among the five Kenyans who survived the competition.
The East African Safari Classic Rally was sponsored by major companies, including Safaricom, Vivo Energy Kenya, Whitesands Hotel, Bidco Africa, and DT Dobie.
