Mustang wins East African Safari Classic Rally 2009

[Tim CH]

Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch win Safari Classic in Ford Mustang

A Ford has won the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2009 for the second time in succession. In 2007, it was a Ford Escort from Europe that took the overall victory but now it is the turn of the American breed to win with a car prepared and driven by Kenyan, Ian Duncan. His superiority was almost unchallenged throughout the event though for the first two or three days, it was pretty much neck-and-neck between Duncan in the Mustang and 2007 winner, Björn Waldegård in a Porsche 911 co-driven by the car's owner, Iqbal Sagoo.

Porsche 911s came in strength this year and Gerard Marcy, accompanied this year by Stephane Prevot, was very much the favourite before the start. But a coming-together with a hole in a Tanzanian road on the second day of the rally lost him too much time and, despite setting several fastest times, he was only able to finish fourth. However, there were six Porsche 911s in the top ten finishers with Thomas Flohr, Steve Troman, Jean-Pierre Mondron and Paul-Eric Jarry all finishing strongly with examples of the German marque.

The final place on the podium was taken by a Datsun 260Z driven by Steve Perez, an excellent result for the British driver. Though they were by far the most numerous at the start, Datsuns took a bit of a hammering in the results this year with Graham Alexander's Australian 260Z the only other of the Japanese cars to finish in the top ten. He took sixth place between the Porsches of Flohr and Troman. Rounding out the top ten was a Ford Escort Mk1 driven by Aziz Tejpar - the son of the former competitor on the Safari famous for tackling it with a DAF - who was driving an Ian Freestone prepared car on this his first major event.

The winners, Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch were naturally smiling broadly when they descended from their Ford Mustang after the arrival at Whitesands Hotel north of Mombasa. Of the twenty-four competitive sections run, they had set fastest time on twelve of them. They had twice come close to losing the lead that they had held from the start - once with punctures in north-west Kenya and then on the penultimate day when their distributor drive broke - but they always came back fighting and finally finished just under ten minutes clear of Waldegård. "That was a long way. We're so glad to have done it and won this rally at last especially after the disappointment with the Mustang last time, two years ago. Really we are so pleased and we owe so much to my guys who prepared - and serviced - this car. Great event."

The thing that really surprised Björn Waldegård, who was sharing Iqbal Sagoo's Porsche 911 with him, was that "so many people in Kenya seem to know me. When we came out of that last stage, there were so many people on the main road - and they all wanted to shake my hand. We are happy to be here and have enjoyed the rally very much. We did have one last problem on the first section today when the car jumped a bit high at a ditch, we landed sideways and swiped the back end against a bank neatly removing the rear bumper. In fact it has been a bit tricky today as, after yesterday and the repairs last night, the exhaust is quite noisy so I have had to back off to hear what Iqbal was saying even through the intercom. But the car was good and we are here in second place so maybe even the driver was not so bad either ." For the record, Waldegård set five fastest times on the competitive sections.

Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander were looking a bit puzzled when they brought their Datsun 260Z into the finish in third place having set one fastest time on the competitive sections. "We go the whole rally without a puncture and then we have, not one, not two, but three on the last day ! We had two on the first section and then, when we had one on the second section after replacing the spares in service, there was no service before the third so we had to go through that with just one spare and many prayers to the Pirelli Gods. I drove like my grandmother and thank goodness, we didn't have any more. I am really delighted to be at the finish of such a tough rally. This result means more to me than any of the rallies or championships that I have won in the UK - and it was certainly much harder work!" Co-driver Staffan Parmander who celebrates his birthday today was also very happy despite three punctures. "We had a little drama but it was a fantastic day. And it's a great birthday present to finish on the podium on the Safari. For an event like this finishing on the podium means the same as a win."

For Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot it looked as if the Safari Classic 2009 was going to be an occasion when this talented and experienced crew achieved the success they deserved. Marcy proved beyond doubt in the 2007 that he was a formidable driver in the Porsche 911 and only bad luck on the last day robbed him of a good result. This year, Marcy set five fastest times in the competitive sections. "This was tough rally, yes, a rough rally, perhaps even rougher than two years ago. But where we had the problem that cost us so much time it was not really a case of the road being rough, just a hole in the edge of the road that twisted the rear suspension out of line and prevented our continuing. And the punctures. We had two more today, one in the first and one in the third section. But this rally is a real challenge and sometimes you cannot alter your luck." Stephane Prevot, for a long time co-driver to Bruno Thiry in Fords and Subarus and with whom he did the Safari several times about ten years ago, commented that: "This was an interesting and unique experience, very much like the old Safari rallies of the 1970s and 1980s, and I saw for the first time what these East African roads are like in the wet !"

Graham Alexander and Ross Runnalls in their Datsun 260Z said that "Today we were just cruising with one Porsche well ahead and another well astern. I think the roads were a bit more rain damaged than they were two years ago on the last Safari Classic. But there were plenty of enjoyable moments nevertheless. No problems today and the car is running OK but it will probably be about a week of R&R before we can take it all in and start saying how much we enjoyed it all."

For Thomas Flohr, this was not just his first attempt at a Safari but virtually his first proper rally. Sitting beside him in his Porsche 911 was the experienced co-driver, Didier Breton, and Flohr readily acknowledged the contribution that he had made to their success in finishing fifth overall. "I think I had the best co-driver and the best team [Tuthill Porsche] so this was an excellent combination to have for my first big rally. And this will not be the last because I enjoyed the whole thing so much - even the bits when it was going wrong and I hit that tree. I shall certainly be doing more. Of course we had to round off our rally by having a puncture on the first section of the last day but then I noticed that of the first five cars, three of us had punctures in that section and all were on the same side of the car so perhaps it was not just me ."

Paul-Eric Jarry and Jean-François Andreoli could report no problems on the last day with their Porsche 911. "I got the impression that the rally this time was much quicker and rougher that when I did it last in 2007. It's a shame because it is a real pleasure to drive fast on most of these East African roads and it is not so nice to have to really take such care in those rough places. But there was enough to enjoy - and we did."

Steve Troman and Calvin Cooledge were smiling in their Porsche 91 as they came home to claim seventh place overall. "Today, no punctures and no problems. As usual, we thoroughly enjoyed the rally. It is an immense pleasure as everyone is so friendly and the atmosphere is very positive with the competitors, officials and all the people we see along the route and in the hotels and lodges. Can't wait for the next one."

Jean-Pierre Mondron and Dan Erculisse were very happy to arrive in Mombasa in their Kronos Porsche 911. "Today everything was perfect. We even made a new 'dish of the day': a Tuthill-Kronos sandwich. We've been between two Tuthill Porsches [Steve Troman/Calvin Cooledge and Paul-Eric Jarry/Jean-Francois Andreoli] and swapping seconds on the competitive sections."

Geoff Bell and Tim Challen were putting brave face on things as after we reported last night, their road penalties from the Sunday were added and their Datsun 180B dropped out of the top ten to finish thirteenth. The Datsun came to the finish with so much bodywork missing on the driver's side that it was almost like an open-wheeler. "In fact, we had trouble through today with the wheel rubbing on the strut so we went really slowly compared with what we have been doing on the other seven days. Fantastic rally and can't wait to do another one. Meanwhile, would anyone like to buy a second hand car, one careful owner ?"

Jonathan Savage and Gavin Laurence finished just outside the top ten in eleventh place with their Datsun 260Z. "We had a great day today and the car is going perfectly. We tried to keep an eye on Aziz [Tejpar] in the Escort as he was running between us and my boys [his sons] in the 180B. We were only a minute behind him on penalties but I kept thinking that, one puncture, and both he and the boys would be past us in a flash. This was a super event and we are really pleased to be here after some of our suspension problems."

Aziz Tejpar and Andy Nagi were really happy as they brought their Ford Escort Mk1 in to the finish. "We've got that tenth place! My Dad would have been so proud if he had been here. We felt a bit like a sausage in a Savage sandwich today but what can I say: Asiz, as was, as will be ! This Escort is awesome. And I had more fun and broke more traffic rules coming through Mombasa to the finish than in a year's motoring in the UK. Really delighted with the result and big thanks to Andy for guiding me through."

Quentin and Russell Savage in their Datsun 180B: "Simply loved it - it was a great rally. We had no problems today, even though we cherished the fond hope of catching Tejpar's Escort but the gap of seven minutes or so was just too much if he had no trouble. But we had a good try at it and, like the rest of the rally, really enjoyed it."

As ever Samit Gehlot and Asit Patel looked very relaxed as they turned up at the final time control in their Ford Escort Mk1. "We had a good day and the event was amazing. I only bought my first rally car four months ago and we've done two rallies as a recce for this." For Safari novices they definitely seemed to be taking everything in their stride.

Also Safari novices were Richard Arrowsmith and Norris Midwood in their Ford Escort, although their performance wouldn't suggest it. "The rally was as good as I expected and I think I'll be back if I can. The car hasn't missed a beat all day." However, the co-driver was feeling a little under the weather in the digestive department and definitely glad to be back at Whitesands hotel.

Stefano Rocca and Piers Daykin set fastest time on the very last competitive section with their Datsun 280Z. "That fastest time was at least some small consolation for all our efforts during the rally. Such a shame that we had those problems but that's life! Did I enjoy myself? Well, I want to do it next time - that says it all."

Martin Aguirre and Luis Mirasol in their Porsche 911: "We really enjoyed this event. You know it's only the second rally we've ever driven - we did one in New Zealand before this. We can honestly say we've not had a single puncture. We would like to do more rallies than this one but for the moment our only future plans involve a drink and a bath." It was noticeable that the Filipino pair drove very gingerly across the holding area so as not to ruin their punctureless reputation.

Kishen Bandheri and Keith Henrie looked as joyful as ever as they arrived at Mombasa. "No adventures today.The whole event has been great. It was just a shame about our little accident coming into Amboseli as we were doing so well up until then."

Minesh Rathod and Sachin Sumaria described their day as "lovely" in their Mitsubishi Lancer. "We're very glad to be back. We really enjoyed the whole event and we're looking forward to the next one already."

Michel Pucheros and Nicholas Patel in their Datsun 240Z: "We had a puncture on the second section today and stopped to change the wheel. Unfortunately some of the wheel nuts worked loose and we broke a couple of studs. This meant we started the third section with only two nuts holding on the rear wheel. Thus it was necessary to stop twice in the third section to check that those two were still hanging on."

Jayant Shah and Lofty Drews in their Datsun 260Z: "We've had no problems today and the car is behaving itself. It's a shame we had so many problems coming out of Tanzania back into Kenya but, even with all that, we enjoyed this excellent rally and now it's 'Tusker Time'."

Aslam and Farhaaz Khan in their Ford Escort BDA Mk1: "The car is going fine and the only problem today, because there was no re-seeding for speed last night, was overtaking other cars. We finally got a clear run through the third section and there, as on so many other parts of this rally, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves."

Albert Michels and Patrick De Connick had yet another enjoyable day in their Porsche 911. "The bonnet opened again on a competitive section but it was still a great day and a great event."

Jean-Marc and Patricia Bussolini in their Porsche 924 came in looking very happy with the car going very well after its initial problems on the first day. "Very enjoyable and enjoyable because it is different. We never imagined that it could be such a variety of conditions. We had of course some problems in the beginning but now the car is going very well and we had no problems today."

Thierry De Latre and Nicolas Gilsoul finished strongly in their Porsche 911. "We had a rear left puncture on the second section - one of very few that we've had. The hydraulic jack wouldn't work properly and we could not lift the car with it. We found a solution by driving the car up onto a small mound to take the weight off the punctured wheel so that we could change it. We didn't quite know what to expect when we came to this rally but it is an astonishing and unique event on which we've enjoyed ourselves very much."

Andrew Siddall and Mike Borrisow were glad to be back in their Datsun 280Z after suffering earlier problems in the rally. "I'm very very pleased to be here - at one point I thought we'd never make it. For me it was really a rally of two halves - when the car went well it was great but when it didn't it was terrible. Mind you, she had a last little go at us today - at the end of the last section she just died. We were towed away from the time control and bump started it - we think the battery failed."

Peter Stoehr and Crispin Sassoon made sure the beers were waiting for them when they arrived in their Datsun 1600SSS. "We had a last minute piece of chaos as usual - a rear shock went on the last section and we had to drive out on it. But I absolutely enjoyed the event - it's the third time I've done it so I guess I must like it!"

Nick Mason and Adrian Grinstead had a lovely day in their Datsun 240Z. "We had a pretty terrible day yesterday - the suspension fell apart and we broke a drive shaft. But today was lovely and we're very happy to be here."

Frederic Dunaut and Guy Chriqui were happy to reach the finish in their Citroen DS21 but felt that perhaps they could have carried on a bit longer. "The last day was the best day. It seems now the car is going perfectly - perhaps we need another ten days to really get going!"

Hardev Singh Sira and Denis Giraudet had a trouble free day in their Ford Escort Mk1. "Today I think we did some reasonable times. All-in-all apart from the problems we had at Naivasha when the matatu hit us I very much enjoyed it." Co-driving for Singh Sira was Denis Giraudet, an experienced rallyman who did the Safari Rally in its last years with Ford, Toyota, Seat and Peugeot works teams. "This was my first time on the Classic, the next best thing that one can do to having competed on those original old Safari rallies. We were under no particular pressure here so it has gien me a chance to know what this rally is like an learn how it works. Maybe there will be the chance to come and do more. One thing I saw was that the original road book was very good and that the additional information coming from the 3-day car that we were given was very bad."

Roddy Sachs and Steve Harris were another crew that were glad to be back in one piece in their Datsun 180B. "Today was very good and everything went well. Unfortunately we had to eat dust at the back but that's part of the rally."

Ekya and Zahir Shah were pleased with their day in their Colt Lancer. "I think we managed to improve our times and put in some practice for the next East African Safari Classic. We went as fast as we could today. We really enjoyed it although it's now that the expenses start to sink in. But I'll try and forget about them for the party tonight!"

Despite their problems with the tree on Saturday, which meant missing the last two days of the rally, Jean-Louis Juchault and Steven Funk arrived at Whitesands in their Peugeot 504 Coupe still smiling. "We had great fun but there was just one too many trees for us, or one particular tree. The shame was we had got into the groove and had just set eighth fastest time on the section before it happened." They got a very warm reception from representatives of all the charities that they had been supporting during the event and anyone wanting to know more can visit http://www.race4change.org.

The prize giving and gala dinner of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2009 are tonight in the garden of the Whitesands Hotel starting at seven o'clock.

Mombasa 16:45

For press enquiries, contact E-mail: info@eastafricansafarirally.com

East African Safari Classic Rally 2009

[Doc Pony]

Hi Tim
Schöner Bericht und Bilder,auch schön zu sehen das die Mustangs nicht nur auf Asphalt erfolgreich sind.
Was macht der VOODOO Mann??
G.M

[Dream 68]

Hallo Doc ! ganz einfach: das kenne ich doch noch aus einer alten deutschen fernsehshow...... gruss lutz

[70lime met]

geile Sache Tim


Doc Pony hat geschrieben:Was macht der VOODOO Mann??

der hat am backfire geschnuppert, das ist ihm bis in den hintern gestiegen und jetzt macht er den rocket

[Tim CH]

Dream 68 hat geschrieben:Hallo Doc ! ganz einfach: das kenne ich doch noch aus einer alten deutschen fernsehshow...... gruss lutz

...meinst du, er hat zuviel BoneyM geschaut

[Dream 68]

Na ja, eher "DALLI DALLI"....

[TIM]

Ist das nicht ein Tanz der Eingeborenen bei dem die mehr oder weniger auf der Stelle hüpfen?

Also so ähnlich wie unsere Leute im Bundestag.

[kaipom]

classic-horses hat geschrieben:Ist das nicht ein Tanz der Eingeborenen bei dem die mehr oder weniger auf der Stelle hüpfen?

Also so ähnlich wie unsere Leute im Bundestag.

...wie war das : Der am höchsten hüpft hat gewonnen oder war das nich so : Der am lautesten schreit hat recht ??!!
.....Gruss kai

[Tim CH]

Dream 68 hat geschrieben:Na ja, eher "DALLI DALLI"....

...wie geil, das hatte ich schon wieder ganz vergessen!!!

"Sie sind der Meinung, das war....SPITZE!" *hüpf*

[Dream 68]

.....