Defending champion and Kenya's Baldev Chager in his Porsche 911 showcased resilience, clawing back through today's stages to secure third place overall 12.46 behind the leader.
In a display of exceptional class and speed, Italy's Eugenio Amos catapulted his Porsche 911 today to the summit of the East African Safari Classic Rally leaderboard.
Amos now commands an impressive overnight lead of 3 minutes and 13 seconds, overshadowing South Africa's Geoff Bell, whose Datsun 240Z struggled with overheating problems, relinquishing the top spot which he had a grip on for the last two days.
Defending champion and Kenya's Baldev Chager in his Porsche 911 showcased resilience, clawing back through today's stages to secure third place overall 12.46 behind the leader.
10:30 - 12.12.2023
MOTORSPORTS Rally icon John Coyne forced to withdraw from East African Safari Classic Rally due to medical issue
Irish rally legend John Coyne exits East African Safari Classic Rally, replaced by co-driver, aiming to conquer unforeseen challenges.
After a tough start yesterday Chager was happy with hhis run today.
“Yesterday after losing time and getting lost I think the rest of the day went very well for us. Enjoyed today’s first stage though we had to stop to change a flat tire and then on to the second stage which we also enjoyed but was very rocky and literally had to drive on rocks. Going into third stage I was looking forward to it. Have rallied on it before but I wasn’t sure what to expect because we never know what happens to the roads after the rain.”
German Emile Breittmayer holds the fourth position, with Jordan Serderidis rounding out the top five.
10:00 - 12.12.2023
MOTORSPORTS South African driver Geoff Bell extends dominance in East African Safari Classic Rally
South African driver Geoff Bell extends lead in East African Safari Classic Rally, overcoming challenges and showcasing dominance in second leg.
Amos, navigated by Paolo Ceci, dominated today's stages, clinching the first stage and finishing the last two in third and second place, respectively.
Kris Rosenberger and Nicola Bleicher in their Tuthill prepared Porsche 911, celebrated their inaugural stage win, triumphing over Patrick Perche by a minute to clinch the second stage.
Kenya's Piers Daykin and Tariq Malik in a Steffani Rocca Datsun 280Z, claimed the third stage victory, outpacing Amos by 1 minute and 4 seconds.
07:30 - 11.12.2023
MOTORSPORTS South African driver Geoff Bell seizes early lead in East African Safari Classic Rally
South African driver Geoff Bell takes lead in East African Safari Classic Rally, defending champion Chager closely trailing in challenging race.
The rally witnessed notable exits, including Saturday's Prologue winner John Coyne, who withdrew after two days of action on medical grounds.
Coyne managed a commendable second-place finish in today's first stage behind Amos.
Observing event regulations, a crew member replacement on medical grounds is permitted, leading to Eoin Treacy stepping in as the co-driver for Josh McErlean Rallying for the remainder of the event.
12:30 - 10.12.2023
MOTORSPORTS Irish driver John Coyne takes early lead in East African Safari Classic Rally prologue
Irish driver's stellar performance in prologue sets the stage for a thrilling East African Safari Classic Rally.
Another notable exit was of the two immaculate Morgan Plus 8's after experiencing a heavy beating during the previous two days and failing to start day 3 today.
Both cars despite tackling very unfamiliar road surfaces managed to complete day 1 and day 2 with Carlos Alessandro and Pierrie Arries finishing 57th, while Andrea Bonomi navigated by Kenyas Andrew Doig finishing 58th in the other Morgan.
In the battle of the classes, after today's stages, Nish Lakhani in a Datsun 1600 SSS leads Class 1, while lone in his class Eric Bengi in an Opel Astra is in charge of Class 2. Rajesh Maini in a Ford Escort MK1 leads Class 3, Euginio Amos with a Porsche 911 leads Class 4 while Belgiums Bart Vanhaverbeke in a Mercedes 500 SLC leads Class 5
10:18 - 09.12.2023
MOTORSPORTS East African Safari Classic Rally revs off as Clerk of the Course outlines the surprises awaiting drivers
The East African Safari Classic Rally was flagged off at Vipingo Ridge on Saturday morning and Clerk of the Course has explained the surprises awaiting the drivers at the nine-day event
Looking ahead, tomorrow's day 4 challenges include a demanding trio of stages: the short but arduous 35km Kongoni to Ngare Engare, followed by the daunting 58km Najile to Oltepesei—touted as this year's toughest.
This stage holds historical significance as the site of rally legend Richard Burns' retirement in the 2002 Safari Rally.
The day's pinnacle will be the longest stage, Kamukuru to Hunters Look Out (93km), characterized by luggas and formidable rocks.
18:48 - 07.12.2023
MOTORSPORTS East African Safari Classic Rally roars to life with intensive scrutineering
East African Safari Classic Rally kicks off with rigorous scrutineering for 60+ classic cars,
The climb to the stage's flying finish promises to test the competitors' mettle in this thrilling and unpredictable East African Safari Classic Rally.
Provisional Results after SS09 Parane - Top 15
1 Eugenio AMOS PORSCHE 911 06:17:55.2 06:17:55.2
2 Geoff BELL DATSUN 240Z 06:21:08.4 06:21:08.4 03:13.2
3 Baldev CHAGER PORSCHE 911 06:30:42.1 06:30:42.1 12:46.9
4 Emile BREITTMAYER PORSCHE 911 06:38:35.4 06:38:35.4 20:40.2
5 Jourdan SERDERIDIS PORSCHE 911 06:42:44.2 06:42:44.2 24:49.0
6 Bonamy GRIMES PORSCHE 911 06:43:32.4 06:43:32.4 25:37.2
7 Philip KADOORIE PORSCHE 911 06:48:28.2 06:48:28.2 30:33.0
8 Kris ROSENBERGER PORSCHE 911 06:49:39.9 06:49:39.9 31:44.7
9 Andrew SIDDALL DATSUN 240Z 06:51:39.0 06:51:39.0 33:43.8
10 Rajesh MAINI FORD MK1 06:59:41.1 06:59:41.1 41:45.9
11 Toby WRIGHT FORD MK1 07:06:30.0 07:06:30.0 48:34.8
12 Ian DUNCAN DATSUN 280Z 07:07:13.3 07:07:13.3 49:18.1