Safari Rally

The Safari Rally is a rally held in Kenya. It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is historically regarded as one of the toughest events in the World Rally Championship, and one of the most popular rallies in Africa. From 2003, a historical event (East African Safari Rally) has been held biannually.

For the 1978 action film, see Safari Rally (film).
Safari Rally
StatusActive
GenreMotor Sport event
Date(s)June
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Great Rift Valley
CountryKenya
Inaugurated1953
Websitehttps://www.safarirally.co.ke/

History

It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika,[1] as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1960 it was renamed the East African Safari Rally and kept that name until 1974, when it became the Safari Rally. From 1973, the rally was part of the World Rally Championship.[2]

The 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi) route featured a variety of roads and terrain - from fesh fesh (very fine powdered sand), fast farm tracks, and very rough roads up or down the Great Rift Valley. In heavy rain, roads would often turn into thick, deep mud.[2][3] The event was run on open roads, with all of the route being competitive mileage.[4] The driver with the lowest accumulation of penalty time between time controls was declared the winner.[4]

The rally was historically one of the fastest events in the world championship with average speeds over 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph).[5] However, the roughness of the terrain and the long stages meant that the winner was often the most reliable or the fastest cautious driver.[2][6] In later years, top rally teams would use helicopters to fly ahead of the cars to warn of animals or other vehicles on the rally route.

Checkpoint in the 1972 rally.

Teams built specially strengthened cars for the event, with bullbars, snorkels (for river crossings) and bright lights to warn wildlife.[6][7] In the 1990s, Toyota Team Europe had a full-time test team in Kenya, preparing and testing the rally cars for the event.[8][7] During the rally, repairs had to be regularly made to the cars, which added to the elapsed time of the competitors.[9] In later years, tyre mousse - allowing tyres to maintain functionality despite a puncture - allowed drivers to tackle the event flat out, despite the length of the event.[6]

In 1996, the event adopted the special stage format, and servicing cars from helicopters was prohibited.[2] From that edition until 2002, it featured around 2000 km of timed stages, with stages well over 60 kilometres (37 mi) long, unlike most rallies which had under 500 kilometres (310 mi) of total timed distance. This meant that the winner's total time penalty was above 12 hours in 1996 and decreased to two seconds shy of 8 hours in 2002. Despite this, the rally continued to be run on open roads.[10] The event was excluded from the WRC calendar due to a lack of finance and organisation in 2003.[2]

Modern event

From the 2003 edition, the event became part of the African Rally Championship.[10] The event was modernised, with shorter stages and running on closed roads - like other events in the World Championship.[11] Two editions of the rally - 2007 and 2009 - were also part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. In 2013, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta announced a plan to return the Safari Rally to the world championship.[12]

On the 27 September 2019, it was announced that the 2020 edition would be part of the World Rally Championship. This event was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] The Safari Rally eventually made a comeback to the WRC in 2021 after an eighteen-year hiatus from the 24–27 June, with a successful event held in Kenya on the floor of the Rift Valley in Naivasha, Nakuru County.[13] Sebastian Ogier and Julien Ingrassia emerged as winners in their Toyota Yaris WRC.[11] The Safari has a WRC contract until 2026.[12]

Past winners

Kenyan drivers Shekhar Mehta and Carl Tundo have been the most successful competitors, with five outright victories each. Mehta won first in 1973, then consecutively from 1979 to 1982 - all while the event was part of the world championship. Tundo won five editions when the event was part of the African Rally Championship - the 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2018 events. Tundo has also finished on the podium twelve times, ahead of fellow Kenyan Ian Duncan with nine podium finishes.[14]

Year Rally Name / Dates Winning Driver Co-driver Winning Car Status
1953 1st Coronation Safari Rally Kenya Alan Dix Kenya Johnny Larsen Volkswagen Beetle  
1954 2nd Coronation Safari Rally Kenya D P Marwaha Kenya Vic Preston Sr Volkswagen Beetle  
1955 3rd Coronation Safari Rally Kenya Vic Preston Sr Kenya D P Marwaha Ford Zephyr  
1956 4th Coronation Safari Rally Kenya Eric Cecil Kenya Tony Vickers DKW  
1957 5th Coronation Safari Rally Kenya Gus Hofmann Kenya Arthur Burton Volkswagen Beetle  
1958 6th Coronation Safari Rally Kenya T. Brooke
Kenya Arne Kopperud
Kenya Morris Temple-Boreham		 Kenya Peter Hughes
Kenya Kora Kopperud
Kenya Mike Armstrong		 Ford Anglia 100E (Impala class)

Ford Zephyr II (Lion class)

Auto Union 1000 (Leopard class)		  
1959 7th Coronation Safari Rally Kenya Bill Fritschy Kenya Jack Ellis Mercedes-Benz 219  
1960 8th East African Safari Rally Kenya Bill Fritschy Kenya Jack Ellis Mercedes-Benz 219  
1961 9th East African Safari Rally Kenya John Manussis Kenya Bill Coleridge
Kenya David Bekett		 Mercedes-Benz 220SE  
1962 10th East African Safari Rally Kenya Tommy Fjastad Kenya Bernhard Schmider Volkswagen 1200  
1963 11th East African Safari Rally Kenya Nick Nowicki Kenya Paddy Cliff Peugeot 404  
1964 12th East African Safari Rally Kenya Peter Hughes Kenya Bill Young Ford Cortina GT  
1965 13th East African Safari Rally Kenya Joginder Singh Kenya Jaswant Singh Volvo PV 544  
1966 14th East African Safari Rally Tanzania Bert Shankland Tanzania Chris Rothwell Peugeot 404  
1967 15th East African Safari Rally Tanzania Bert Shankland Tanzania Chris Rothwell Peugeot 404  
1968 16th East African Safari Rally Kenya Nick Nowicki Kenya Paddy Cliff Peugeot 404[15]  
1969 17th East African Safari Rally Kenya Robin Hillyar Kenya Jock Aird Ford Taunus 20M RS  
1970 18th East African Safari Rally Kenya Edgar Herrmann West Germany Hans Schüller Datsun 1600 SSS  
1971 19th East African Safari Rally Kenya Edgar Herrmann West Germany Hans Schüller Datsun 240Z  
1972 20th East African Safari Rally
(30 Mar – 3 Apr)		 Finland Hannu Mikkola Sweden Gunnar Palm Ford Escort RS1600 IMC
1973 21st East African Safari Rally
(19 – 23 Apr)		 Kenya Shekhar Mehta Kenya Lofty Drews Datsun 240Z WRC
1974 22nd East African Safari Rally
(11 – 15 Apr)		 Kenya Joginder Singh Kenya David Doig Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR WRC
1975 23rd Safari Rally
(27 – 31 Mar)		 Sweden Ove Andersson Sweden Arne Hertz Peugeot 504 WRC
1976 24th Safari Rally
(15 – 19 Apr)		 Kenya Joginder Singh Kenya David Doig Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR WRC
1977 25th Safari Rally
(7 – 11 Apr)		 Sweden Björn Waldegård Sweden Hans Thorszelius Ford Escort RS1800 WRC
1978 26th Safari Rally
(23 – 27 Mar)		 France Jean-Pierre Nicolas France Jean-Claude Lefèbvre Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé WRC
1979 27th Safari Rally
(12 – 16 Apr)		 Kenya Shekhar Mehta Kenya Mike Doughty Datsun 160J WRC
1980 28th Marlboro Safari Rally
(3 – 7 Apr)		 Kenya Shekhar Mehta Kenya Mike Doughty Datsun 160J WRC
1981 29th Marlboro Safari Rally
(16 – 20 Apr)		 Kenya Shekhar Mehta Kenya Mike Doughty Nissan Violet GT WRC
1982 30th Marlboro Safari Rally
(8 – 12 Apr)		 Kenya Shekhar Mehta Kenya Mike Doughty Nissan Violet GT WRC
1983 31st Marlboro Safari Rally
(30 Mar – 4 Apr)		 Finland Ari Vatanen United Kingdom Terry Harryman Opel Ascona 400 WRC
1984 32nd Marlboro Safari Rally
(19 – 23 Apr)		 Sweden Björn Waldegård Sweden Hans Thorszelius Toyota Celica TCT WRC
1985 33rd Marlboro Safari Rally
(4 – 8 Apr)		 Finland Juha Kankkunen United Kingdom Fred Gallagher Toyota Celica TCT WRC
1986 34th Marlboro Safari Rally
(29 Mar – 2 Apr)		 Sweden Björn Waldegård United Kingdom Fred Gallagher Toyota Celica TCT WRC
1987 35th Marlboro Safari Rally
(16 – 20 Apr)		 Finland Hannu Mikkola Sweden Arne Hertz Audi 200 Quattro WRC
1988 36th Marlboro Safari Rally
(31 Mar – 4 Apr)		 Italy Miki Biasion Italy Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta HF Integrale WRC
1989 37th Marlboro Safari Rally
(23–27 Mar)		 Italy Miki Biasion Italy Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta HF Integrale WRC
1990 38th Marlboro Safari Rally
(11–16 Apr)		 Sweden Björn Waldegård United Kingdom Fred Gallagher Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 WRC
1991 39th Martini Safari Rally
27 (Mar – 1 Apr)		 Finland Juha Kankkunen Finland Juha Piironen Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v WRC
1992 40th Martini Safari Rally
27 (Mar – 1 Apr)		 Spain Carlos Sainz Spain Luis Moya Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD WRC
1993 41st Trustbank Safari Rally
(8–12 Apr)		 Finland Juha Kankkunen Finland Juha Piironen Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD WRC
1994 42nd Trustbank Safari Rally
(31 Mar – 3 Apr)		 Kenya Ian Duncan Kenya David Williamson Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD WRC
1995 43rd Safari Rally Kenya
(14–17 Apr)		 Japan Yoshio Fujimoto Sweden Arne Hertz Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD 2LWC
1996 44th Safari Rally Kenya
(5–7 Apr)		 Finland Tommi Mäkinen Finland Seppo Harjanne Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III WRC
1997 45th Safari Rally Kenya
(1–3 Mar)		 United Kingdom Colin McRae United Kingdom Nicky Grist Subaru Impreza WRC97 WRC
1998 46th Safari Rally Kenya
(28 Feb – 2 Mar)		 United Kingdom Richard Burns United Kingdom Robert Reid Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evolution IV (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV) WRC
1999 47th 555 Safari Rally
(26–28 Feb)		 United Kingdom Colin McRae United Kingdom Nicky Grist Ford Focus WRC WRC
2000 48th Sameer Safari Rally
(25–27 Feb)		 United Kingdom Richard Burns United Kingdom Robert Reid Subaru Impreza WRC00 WRC
2001 49th Safari Rally
(20–22 Jul)		 Finland Tommi Mäkinen Finland Risto Mannisenmäki Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6.5 WRC
2002 50th Inmarsat Safari Rally
(12–14 Jul)		 United Kingdom Colin McRae United Kingdom Nicky Grist Ford Focus RS WRC 02 WRC
2003 51st KCB Safari Equator Rally Kenya
(9–11 Oct)		 Kenya Glen Edmunds Kenya Titch Phillips Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI ARC
2004 52nd KCB Safari Rally Kenya
(12–14 Mar)		 Kenya Carl Tundo Kenya Tim Jessop Subaru Impreza ARC
2005 53rd KCB Safari Rally
(15th – 17th Jul)		 Kenya Glen Edmunds Kenya Des Page-Morris Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII ARC
2006 54th KCB Safari Rally
(24 – 26 Mar)		 Kenya Azar Anwar Kenya George Mwangi Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI ARC
2007 55th KCB Safari Rally
(9–11 Mar)		 Zimbabwe Conrad Rautenbach Zimbabwe Peter Marsh Subaru Impreza N10 IRC & ARC
2008 56th KCB Safari Rally
(27–29 Jun)		 Kenya Lee Rose Kenya Piers Daykin Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX ARC
2009 57th KCB Safari Rally
(3–5 Apr)		 Kenya Carl Tundo Kenya Tim Jessop Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX IRC & ARC
2010 58th KCB Safari Rally
(2–4 Apr)		 Kenya Lee Rose Kenya Piers Daykin Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX ARC
2011 59th KCB Safari Rally
(17–19 Jun)		 Kenya Carl Tundo Kenya Tim Jessop Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX ARC
2012 60th KCB Safari Rally
(8–10 Jun)		 Kenya Carl Tundo Kenya Tim Jessop Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX ARC
2013 61st KCB Safari Rally
(5–7 Jul)		 Kenya Baldev Chager Kenya Ravi Soni Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X ARC
2014 62nd KCB Safari Rally
(12–14 Sep)		 Kenya Baldev Chager Kenya Ravi Soni Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X ARC
2015 63rd KCB Safari Rally
(4–5 Apr)		 Kenya Singh Chatthe Jaspreet Kenya Panesar Gurdeep Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 KRC
2016 64th KCB Safari Rally
(10–11 Jun)		 Kenya Singh Chatthe Jaspreet Kenya Panesar Gurdeep Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 KRC
2017 65th Safari Rally
(17–18 Mar)		 Finland Tapio Laukkanen Kenya Gavin Laurence Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4 D R4 ARC & KRC
2018 66th Safari Rally
(16–18 Mar)		 Kenya Carl Tundo Kenya Tim Jessop Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 ARC & KRC
2019 67th Safari Rally
(5–7 Jul)		 Kenya Baldev Chager Kenya Ravi Soni Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 ARC & KRC
2020 68th Safari Rally
(16–19 Jul)		 Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns
2021 68th Safari Rally
(24–27 Jun)		 France Sébastien Ogier France Julien Ingrassia Toyota Yaris WRC WRC
2022 69th Safari Rally
(23–26 Jun)		 Finland Kalle Rovanperä Finland Jonne Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 WRC
2023 70th Safari Rally
(22–25 Jun)		 France Sebastien Ogier France Vincent Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 WRC

Notes: IMC = International Championship for Manufacturers, WRC = World Rally Championship, 2LWC = 2-Litre World Cup, ARC = African Rally Championship, IRC = Intercontinental Rally Challenge, KRC = Kenya National Rally Championship

East African Safari Rally (classic)

The East African Safari Rally is a Classic rally event first held in 2003 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first running of the event. The event has since been held biennially.[10][16] The nine day event takes place over 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi), and is open to vehicles built before 1985.[17] The 2017 edition of the rally had joint winners, as both Richard Jackson and Carl Tundo had the same time.[18]

Year Dates Winning Driver Winning Co-driver Winning Car
2003 Dec 10 – Dec 19 Kenya Rob Collinge Kenya Anton Levitan Kenya Anton Levitan Datsun 240Z
2005 Dec 1 – Dec 10 Kenya Rob Collinge Kenya Anton Levitan Datsun 260Z
2007 Nov 25 – Dec 3 Sweden Björn Waldegård Sweden Mathias Waldegård Ford Escort Mk1
2009 Nov 22 – Dec 1 Kenya Ian Duncan Kenya Amaar Slatch Ford Mustang
2011 Nov 20 – Nov 28 Sweden Björn Waldegård[19] Sweden Mathias Waldegård Porsche 911
2013 Nov 21 – Nov 29 Kenya Ian Duncan Kenya Amaar Slatch Ford Capri
2015 Nov 19 – Nov 27 Sweden Stig Blomqvist Belgium Stéphane Prévot Porsche 911
2017 Nov 23 – Dec 1 United Kingdom Richard Jackson[20] United Kingdom Ryan Champion

jointly with[18]

Kenya Carl Tundo Kenya Tim Jessop

 Porsche 911

Triumph TR7

2019 Nov 27 – Dec 6 Austria Kris Rosenberger[21] Germany Niki Bleicher Porsche 911
2022 Feb 10 – 18 Kenya Baldev Chager[22] United Kingdom Drew Sturrock Porsche 911

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Safari Rally.

References
  1. The name Tanzania did not exist in 1953
  2. Davenport, John; Deimel, Helmut (2003). Safari Rally 50 years of the toughest rally in the world. Reinhard Klein, Wilfried Müller, McKlein Photography Köln. Köln: Harms Verlag. ISBN 978-3-927458-08-6. OCLC 76627693.
  3. Evans, David (17 June 2022). "Safari Rally Kenya ready to test the WRC's greatest like no other". Red Bull. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  4. "juwra.com/About timing". Jonkka's World Rally Archive. Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  5. "Statistics - Event average speed". www.juwra.com. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  6. Rhodes, Cynan (25 February 1999). "Safari Rally Kenya: Introduction". au.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  7. "What would a modern Safari Rally car look like?". DirtFish. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  8. "How tape cassettes sent Sainz to a dominant Safari win". DirtFish. 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2022-08-15. Grist had been in Kenya for weeks conducting much of TTE's testing and recce preparation for the Safari. Ericsson had headed to Mombasa for a holiday before the rally, leaving Grist in Toyota's team hotel in Nairobi. "Mikael and I had done the recce," said Grist. "In fact, we'd been around the entire 5000-kilometre route four times.
  9. "How Mäkinen ignored common sense to conquer the Safari". DirtFish. 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  10. Kihaki, Mike (February 2022). "East Africa Safari Classic, a rich history of rallying". The Standard. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  11. Howard, Tom (21 June 2022). "WRC Safari Rally: Everything you need to know". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  12. Njenga, Peter (25 June 2022). "Safari Rally rich part of Uhuru Kenyatta legacy and Kenya's sporting history". The East African. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  13. Sport (2021-12-28). "Kenya: Safari's Unique Experience Was a Sight to Behold for World Rally Teams". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  14. Shacki. "Safari Rally Hall of Fame". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  15. "Safari 68". Autocar. Vol. 129 (nbr 3777). 4 July 1968. pp. 6–9.
  16. "The "adventure" that marks a driver's return to rallying". DirtFish. 2021-07-03. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  17. Duggan, Briana; Page, Tom (8 April 2022). "'It's just about you, the road and your maker': Inside the East African Safari Classic". CNN. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  18. "Tundo and Jackson share Safari Classic victory". East African Safari Classic Rally. 2017-12-01. Archived from the original on 2018-02-25. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  19. International sportworld communication. "Safari glory for first world champion Waldegard". 29 November 2011. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  20. "Final Classification Safari Classic 2017". East African Safari Classic Rally. 2017-12-01. Archived from the original on 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  21. Shacki. "Stage times East African Safari Classic Rally 2022". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  22. Shacki. "Baldev Chager - Drew Sturrock - East African Safari Classic Rally 2022". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
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