East African Safari Classic Rally 2019 – Report and Photos
Porsche 911 - Roger Samuelsson and Robin Friberg (SWE)
The East African Safari Classic Rally 2019 was held November 27 – December 6, starting and finishing in Mombasa on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast. The biennial Rally is easily one of our favorite events covered by the team at Sports Car Digest. The blend of world-class drivers and cars plowing through mud, fording rivers and getting serious air time, combined with spectacular African landscapes and challenging driving conditions, make for wonderfully unique material.
First run in 2003, the East African Safari Classic Rally is a ten-day rally covering up to 5,000 kilometres through Kenya and Tanzania. Safari Classic rekindles the spirit of the original Safari Rally, which put East Africa on the motorsport map and earned an unassailable reputation as the world’s toughest rally.Open to two-wheel drive, normally aspirated, FIA rally cars built before 1986, the Safari Classic is an open road event, meaning competitive sections aren’t closed off to the public and goats, wandering villagers and wildlife are some of the hazards rally drivers needed to be aware of as they powered along.
The 2019 running of the East African Safari Classic Rally saw 20 teams battle the terrain of Kenya and Tanzania. While Porsches were again the favored mount, from the 1956 Porsche 356A of Renée Brinkerhoff and Juliette Brinkerhoff to the numerous 1970 and ’80s 911 Carrera entries, the field also included the Rover Vitesse of six-time Kenya National Rally Champion, Ian Duncan, a Nissan 240RS, a Ford Escort and a Datsun 160J. Competitors again included Stig Blomqvist, the former works driver with Saab, Ford, Peugeot, Nissan and Skoda who became World Rally Champion with Audi in 1984.
Similar to 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, Sports Car Digest also documented the 2019 edition of the East African Safari Classic Rally, with McKlein Photography again providing the stunning images.
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Try not running during the rainy season maybe?? And to many Porsche’s…great pictures though.
Incredible. Great pictures.
Thank you! Great pics, fantastic impressions!