Since the 1970’s the World famous East African Safari Rally, deemed the toughest Rally in the World at the time, has seen a Porsche compete in one way shape or form, sometimes with factory support, but mostly without.
The most famous Porsche “Safari” Rally driver of this era was Sobieslaw Zasada from Poland. He finished an incredible 2nd place in a Porsche 911S in 1972 with a borrowed Porsche from the factory and one mechanic. Helped along by a number of amateurs, Zasada defied the odds and his Porsche was one of only a hand full of cars making it to the eventual finish in Nairobi the capital of Kenya.
Porsche’s first outright victory in the now rebranded “East AFrican Safari Classic Rally” had to wait until 2011. Not until then did the Swedish father and son team of Bjorn and Mathias Waldegard (names that need no introduction to RAlly pundits) becoming outright winner while driving a Porsche.
The seconds, and most recent win, for a Porsche came in 2015 with the just concluded “Safari” Rally Classic’s 7th edition (which starts and finishes at the coastal town of Mombasa on the pristine beaches of the turquoise Indian Ocean). Former World Rally Champion and renowned Swedish rally ace Stig Blomquist and Stephane Prevot claimed the top spot on the podium. In fact, this year, the top three positions were filled by Porsche 911’s and 911s made up a total of 8 of the top 10 finishers. Most likely yet another motorsport record for Porsche.
Both the 2011 and 2015 “Safari” Classic Victories for Porsche were possible due to the exceptionally prepared vehicles from Tuthill Porsche in the UK.
About the Race Itself
The event is a high speed endurance race for cars manufactured before December 31st 1978. The route itself covers a total distance of 4000 kilometers over a period of eight days through the scenic landscape of Kenya and Tanzania. Most of the roads along the route are considered “second class” covered in dust and mud that range from high altitude runs with views of Mount Kilimanjaro to flat antelope filled savanna plains and hot sandy coastal tracks testing man and machine to the very limit.
East Africa is famous for its scenic beauty described in the Oscar winning film “Out Of Africa”. Flora and fauna abound with friendly people welcoming all the competitive cars with great enthusiasm. Should any of want more information about the 8th edition in 2017 please go to the website www.eastafricansafarirally.com or write to info@eastafricansafarirally.com for more information ……it promises to be a drive of a life time !!
