All set for Mini Classic Rally

Baldev Chager

Baldev Chager’s Porshe 911 cruises through Amboseli towards victory in the East African Safari Classic Rally on February 18, 2022.  There will be an all-lady team of Olga Lounova, a renowned singer, with her navigator, Lilia Khousnoutdinova from the Czech Republic at this year's East African Safari Classic Rally

Photo credit: Anwar Sidi | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Exceeding 150 meters from the prescribed route and against rally direction, will be deemed as ‘leaving the prescribed rally route’ and therefore will be reported to the Stewards and penalties may apply.

The Mini Classic Rally is set to kick off on Friday morning at 8am from the Nakuru Sarova Hotel.

This year’s Mini Classic Rally, which will run till Sunday, is expected to traverse from Nakuru and end in Eldoret covering over 1000kms. 

A total of 31 cars have entered the internationally recognised rally.

Baldev Chager, who has won the last four editions of the East African Safari Classic event, will be flagged off first in his Porsche 911. 

The event is for cars that were manufactured before 1985. No turbo-charged or 4wd models are allowed in the rally.

The three-day competition will end at the Ekta Hotel. The competition will retrace many of the classic Safari Rally routes in and around Eldoret. 

All competitive sections are gravel roads, which are ‘open’ to general traffic. The event is divided into three stages per day over three days.

Onkar Kalsi will be the Clerk of the Course for the rally. Victoria Commercial Bank and Kenya Breweries will join hands to sponsor this year’s Mini Classic Rally.

‘’We are the title sponsors this time round though we have always supported the Classic Rally on different occasions,’’ Chaudhry told Nation Sports.

Steve Anthony, one of the former leading rally drivers, will drive the route opening car. The fully prepared Raid Rally car is designed to encounter the roughness of the Classic Rally.

As the rally is run to a secret route, route information will be issued during the day preceding each leg of the Rally.

The route will be described in the form of a road book, with one book per day and will be described using detailed tulip diagrams with relevant information to ensure safe passage.

The defined route is prescribed by the tulip note in the road book. In the event a tulip in the road book is missed, it will be reported to the stewards who considers the circumstances.

In the instance of road blockages or mud holes, deviations of up to 150 meters from the prescribed rally route as determined by either the tracking system GPS data or by physical measurement by a rally official on either side will be allowed.

Exceeding 150 meters from the prescribed route and against rally direction, will be deemed as ‘leaving the prescribed rally route’ and therefore will be reported to the Stewards and penalties may apply.

The Start List: 

1. Baldev Chager/Gareth Dawe (Porsche 911)

2. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop (Triumph TR7)

3. Piers Daykin/Tariq Malik (Datsun 280Z)

4. Raaji Bharij/Ravi Soni (Ford Escort MK1)

5. Ian Duncan/Anthony Nielsen (Datsun 280Z)

6. Geoff Bell/Tim Challen  (Datsun 280Z)

7. Remon Vos/Stephane Prevot (Porsche 911)

8. Jonathan Somen/Richard (Ford Escort MK2), 

9. Farhaaz Khan/Arshad Khan (Porsche 911)

10. Malcolm Destro/Lloyd Destro (Datsun 280Z)

11. Rajay Sehmi/Raj Jutley (Porsche 911)

12. Rommy Bhamra/Harvey Jutley (Datsun 260Z)

13. Steven Parkinson/Russell Parkinson (Ford Escort MK2)

14. Eric Bengi/Gatimu Mindo (Datsun Violet GT)

15.  Kavisi Evans Kavisi/Absalom Aswani (Datsun Violet GT)

16.   Robert Calder/Gavn Laurence (Datsun 280Z)

17.   Shakeel Khan/Assad Mughal (Ford Escort MK1)

18.   Toby Wright/Douglas Rundgren (Ford Escort)

19.   Malcolm Rich/Adrian Cavenagh (Ford Escort MK2)

20.   Rajesh Maini/Devan Bhundia (Ford Escort MK1)

21.  Hamza Anwar/Adnan Din (Datsun PA10)

22.  Asad Anwar/Rob Warmisham (Toyota Levin)

23.  Maxine Wahome/Tuta Mionki (Datsun 1600SSS)

24.   Lola Verlaque /Edward Verlaque (VW Golf MK1)

25.   Azar Anwar/Jansher Sandhu (BMW 535)

26.  Ghalib Hajee/Riyaz Ismail (Porsche 911)

27.  Sam Karangatha/Steve Nyorri (Datsun 180B)

28.   Nish Lakhani/Teeku Patel (Datsun 1600 SSS)

29.  Bart Vanhaverbeke/Steven Vyncke (Mercedes)

30.  Tariq Khan/Zah Shah (Datsun 1600 SSS)

31.   Jose Sardinha/Glen Castle (Mitsubishi Palermo).