Yes!!! we are back on track............

WALDEGÃ…RD v KANKKUNEN - THE RE-MATCH!

Safari legends and former team-mates set for East African showdown… 20 years on

Rally legend and 1979 World Rally Champion Björn Waldegård will take a step back in time when he returns to the wheel of a Porsche 911 and lines up against former team-mate and four-times World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen for the 2005 East African Safari Rally.

Back in 1969 the Swedish unknown newcomer shocked the establishment when he won the famous Rallye Monte Carlo in a 911S. In a career spanning 23 years, Waldegård claimed a further 15 victories at World Championship level, including four wins in the legendary Safari Rally. Kankkunen is also a veteran contender, the Finn contesting 12 Safaris and taking wins in what was universally regarded as the toughest World Championship event in 1985, 1991 and 1993.

As former Toyota team-mates back in the mid-‘80s, Waldegård and Kankkunen enjoyed friendly rivalry, but the Scandinavian duo will now be battling against one another in Porsche and Datsun machinery, rekindling that rivalry in an event that formed such a large part of their lives.

“Juha came to the Safari when I was already established; he was just a youngster!” said Björn. “In his first Safari test I sat beside him to teach him how to drive the event. For the first few kilometres I was terrified; he thought he was doing the 1000 Lakes! I then drove him for the next 10 kilometres to show him how I drive these roads, and he then went on to beat me in the rally! It will be good fun to be with him again.

“I am doing the rally for absolute pleasure; if we get a good result that’s great, but otherwise it will just be a fantastic 10 days. When you get the helmet on winning is the goal, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t win. But to beat Juha would certainly be nice..!”

Waldegård’s Bosch-supported Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe - owned and to be co-driven by David Cavanagh - was originally built in 1977 by the Porsche competition department for the London-Sydney Marathon. Extensively rallied in Australia, the car appeared in the UK in 2000 where it has been brought up to current rally specification by James Avis and Carrera Performance of Sussex. In 2004, Australian-born Cavanagh bought the car and contested the 20,000 kilometre London-Sydney Marathon, where he finished first in class. For the 2005 East African Safari Rally, the Porsche 911 will run in the striking Martini livery of the late 1970s.

Following the celebrated running of its 50th anniversary in 2003, the East African Safari Rally returns in 2005 and the event will run from 1-10 December. The world’s greatest classic car rally will cover a marathon 4,200 kilometres over nine days and once again take the crews through the remote and beautiful landscapes of Kenya and Tanzania. The East African Safari Rally commemorates the original Coronation Safari, a unique event run by enthusiasts to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. In 1960 the event was renamed the East African Safari Rally, running annually until 1972, and, in keeping with the sense of history, only cars produced before 31 December 1974 (or the exact same car if built before 1978) are eligible to compete.

The event, which has been scheduled outside the international rally calendar and during one of the most beautiful months in East Africa, promises to be one of the greatest classic car rallies of the modern era.

The event is sponsored by Minilite Wheels, WEC Lines and SDV Transami.

http://www.eastafricansafarirally.com

results of today are following soon.....

2005 East African Safari Rally

Final Leg (Saturday 10th December)

COLLINGE TAKES SECOND VICTORY IN EAST AFRICAN SAFARI RALLY

After 1,602.88 kilometres of competition over some of the most gruelling and challenging roads in Kenya and Tanzania, the all-Kenyan crew of Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan claimed their second consecutive victory in the East African Safari Rally, the world’s most historic rally. The Datsun 260Z crew took the lead after the third leg and finished the event back in Mombasa with nearly 26 minutes in hand. Former World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist, the early leader, finished second in the Historic Motorsport Escort RS1600, with Frederic Dor, in the Tuthill-prepared Porsche 911, third overall.

Today may have been the final leg but it was no cruise to the finish for the 30 remaining contenders in the second East African Safari Classic. The leg took the crews from Voi into the famous Taita Hills for the first of four competitive sections that could easily have proven to be the sting in the tail. After a further three sections, the crews arrived back at Diani Beach, Mombasa, for the finish after completing 170.70 competitive kilometres in a total distance of 347.04 kilometres. In total, the route covered 4,496.28 kilometres through East Africa.

After suffering with engine problems yesterday, Collinge was back on full power for the final leg. He cruised to the finish, delighted to have won his final rally before retiring from the sport.

“It means a lot to go out like this in our last rally; I’m thrilled,” said Collinge. “I knew it would be tougher this year but the victory is much better than in 2003, as this year we were up against three former World Rally Champions. I thought it was possible to win before the start though, we felt quite confident. We managed to fix the valve retainer last night but our engine problems have been very un-Datsun; it just shows how tough the car is that you can thrash it on five cylinders for a day. I have to say thank you to the control officers; hats off to those guys for a great job.”

Former World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist was lucky to make the finish after breaking the steering rack today. He and co-driver Ana Goni were however happy to finish second in the Escort. “It’s been quite a normal Safari, just like the old days,” said Blomqvist, who won two of today’s sections. “It would have been difficult to win; it was impossible to beat the Datsuns in the ‘70s and it’s the same now. But I’m happy with the result and the car’s been good other than one day of problems.”

Frederic Dor, who finished second in the 2003 event, was equally delighted with third position in the lead Porsche. The Frenchman won two of the day’s sections and finished just over five minutes adrift of Blomqvist. “I’ve really enjoyed it, everything’s been perfect,” he said. “Our only problem has been the roll in the Delamere Estate.”

London City insurance broker John Lloyd was relieved to have finished after crashing in the final leg of the 2003 event. He finished a fine fourth overall in the second Tuthill Porsche 911. Australian Graham Alexander moved one position up the leaderboard today after a furious battle to the finish with Iain Freestone and Björn Waldegård, who finished sixth and seventh respectively.

Commenting on the success of the 2005 East African Safari Classic Rally, Event Director Mike Kirkland said: “I’m totally delighted that everyone has enjoyed themselves so much. They’ve seen our beautiful country and everyone is saying they want to come back on holiday. To have all these happy people in Kenya means a great deal to everyone involved; Kenya has been delighted to host everyone and looks forward to welcoming everyone back again soon.”

Over the last 10 days, the East African Safari Classic has also embraced a humanitarian side by pledging charitable donations along the route, benefiting a number of schools in Kenya.

Overall Results – 2005 East African Safari Rally

1. Rob Collinge/Anton Levitan Datsun 260Z 15hr 49min 18sec

2. Stig Blomqvist/Ana Goni Ford Escort RS1600 16hr 15min 05sec

3. Frederic Dor/Paul Howarth Porsche 911 16hr 20min 35sec

4. John Lloyd/Paul Amandini Porsche 911 16hr 41min 49sec

5. Graham Alexander/David Stewart Datsun 260Z 17hr 04min 33sec

6. Iain Freestone/Preston Ayres Ford Escort 17hr 04min 55sec

7. Björn Waldegård/David Cavanagh Porsche 911 17hr 05min 23sec

8. Anthony Ward/Ievan Thomas Ford Escort 17hr 59min 44min

9. Jonathan Savage/Quentin Savage Datsun 260Z 19hr 02min 17sec

10. Simon Sharpe/Denis Burnett BMW 2002 ti 19hr 14min 08sec

DRIVER QUOTES - LEG 9

5. Bj̦rn Waldeg̴rd /David Cavanagh РS/RI РPorsche 911

“Our first day without problems! It’s been a fantastic Safari though; you have to expect problems but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, even the four hours each night as a mechanic! I think of the old days, passing through such beautiful places, and it amazes me that everyone we have met seems to have loved what I’ve done in Kenya over the years. The competitive sections absolutely compare to the old days, with great stages, and the road sections are easy but not stupidly easy. It’s been fast like hell at times though; 130 kph in the last section. All the effort that we put into this has been worth every minute.”

9. Iain Freestone/Preston Ayres – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“We’ve had one hell of a battle today with Graham Alexander and Björn WaldegÃ¥rd; it’s been the three of us all day. What a fantastic last day though. We took it a bit carefully to get to the finish, but we’re second in class, second Escort and second British crew, so I’m happy, especially as we had no service crew for two days. We’ve enjoyed the whole thing, it’s been fantastic. We’ve spent the whole rally looking after the car and the plan was to be there or thereabouts and expect some attrition. Those I expected to be in front of us are, so we’re well pleased to have finished our second Safari Classic (the crew also finished sixth in 2003). Björn, though, what a true ambassador to rallying; a fantastic guy.”

10. John Lloyd/Paul Amandini – GB/GB – Porsche 911

“We didn’t break anything today, despite Paul telling me to take it easy about 50 times! We’ve been a bit nervous the last few days, but had a good time in the Taita Hills today, which were amazing. I’m absolutely delighted and it’s nice we’ve never been out of the top four. It’s been bloody good fun.”

12. Simon Glover/Russ Langthorne – GB/GB – Ford Escort

The crew is reported to have had an accident in the final section but are unhurt.

15. Anthony Ward/Ievan Thomas – GB/GB – Ford Escort

“We had our first problem of the rally today, when the intercom broke in the second section, which was a pity as it was a lovely twisty section. We’ve had no punctures, no broken wheels, nothing; in 2003 we had seven broken wheels and 15 punctures! The car’s been perfect, even though the rally’s been much faster this year.”

16. David Kedward/Crispin Sassoon – GB/GB – Ford Escort

The crew has been delayed during the leg for unknown reasons. They are however okay.

19. James Ingleby/Mike Bowen – GB/GB – Rover

“We had a puncture after the last section, the only one we’ve had all event. The Rover’s held together and we’re here! We’ve had lots of problems, but Andy and John - the service crew - have been brilliant. It was a very good rally, we’re pleased to be here and the marshals have all been excellent, thank you.”

20. Marzio Kravos/Renzo Bernardi – EAK/EAK – Mercedes 450 SLC

“We’ve had a fantastic day; in fact everything’s been fantastic and the car very good.”

2015. Soren Kjaer/Mads Kjaer – DK/DK – Porsche 911

“We made it, that’s fantastic! It’s been wonderful and rounded off with four fantastic stages today. The whole thing’s been great for us and the UN’s 2015 Millennium Development Goals. We’ve had lots of media coverage for the project which is great. Sportingly, it was sad we broke the engine in Leg 2, otherwise we could have been in the top 10. But, as soon as we put the 2015 number on the car, it wasn’t about a finishing position; that’s what it’s about being a protector of such important goals. It was also wonderful doing the event with my brother and it’s been 12 very exciting days where we’ve also become a lot closer.”

21. Josef Pointinger/Peter Hall – A/GB – Ford Escort

“Not such a bad day for us, unlike yesterday when the clutch broke after the first section; we were lucky the second one was cancelled. This car has done London-México, London-Sydney, the Panama-Alaska, two Safaris and I was King of the Barbados Rally Carnival in 2003. Every one of those events I’ve finished in this car and so it’s retiring now! We’ve done the whole rally without a service crew, but that’s normal for me, and we’ve collected no road penalties either. The car’s pretty much as it was at the start and no one has put a hand on it other than Peter and I.”

22. Graham Alexander/David Stewart – AUS/AUS – Datsun 260Z

“It’s been good, very enjoyable. It was tough, but for my first time in the Safari it was more or less what I expected. Our result is better than we thought it would be; I’ve not rallied for eight years.”

24. Jurgen Bertl/Jiri Kotek – D/CZ – Porsche 911

“We met a truck on a blind left corner in the second section today and ‘kissed’ it with the right rear of the car at high speed, passing it in the ditch. We were lucky it wasn’t anything more major. We’re very happy.” Adding to Jurgen’s comments, Jiri Kotek said: “I’m very happy to have been in such a powerful car, my first time, and it was exciting. We’re very very happy with the Proflex suspension and I have to thank them, as well as Silverstone tyres. We have used just one set of suspension for the whole event; absolutely fabulous. I also have to thank Francis Tuthill, who helped us prepare the car and gave us so much advice and instruction.”

29. Marc Devis/Dan Erculisse – B/B - Porsche 911

“I’m so excited to have finished! It’s great to be here; the dream was always Mombasa and we did it. The car held together and it’s been no easy day today either. It was beautiful up in the Taita Hills and we then had two very fast sections; I was just praying for the car! But, we made it, despite wondering what to do today – whether to play it safe or go for it. I went for it; Dan said I was crazy!”

30. Jean-Michel Martin/Jean-Fran̤ois Chaumont РB/B РPorsche 911

“It’s been extremely difficult, more so than we expected. But we’ve experienced something each day and for a team who has never done the Safari, we’re happy. We’ve been changing the car throughout the event and it’s now better than it was at the start. A fantastic rally.”

32. Timothy Mammen/Jaspal Matharu – GB/EAK – Datsun 1600SSS

“We’re glad to be here at the finish. It was tough this year for us. The car normally behaves but we’ve broken so many things. She’s not been handling well either; always wanting to tip over, which we did once in Tanzania. It was rougher this year and more of a challenge than in 2003.”

33. Aslam Khan/Imran Khan – EAK/EAK – Datsun 180B

“It’s been wonderful. The car has been great and the sections good, especially up in the Taita Hills today. More competitive sections and less road mileage would be good, but we’ve enjoyed it.”

36. Simon Sharpe/Denis Burnett – EAK/GB – BMW 2002

“It was long, tiring and dusty, but a lot of fun. It was definitely worth doing. The rally was what I expected. We broke the engine mounting coming into Mombasa, that’s all today.”

37. Alastair Caldwell/Catriona Rings – GB/GB – Mercedes 280 SE

“We’ve been self-service the whole way and had two days out of the rally repairing the car. It’s been very good though, we’ve enjoyed it a lot. We also found some great people along the route who helped us enormously. One man worked on the car for us until 03:00 hrs as there were no garages open; he changed the whole front suspension which was a huge job. Then we had a problem with the fan and a lady came and helped us. It turns out she (Lynda Hughes) was the youngest female to ever finish the Safari! A fantastic family, who then towed us 40 kilometers to their house, put us up and helped us change the head gasket. We’d do the event again, but not without a service crew.”

39. Imtiaz Dewji/Iqbal Singh Sagoo – GB/GB – Datsun 240Z

“If we hadn’t had bad luck, we’d have had no luck at all! We found it tougher than in 2003, but also better in every way; no complaints at all. We rolled in the second leg in Tanzania but botched up the car in Dar es Salaam and since then have had gearbox and engine mounting problems in every section. Our service crew has also had its own problems, and we’ve only had them for 50% of the time.”

40. John Hills/Michael Tuckey – GB/AUS – Ford Escort

“It was a doddle….not! A great day for us; no problems. It’s a tough event and but for our problems in CS1, who knows, we could have been in the top 10, but that’s rallying.”

47. Jonathan Savage/Quentin Savage – EAK/EAK – Datsun 260Z

“We’ve very very pleased. I’m not sure what we expected, but we’re seriously chuffed to have finished. It’s been excellent with no problems today and we just drove to get to the finish. The car’s as sweet as it was at the start.”

Congratulations to the winning Z team and to all the Zed teams that finished

I'd have thought that the lighter Escorts and rear engined Porsches would have an advantage in that sort of event. Guess that the Datsun is just basically a better designed car :rambo: