KENYA: MOTOR RALLYING: Kenyan crew and their Datsun 240Z lead the East African Safari Rally.

Record ID: 214649

  • Title: KENYA: MOTOR RALLYING: Kenyan crew and their Datsun 240Z lead the East African Safari Rally.
  • Date: 6th December 2005
  • Summary: ATHI RIVER, KENYA (DECEMBER04, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) PORSCHE 911 CAR (NO.6) DRIVEN BY JOHN LLOYD AND PAUL AMANDINI AT THE START LINE VARIOUS OF PORSCHE 911 CAR (NO.6) PORSCHE 911 CAR (NO.6) DRIVING PAST SPECTATORS FORD ESCORT RS1600 CAR (NO.4) DRIVEN BY STIG BLOMQVIST AND ANA GONI DRIVING DOWN A SLOPE FORD ESCORT RS1600 CAR (NO.4) DRIVING THROUGH ROCKY ROAD FORD ESCORT RS1600 CAR (NO.4) DRIVING UP A SLOPE FORD ESCORT CAR (NO.15) DRIVEN BY ANTONY WARD AND LEVAN THOMAS GOING DOWN A STEEP DATSUN 240Z CAR (NO.3) DRIVEN BY JUHA KANKKUNEN OF FINLAND DRIVING PAST THORN TREE JUHA KANKKUNEN DRIVING A DATSUN 240Z CAR (NO.3) GOING ROUND BEND JUHA KANKKUNEN DRIVING A DATSUN 240Z CAR (NO.3) IN A HAIL OF DUST (SOUNDBITE) (English) VETERAN RALLY DRIVER, JUHA KANKKUNEN SAYING: "Nowadays the world championship rally are really small sporting events, but this one is like Safari used to be long and good roads. I like it, it's done in the old way and but they have found really good roads around Kenya." PORSCHE 911 CARERRA CAR (NO.5) DRIVEN BY BJORN WALDEGAARD BJORN WALDEGAARD DRIVING PORSCHE 911 CARERRA CAR (NO.5) GOING DOWN A STEEP HILL BJORN WALDEGAARD IN PORSCHE 911 CARERRA CAR (NO.5) DRIVING PAST SPECTATORS ON HILL BJORN WALDEGAARD DRIVING IN HAIL OF DUST BJORN WALDEGAARD DRIVING PAST SPECTATOR LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) RALLY FAN, ANDREW MUNYUA SAYING: "It does give me good memories of when motor sport was really driver versus machine and it's something that cannot go out of our mind you know. It's what we grew up with watching when we were kids up in the village." (SOUNDBITE) (English) RALLY FAN, OMARI MUNGA SAYING: "I am so happy to see this again because by that time I was young as well, like you, but these cars are back again. So the best way I think is to bring the same cars back again into life other than bring cars which cannot last even two years." NAIROBI, KENYA (DECEMBER04,2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) OTHER RALLY CAR WAITING TO BE FLAGGED OFF CLOSE OF OF WHITE PORSCHE INSIDE THE PORSCHE AS DRIVER LOOKS AT NAVIGATING ROUTES CLOSE OF RALLY CREW IN HELMET AN OLD ROVER CAR (NO.19) IN QUEUE FANS HOLDING FLAG WATCHING PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES AN OLD VOLVO CAR (NO.34) AT THE STARTING LINE DATSUN 260Z DRIVEN BY GRAHAM ALEXANDER AND DAVID STEWARD NEGOTIATE A CORNER.
  • Embargoed: 21st December 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAC77QM8TWQDN1MPRWC66X658R
  • Story Text: The all-Kenyan crew of Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan have claimed the lead in the East African Safari Rally after the third leg of this legendary event. The Datsun 260Z driver has had a virtually trouble-free run and has nearly 16 minutes in hand to second-placed Gerard Marcy. John Lloyd, who started fourth overnight, has climbed back into third in the Tuthill-prepared Porsche 911. Stig Blomqvist, who led for the opening two legs, has dropped back to fourth after problems in the first section of the day. John Lloyd regains third position in his Porsche 911. Today, however, the third leg took in four competitive sections over 202.48 kilometres. The route took the crews north from Arusha for one final section in Tanzania, on the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, before crossing the border back into Kenya for the longest test of the event, the 12 kilometre run. The battle for honours between a host of former rivals will be intense. Juha Kankkunen, who won the FIA World Rally Championship in 1986, 1987, 1991 and 1993, is a veteran of 12 Safari Rallies and claimed victories in what was universally regarded as the toughest World Championship event in 1985, 1991 and 1993. Twenty years on, he is again pitted against former team-mate and 1979 World Rally Champion Bjrn Waldegaard, the pair competing in Datsun and Porsche machinery respectively. "Nowadays the world championship rally are really small sporting events but this one is like Safari used to be long and good roads. I like it, it's done in the old way and but they have found really good roads around Kenya," said Juha Kankkunen after arriving in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Many spectators who showed up at the special stage were excited to see the classics back again on the east africa routes. "It does give me good memories when motor sport was really a driver versus machine and it's something that cannot go out of our mind you know, it's what we grew up with watching when we were kids up in the village," said a rally fan Andrew Munyua. For this legendary event, the cars will cover 4,504 kilometres within ten days. Monday (Leg 4) sees the crews head north of Nairobi and into the famed Masai Mara game reserve for another four competitive sections and 175.38 competitive kilometres. The 2005 East African Safari Rally, which has been scheduled outside the international rally calendar and during one of the most beautiful months in East Africa, promises to deliver yet more stunning and memorable action, underlining its status as one of the greatest classic car rallies of the modern era.

    Leaderboard after Leg 3 Rob Collinge/Anton Levitan Datsun 260Z 6hr 30min 49sec Gerard Marcy/Alain Lopes Ford Escort RS 6hr 46min 11sec John Lloyd/Paul Amandini Porsche 911 6hr 51min 48sec Stig Blomqvist/Ana Goni Ford Escort RS1600 6hr 55min 09sec Frederic Dor/Paul Howarth Porsche 911 6hr 58min 16sec Iain Freestone/Preston Ayres Ford Escort 7hr 02min 42sec Bjrn Waldegrd/David Cavanagh Porsche 911 7hr 03min 25sec Simon Glover/Russ Langthorne Ford Escort 7hr 11min 22sec Graham Alexander/David Stewart Datsun 260Z 7hr 11min 50sec Anthony Ward/Ievan Thomas Ford Escort 7hr 17min 28sec
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