Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is a rally held in Kenya. It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika,[1] as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1960 it was renamed the East African Safari Rally and kept that name until 1974, when it became the Safari Rally. Widely regarded as one of the most popular African rallies, it was set to make a return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2020 after an 18-year hiatus, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instead making its return in 2021.
The earlier iteration of the Safari Rally was notorious for being by far the most difficult rally in the WRC championship to take on, so difficult that it was once said that winning this particular rally felt like winning three rallies at once. The arduous conditions, such as the constantly changing weather and the very rough roads often rife with sharp rocks, made life very difficult for team personnel. Intense repairs had to be regularly made to the cars, which added to the elapsed time of the competitors. Frequently, all this work had to be done in intense heat and humidity.
The event adopted the special stage format in 1996. From that edition until 2002, it featured over 1000 km of timed stages, with stages well over 60 kilometres (37 mi) long, unlike most rallies which had under 500 kilometres (310 mi) of total timed distance. This meant that the winner's total time penalty was above 12 hours in 1996 and decreased to two seconds shy of 8 hours in 2002.
The event was excluded from the WRC calendar due to a lack of finance and organisation in 2003. Since 2003, the event has been part of the African Rally Championship, organised by the FIA.
On the 27 September 2019, the Safari Rally was reintroduced into the WRC championship calendar starting with the 2020 rally between 16 and 19 July, but was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Safari Rally eventually made a comeback to the WRC in 2021 after an eighteen-year hiatus from the 24th - 27th June, with a successful event held in Kenya on the floor of the Rift Valley in Naivasha, Nakuru County. Sebastian Ogier and Julien Ingrassia emerged as winners in their Toyota Yaris WRC.
Local driver Shekhar Mehta is the most successful competitor in the event, with five outright victories, first in 1973, then consecutively from 1979 to 1982.
Past winners[]
| Year | Rally Name / Dates | Winning Driver | Co-driver | Winning Car | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 1st Coronation Safari Rally | 
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|
Volkswagen Beetle | |
| 1954 | 2nd Coronation Safari Rally |
|
|
Volkswagen Beetle | |
| 1955 | 3rd Coronation Safari Rally |
|
|
Ford Zephyr | |
| 1956 | 4th Coronation Safari Rally |
|
|
DKW | |
| 1957 | 5th Coronation Safari Rally |
|
|
Volkswagen Beetle | |
| 1958 | 6th Coronation Safari Rally |
|
|
Ford Anglia 100E (Impala class) Ford Zephyr II (Lion class) Auto Union 1000 (Leopard class) |
|
| 1959 | 7th Coronation Safari Rally |
|
|
Mercedes-Benz 219 | |
| 1960 | 8th East African Safari Rally |
|
|
Mercedes-Benz 219 | |
| 1961 | 9th East African Safari Rally |
|
|
Mercedes-Benz 220SE | |
| 1962 | 10th East African Safari Rally |
|
|
Volkswagen 1200 | |
| 1963 | 11th East African Safari Rally |
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|
Peugeot 404 | |
| 1964 | 12th East African Safari Rally | 
|
|
Ford Cortina GT | |
| 1965 | 13th East African Safari Rally | Joginder Singh
|
|
Volvo PV 544 | |
| 1966 | 14th East African Safari Rally |  Bert Shankland
|
|
Peugeot 404 | |
| 1967 | 15th East African Safari Rally | Bert Shankland
|
|
Peugeot 404 | |
| 1968 | 16th East African Safari Rally |
|
|
Peugeot 404[2] | |
| 1969 | 17th East African Safari Rally |
|
Jock Aird
|
Ford Taunus 20M RS | |
| 1970 | 18th East African Safari Rally | Edgar Herrmann
|
|
Datsun 1600 SSS | |
| 1971 | 19th East African Safari Rally | Edgar Herrmann
|
|
Datsun 240Z | |
| 1972 | 20th East African Safari Rally (30 Mar – 3 Apr) |
 Hannu Mikkola
|
 Gunnar Palm
|
Ford Escort RS1600 | IMC |
| 1973 | 21st East African Safari Rally (19 – 23 Apr) |
Shekhar Mehta
|
Lofty Drews
|
Datsun 240Z | WRC |
| 1974 | 22nd East African Safari Rally (11 – 15 Apr) |
Joginder Singh
|
David Doig
|
Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR | WRC |
| 1975 | 23rd Safari Rally (27 – 31 Mar) |
Ove Andersson
|
Arne Hertz
|
Peugeot 504 | WRC |
| 1976 | 24th Safari Rally (15 – 19 Apr) |
Joginder Singh
|
David Doig
|
Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR | WRC |
| 1977 | 25th Safari Rally (7 – 11 Apr) |
Björn Waldegård
|
|
Ford Escort RS1800 | WRC |
| 1978 | 26th Safari Rally (23 – 27 Mar) |
 Jean-Pierre Nicolas
|
|
Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé | WRC |
| 1979 | 27th Safari Rally (12 – 16 Apr) |
Shekhar Mehta
|
Mike Doughty
|
Datsun 160J | WRC |
| 1980 | 28th Safari Rally (3 – 7 Apr) |
Shekhar Mehta
|
Mike Doughty
|
Datsun 160J | WRC |
| 1981 | 29th Safari Rally (16 – 20 Apr) |
Shekhar Mehta
|
Mike Doughty
|
Nissan Violet GT | WRC |
| 1982 | 30th Marlboro Safari Rally (8 – 12 Apr) |
Shekhar Mehta
|
Mike Doughty
|
Nissan Violet GT | WRC |
| 1983 | 31st Marlboro Safari Rally (30 Mar – 4 Apr) |
Ari Vatanen
|
|
Opel Ascona 400 | WRC |
| 1984 | 32nd Marlboro Safari Rally (19 – 23 Apr) |
Björn Waldegård
|
|
Toyota Celica TCT | WRC |
| 1985 | 33rd Marlboro Safari Rally (4 – 8 Apr) |
Juha Kankkunen
|
Fred Gallagher
|
Toyota Celica TCT | WRC |
| 1986 | 34th Marlboro Safari Rally (29 Mar – 2 Apr) |
Björn Waldegård
|
Fred Gallagher
|
Toyota Celica TCT | WRC |
| 1987 | 35th Marlboro Safari Rally (16 – 20 Apr) |
Hannu Mikkola
|
Arne Hertz
|
Audi 200 Quattro | WRC |
| 1988 | 36th Marlboro Safari Rally (31 Mar – 4 Apr) |
 Miki Biasion
|
Tiziano Siviero
|
Lancia Delta HF Integrale | WRC |
| 1989 | 37th Marlboro Safari Rally (23–27 Mar) |
Miki Biasion
|
Tiziano Siviero
|
Lancia Delta HF Integrale | WRC |
| 1990 | 38th Marlboro Safari Rally (11–16 Apr) |
Björn Waldegård
|
Fred Gallagher
|
Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 | WRC |
| 1991 | 39th Martini Safari Rally 27 (Mar – 1 Apr) |
Juha Kankkunen
|
|
Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v | WRC |
| 1992 | 40th Martini Safari Rally 27 (Mar – 1 Apr) |
 Carlos Sainz
|
Luis Moya
|
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | WRC |
| 1993 | 41st Trustbank Safari Rally (8–12 Apr) |
Juha Kankkunen
|
|
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | WRC |
| 1994 | 42nd Trustbank Safari Rally (31 Mar – 3 Apr) |
Ian Duncan
|
|
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | WRC |
| 1995 | 43rd Safari Rally (14–17 Apr) |
|
Arne Hertz
|
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | 2LWC |
| 1996 | 44th Safari Rally (5–7 Apr) |
Tommi Mäkinen
|
Seppo Harjanne
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III | WRC |
| 1997 | 45th Safari Rally (1–3 Mar) |
Colin McRae
|
Nicky Grist
|
Subaru Impreza WRC97 | WRC |
| 1998 | 46th Safari Rally (28 Feb – 2 Mar) |
Richard Burns
|
Robert Reid
|
Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evolution IV (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV) | WRC |
| 1999 | 47th Safari Rally (26–28 Feb) |
Colin McRae
|
Nicky Grist
|
Ford Focus WRC | WRC |
| 2000 | 48th Sameer Safari Rally (25–27 Feb) |
Richard Burns
|
Robert Reid
|
Subaru Impreza WRC00 | WRC |
| 2001 | 49th Safari Rally (20–22 Jul) |
Tommi Mäkinen
|
Risto Mannisenmäki
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6.5 | WRC |
| 2002 | 50th Inmarsat Safari Rally (12–14 Jul) |
Colin McRae
|
Nicky Grist
|
Ford Focus RS WRC 02 | WRC |
| 2003 | 51st KCB Safari Rally (9–11 Oct) |
|
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI | ARC |
| 2004 | 52nd KCB Safari Rally (12–14 Mar) |
Carl Tundo
|
|
Subaru Impreza | ARC |
| 2005 | 53rd KCB Safari Rally (15th – 17th Jul) |
|
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII | ARC |
| 2006 | 54th KCB Safari Rally (24 – 26 Mar) |
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI | ARC |
| 2007 | 55th KCB Safari Rally (9–11 Mar) |
 Conrad Rautenbach
|
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Subaru Impreza N10 | IRC & ARC |
| 2008 | 56th KCB Safari Rally (27–29 Jun) |
|
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | ARC |
| 2009 | 57th KCB Safari Rally (3–5 Apr) |
Carl Tundo
|
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | IRC & ARC |
| 2010 | 58th KCB Safari Rally (2–4 Apr) |
|
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | ARC |
| 2011 | 59th KCB Safari Rally (17–19 Jun) |
Carl Tundo
|
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | ARC |
| 2012 | 60th KCB Safari Rally (8–10 Jun) |
Carl Tundo
|
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | ARC |
| 2013 | 61st KCB Safari Rally (5–7 Jul) |
|
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | ARC |
| 2014 | 62nd KCB Safari Rally (12–14 Sep) |
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | ARC |
| 2015 | 63rd KCB Safari Rally (4–5 Apr) |
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 | KRC |
| 2016 | 64th KCB Safari Rally (10–11 Jun) |
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 | KRC |
| 2017 | 65th Safari Rally (17–18 Mar) |
Tapio Laukkanen
|
|
Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4 D R4 | ARC & KRC |
| 2018 | 66th Safari Rally (16–18 Mar) |
Carl Tundo
|
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 | ARC & KRC |
| 2019 | 67th Safari Rally (5–7 Jul) |
|
Ravi Soni
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 | ARC & KRC |
| 2020 | 68th Safari Rally (16–19 Jul) |
Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns | WRC | ||
| 2021 | 68th Safari Rally (24–27 Jun) |
Sébastien Ogier
|
Julien Ingrassia
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | WRC |
Notes: IMC = International Championship for Manufacturers, WRC = World Rally Championship, 2LWC = 2-Litre World Cup, ARC = African Rally Championship, IRC = Intercontinental Rally Challenge, KRC =
East African Safari Rally (classic)[]
The East African Safari Rally is a Classic rally event first held in 2003 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first running of the event. The event has since been held biennially.
| Year | Dates | Winning Driver / Co-driver | Winning Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Dec 10 – Dec 19 |
|
Datsun 240Z |
| 2005 | Dec 1 – Dec 10 |
|
Datsun 260Z |
| 2007 | Nov 25 – Dec 3 | Björn Waldegård
|
Ford Escort Mk1 |
| 2009 | Nov 22 – Dec 1 | Ian Duncan
|
Ford Mustang |
| 2011 | Nov 20 – Nov 28 | Björn Waldegård[3]
|
Porsche 911 |
| 2013 | Nov 21 – Nov 29 | Ian Duncan
|
Ford Capri |
| 2015 | Nov 19 – Nov 27 | Stig Blomqvist  Stéphane Prévot
|
Porsche 911 |
| 2017 | Nov 23 – Dec 1 | Richard Jackson[4]
jointly with[5]
|
Porsche 911 |
See also[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Safari Rally. |
- Safari Rally (1978 film)
- Safari 3000 (1982 film)
References[]
- ^ The name Tanzania did not exist in 1953
- ^ "Safari 68". Autocar. Vol. 129 (nbr 3777). 4 July 1968. pp. 6–9.
- ^ International sportworld communication. "Safari glory for first world champion Waldegard". 29 November 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ "Final Classification Safari Classic 2017". East African Safari Classic Rally. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ "Tundo and Jackson share Safari Classic victory". East African Safari Classic Rally. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
External links[]
- Safari Rally
- Intercontinental Rally Challenge rallies
- Recurring sporting events established in 1953
- World Rally Championship rallies
- Coronation of Elizabeth II