Geoff Bell’s Tenacity Shines On As Drivers Power Through Leg 2 Of The East African Safari Classic Rally
KAJIADO, Kenya– In a display of flawless driving, Geoff Bell, accompanied by navigator Tim Challen, conquered the second leg of the East African Safari Classic Rally today, widening the gap between him and competitors by more than three minutes.
Powering his Datsun 240Z, Bell continued to showcase his expert skills, outpacing Italy’s Eugenio Amos by an impressive 3 minutes and 16 seconds, with Philip Kadoorrie securing the third spot overall,8 minutes, 54 seconds behind the leader.
Speaking at a road service after the last stage, a cool relaxed, and smiling Bell, was happy with the day they had in the office.
“We are still having overheating problems so we are having to change the gear early not getting the normal top speed that we are used to but overall nice day and the last stage was fantastic”. Said Bell.
Bell managed a top-ten finish on both stages of the day.
Defending champion Baldev Chager, navigated by Gareth Dawe, faced a challenging start in the Teita to Taita Sanctuary stage, recovering from a wrong slot that cost them valuable time. Despite the setback, Charger made amends in the second stage, finishing third and climbing the overall leaderboard to 5th.
Chager leads the Kenyan top 5 contenders on the leaderboard, with Rajesh Maini powering his Ford Escort MK1 to 9th place, Ian Duncan (Datsun 280Z), and Anthony Nielsen (Ford Escort MK2) in 12th and 14th place, respectively while debutant Kyle Lucas (Ford Escort MK2) in 24th place.
Regrettably, the second stage was canceled due to inclement weather, impacting the 64 Km Rombo to Olitoktok section.
South Africa’s Johnny Gemnel claimed his first stage win, clocking 12 minutes and 4 seconds on the 79 Km Estate, surpassing Eugenio Amos and Emille Breittmayer.
While Piers Daykin, driving a Datsun 280Z, secured the second stage of the day, Elenkay to Isineti, beating Chager by 16.2 seconds and clinching his maiden stage win in the Classic Rally.
9th placed Rajesh Maini and Devan, in a Ford Escort MK1, showcased a remarkable performance despite facing challenging starts in the previous two Classic Rallies, leading to their withdrawals on Day 1.
In an unexpected twist, this year they completed both day one and two, securing commendable top-ten positions with their Ford Escort MK1.
Notably, they had a mere four days to prepare for this year’s edition, highlighting their resilience and determination in overcoming obstacles.
Commenting on their journey, Devan shared, “Coming into this rally due to circumstances, we were not ready, and we had to prepare the car within a very short space of time. We only had four days to get the car ready, as the other vehicle we intended to use faced delays and did not arrive on time. The last two days have been a dream for us. We never expected to finish as well as we did yesterday. It’s all about keeping it steady and clean because this is a very long rally, and we have six more days to go.”
Leg 3
On Day 3, competitors will head out from Amboseli to Naivasha. The day’s challenging stages include CS7 IREMITO to SELENKAY covering a distance of 77 km to be followed by CS 8, OLOOTEPES TO ISINYA, spanning 64 km, then head on to CS 9, from PARANE TO KAMUKURU, covering a distance of 75 km, and the first car is anticipated to complete the stage by 12:11 pm.
