# Safari Rally

The Safari Rally is an automobile rally held in Kenya. It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is historically regarded as one of the toughest events in the World Rally Championship, and one of the most popular rallies in Africa. From 2003, a historical event (East African Safari Rally) has been held biennially.

## History

It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, 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. From 1973, the rally was part of the World Rally Championship.
The 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi) route featured a variety of roads and terrain - from fesh fesh (very fine powdered sand), fast farm tracks, and very rough roads up or down the Great Rift Valley. In heavy rain, roads would often turn into thick, deep mud. The event was run on open roads, with all of the route being competitive mileage. The driver with the lowest accumulation of penalty time between time controls was declared the winner.
The rally was historically one of the fastest events in the world championship with average speeds over 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). However, the roughness of the terrain and the long stages meant that the winner was often the most reliable or the fastest cautious driver. In later years, top rally teams would use helicopters to fly ahead of the cars to warn of animals or other vehicles on the rally route.
Teams built specially strengthened cars for the event, with bullbars, snorkels (for river crossings) and bright lights to warn wildlife. In the 1990s, Toyota Team Europe had a full-time test team in Kenya, preparing and testing the rally cars for the event. During the rally, repairs had to be regularly made to the cars, which added to the elapsed time of the competitors. In later years, tyre mousse - allowing tyres to maintain functionality despite a puncture - allowed drivers to tackle the event flat out, despite the length of the event.
In 1996, the event adopted the special stage format, and servicing cars from helicopters was prohibited. From that edition until 2002, it featured around 2000 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. Despite this, the rally continued to be run on open roads. The event was excluded from the WRC calendar due to a lack of finance and organisation in 2003.

### Modern event

From the 2003 edition, the event became part of the African Rally Championship. The event was modernised, with shorter stages and running on closed roads - like other events in the World Championship. Two editions of the rally - 2007 and 2009 - were also part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. In 2013, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta announced a plan to return the Safari Rally to the world championship.
On the 27 September 2019, it was announced that the 2020 edition would be part of the World Rally Championship. This event 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 24–27 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. The Safari has a WRC contract until 2026.

## Winners

Kenyan drivers Shekhar Mehta and Carl Tundo have been the most successful competitors, with five outright victories each. Mehta won first in 1973, then consecutively from 1979 to 1982 - all while the event was part of the world championship. Tundo won five editions when the event was part of the African Rally Championship - the 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2018 events. Tundo has also finished on the podium twelve times, ahead of fellow Kenyan Ian Duncan with nine podium finishes.
| Year | Rally Name / Dates | Winning Driver | Co-driver | Winning Car | Status |
| 1953 | 1st Coronation Safari Rally | Alan Dix | Johnny Larsen | Volkswagen Beetle | |
| 1954 | 2nd Coronation Safari Rally | D P Marwaha | Vic Preston Sr | Volkswagen Beetle | |
| 1955 | 3rd Coronation Safari Rally | Vic Preston Sr | D P Marwaha | Ford Zephyr | |
| 1956 | 4th Coronation Safari Rally | Eric Cecil | Tony Vickers | DKW | |
| 1957 | 5th Coronation Safari Rally | Gus Hofmann | Arthur Burton | Volkswagen Beetle | |
| 1958 | 6th Coronation Safari Rally | T. Brooke Arne Kopperud Morris Temple-Boreham | Peter Hughes Kora Kopperud Mike Armstrong | Ford Anglia 100E (Impala class) Ford Zephyr II (Lion class) Auto Union 1000 (Leopard class) | |
| 1959 | 7th Coronation Safari Rally | Bill Fritschy | Jack Ellis | Mercedes-Benz 219 | |
| 1960 | 8th East African Safari Rally | Bill Fritschy | Jack Ellis | Mercedes-Benz 219 | |
| 1961 | 9th East African Safari Rally | John Manussis | Bill Coleridge David Bekett | Mercedes-Benz 220SE | |
| 1962 | 10th East African Safari Rally | Tommy Fjastad | Bernhard Schmider | Volkswagen 1200 | |
| 1963 | 11th East African Safari Rally | Nick Nowicki | Paddy Cliff | Peugeot 404 | |
| 1964 | 12th East African Safari Rally | Peter Hughes | Bill Young | Ford Cortina GT | |
| 1965 | 13th East African Safari Rally | Joginder Singh | Jaswant Singh | Volvo PV 544 | |
| 1966 | 14th East African Safari Rally | Bert Shankland | Chris Rothwell | Peugeot 404 | |
| 1967 | 15th East African Safari Rally | Bert Shankland | Chris Rothwell | Peugeot 404 | |
| 1968 | 16th East African Safari Rally | Nick Nowicki | Paddy Cliff | Peugeot 404 | |
| 1969 | 17th East African Safari Rally | Robin Hillyar | Jock Aird | Ford Taunus 20M RS | |
| 1970 | 18th East African Safari Rally | Edgar Herrmann | Hans Schüller | Datsun 1600 SSS | |
| 1971 | 19th East African Safari Rally | Edgar Herrmann | Hans Schüller | 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 | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Escort RS1800 | WRC |
| 1978 | 26th Safari Rally (23 – 27 Mar) | Jean-Pierre Nicolas | Jean-Claude Lefèbvre | Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé | WRC |
| 1979 | 27th Safari Rally (12 – 16 Apr) | Shekhar Mehta | Mike Doughty | Datsun 160J | WRC |
| 1980 | 28th Marlboro Safari Rally (3 – 7 Apr) | Shekhar Mehta | Mike Doughty | Datsun 160J | WRC |
| 1981 | 29th Marlboro 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 | Terry Harryman | Opel Ascona 400 | WRC |
| 1984 | 32nd Marlboro Safari Rally (19 – 23 Apr) | Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius | 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 | Juha Piironen | 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 | Juha Piironen | Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | WRC |
| 1994 | 42nd Trustbank Safari Rally (31 Mar – 3 Apr) | Ian Duncan | David Williamson | Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | WRC |
| 1995 | 43rd Safari Rally Kenya (14–17 Apr) | Yoshio Fujimoto | Arne Hertz | Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | 2LWC |
| 1996 | 44th Safari Rally Kenya (5–7 Apr) | Tommi Mäkinen | Seppo Harjanne | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III | WRC |
| 1997 | 45th Safari Rally Kenya (1–3 Mar) | Colin McRae | Nicky Grist | Subaru Impreza WRC97 | WRC |
| 1998 | 46th Safari Rally Kenya (28 Feb – 2 Mar) | Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evolution IV (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV) | WRC |
| 1999 | 47th 555 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 Equator Rally Kenya (9–11 Oct) | Glen Edmunds | Titch Phillips | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI | ARC |
| 2004 | 52nd KCB Safari Rally Kenya (12–14 Mar) | Carl Tundo | Tim Jessop | Subaru Impreza | ARC |
| 2005 | 53rd KCB Safari Rally (15th – 17th Jul) | Glen Edmunds | Des Page-Morris | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII | ARC |
| 2006 | 54th KCB Safari Rally (24 – 26 Mar) | Azar Anwar | George Mwangi | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI | ARC |
| 2007 | 55th KCB Safari Rally (9–11 Mar) | Conrad Rautenbach | Peter Marsh | Subaru Impreza N10 | IRC & ARC |
| 2008 | 56th KCB Safari Rally (27–29 Jun) | Lee Rose | Piers Daykin | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | ARC |
| 2009 | 57th KCB Safari Rally (3–5 Apr) | Carl Tundo | Tim Jessop | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | IRC & ARC |
| 2010 | 58th KCB Safari Rally (2–4 Apr) | Lee Rose | Piers Daykin | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | ARC |
| 2011 | 59th KCB Safari Rally (17–19 Jun) | Carl Tundo | Tim Jessop | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | ARC |
| 2012 | 60th KCB Safari Rally (8–10 Jun) | Carl Tundo | Tim Jessop | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | ARC |
| 2013 | 61st KCB Safari Rally (5–7 Jul) | Baldev Chager | Ravi Soni | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | ARC |
| 2014 | 62nd KCB Safari Rally (12–14 Sep) | Baldev Chager | Ravi Soni | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | ARC |
| 2015 | 63rd KCB Safari Rally (4–5 Apr) | Singh Chatthe Jaspreet | Panesar Gurdeep | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 | KRC |
| 2016 | 64th KCB Safari Rally (10–11 Jun) | Singh Chatthe Jaspreet | Panesar Gurdeep | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 | KRC |
| 2017 | 65th Safari Rally (17–18 Mar) | Tapio Laukkanen | Gavin Laurence | Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4 D R4 | ARC & KRC |
| 2018 | 66th Safari Rally (16–18 Mar) | Carl Tundo | Tim Jessop | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 | ARC & KRC |
| 2019 | 67th Safari Rally (5–7 Jul) | Baldev Chager | Ravi Soni | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 | ARC & KRC |
| 2020 | 68th Safari Rally (16–19 Jul) | Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns | Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns | Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns | Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns |
| 2021 | 68th Safari Rally (24–27 Jun) | Sébastien Ogier | Julien Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | WRC |
| 2022 | 69th Safari Rally (23–26 Jun) | Kalle Rovanperä | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | WRC |
| 2023 | 70th Safari Rally (22–25 Jun) | Sebastien Ogier | Vincent Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | WRC |
| 2024 | 71st Safari Rally (28–31 Mar) | Kalle Rovanperä | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 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 = Kenya National Rally Championship

## 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. The nine day event takes place over 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi), and is open to vehicles built before 1985. The 2017 edition of the rally had joint winners, as both Richard Jackson and Carl Tundo had the same time.
| Year | Dates | Winning Driver | Winning Co-driver | Winning Car |
| 2003 | Dec 10 – Dec 19 | Rob Collinge Anton Levitan | Anton Levitan | Datsun 240Z |
| 2005 | Dec 1 – Dec 10 | Rob Collinge | Anton Levitan | Datsun 260Z |
| 2007 | Nov 25 – Dec 3 | Björn Waldegård | Mathias Waldegård | Ford Escort Mk1 |
| 2009 | Nov 22 – Dec 1 | Ian Duncan | Amaar Slatch | Ford Mustang |
| 2011 | Nov 20 – Nov 28 | Björn Waldegård | Mathias Waldegård | Porsche 911 |
| 2013 | Nov 21 – Nov 29 | Ian Duncan | Amaar Slatch | Ford Capri |
| 2015 | Nov 19 – Nov 27 | Stig Blomqvist | Stéphane Prévot | Porsche 911 |
| 2017 | Nov 23 – Dec 1 | Richard Jackson Ryan Champion jointly with Carl Tundo Tim Jessop | Richard Jackson Ryan Champion jointly with Carl Tundo Tim Jessop | Porsche 911 Triumph TR7 |
| 2019 | Nov 27 – Dec 6 | Kris Rosenberger | Niki Bleicher | Porsche 911 |
| 2022 | Feb 10 – 18 | Baldev Chager | Drew Sturrock | Porsche 911 |