Ian Duncan first off Classic Rally ramp
Two-time Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally champion Ian Duncan will start off first in this year’s edition in a Ford Capri.
The start order, which was released on Friday, has attracted 52 crews from various parts of the world.
“We are very pleased and excited to be part of the team of 52 crews which will be gracing this world famous rally. It is a proud moment for Kenya Airways which will be flying many of the world famous rally drivers and cars from across the globe,” said Chris Diaz, Marketing Director of Kenya Airways.
Former FIA World Group N Champion, Gregoire de Mevius of Belgium is seeded second in one of the many Porsches that will participate in the seventh edition of the KQ-sponsored rally.
Leading Kenya National Rally drivers, Carl Tundo (5th), Onkar Rai (8th) and Alistair Cavenagh (10th) are seeded among the top-10 drivers.
The KQ-sponsored event, which will start in Mombasa in November, will be about 3331 kilometers long divide into 24 competitive stages over a period of nine days spread across Kenya and Tanzania. Eighty-percent of the stages are said to be new and have never used before.
TRACKING SYSTEM
“We were on the route of the event last week where we checked each and every stage to make sure everything is right and in its place. We don’t expect major changes though we have alternative routes in case of any unforeseen disasters,’’ said Richard Leeke of South Africa, who is the Clerk of the Course.
This year’s competition will spend the first half of the duration on the Kenyan side before the entourage moves into Tanzania via the Namanga Border for the next part of the action.
As part of the safety and security of the drivers, the organisers have secured a sponsorship deal with Soltic Africa, which will monitor the movement of each and every car during the competition. The tracking system will also keep an eye on any competitor who attempts to take unauthorised short cuts in the competition.
“We will install three devices in every car to make sure if one goes off, then we have spare ones to keep the system in operation. We will deploy eight of our staff on full time basis to be able to handle the situation in the best professional manner,” said Fowzi Ahmed, the CEO of Soltic Africa.
