2009 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally – Steve Perez Updates

The 2009 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally takes place between the 22nd November to the 1st December 2009, with entries from all over the world including Steve Perez.

Day 1 - Mombasa to Mombasa - 22nd November

Last years winner Bjorn Waldegard took fourth place ahead of the Kick Energy Rally driver Steve Perez who completed the opening test in fifth place. Perez reported few dramas on the 10km stage and is in confident mood, which is in stark contrast to the build up to the rally which has seen the team endure a number of problems.

First up, engine failure during early testing with the historic-specification Datsun 260Z, which Perez is sharing with the experienced co driver Staffan Parmander, meant that spares had to be flown in from Australia and also a heavy landing meant the BTR team had to change the track control arm and bottom joint on one side of the front suspension before Steve could continue with the 300km of pre-event testing that was required.

Another part of the Perez quipe which was also put to the test early on and worked perfectly first time was his personal helicopter, which Steve chartered this year following his accident on the event two years ago. That got called into use earlier than anticipated to take his partner, Angie, to Mombasa hospital after she had fallen and, as it turned out, had broken a small bone in her foot.

"The stage today was nothing in comparison to the run up we've had to the start what with the problems with the engine and the suspension damage! I'm pleased with my time today which will see us start just behind Bjorn so if we end up catching him, I know I'm going too fast! Also, it was very good of Angie to volunteer to try out the Medivac emergency procedure we had implemented and I'll rest easier knowing that is in place if I need it"

, quipped the former British and Historic Rally Champion.

Day two sees the crew leave the Whitesands Hotel in Mombasa at 07.00 local time (04.00 GMT) for a loop inland to the Taita Hills Lodge near Voi which is scheduled to finish at around 16:00 local time.

Day 2 - Mombasa to Voi

Day two saw Perez reported an incident packed day as he holds onto fifth position.

On the day's opening stage, another heavy landing caused some minor steering rack damage to the historic-specification Datsun 260Z, which Perez is sharing with the experienced co driver Staffan Parmander, but despite losing a small amount of time, he reached the stage finish without further problems.

However, it was on the second stage that the drama returned whereby the former British National and Historic Rally Champion set the fourth fastest time. Flat out for much of the stage at around 120mph, the pair came across a pile of elephant dung which Steve couldn't avoid and despite almost crashing, he quickly managed to regain control!

Undeterred, Perez forged on to set the fastest time on the day's third test and in doing so claimed his first foreign stage win to hold fifth position just behind the similar Datsun of Australian driver Graham Alexander at today's halt at Taita Hills Lodge near Voi.

"Not many people will have ever hit a pile of elephant crap at 120mph, it's not the sort of thing you come across in Hafren, that's for sure! It was as solid as a rock and we nearly had a massive accident but luckily we managed to keep the car on its wheels and continue. We knew there was a lot of wildlife about because we'd been warned at the start to stay in our cars if we broke down but luckily, that wasn't the case. Now we are preparing for tomorrow which is on some of the roughest roads in Africa so the team is preparing the car for another tortuous day,"

said Steve.

Day three sees the crew leave the Taita Hills Lodge near Voi in Kenya at 06.00 local time (03.00 GMT) and head over the border into Tanzania for the stages to the south of Mount Kilimanjaro and are scheduled to reach the overnight halt at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, Usa River, near Arusha at around 16:00 local time.

For further details: www.eastafricansafarirally.com

Picture courtesy of Geoff Mayes.