Ben Muchemi will be in the thick of the action and driving a two litre Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV in the 4,300 kilometre long KQ East African Safari Classic rally which gets underway in Mombasa today.

Ben Muchemi has chosen to drive a two litre Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV in the KQ East African Safari Classic which gets underway today, reports Coastweek. He is teamed with George Njoroge and will start at Number 40.

Muchemi is the only competitor listed to drive an Alfa Romeo in the 4,300 kilometre event which starts in Mombasa. He told Coastweek: "If you look back over the years my choice of car is a very good bet. In the past, Jack Simonian and his navigator Mike Doughty were usually the only competitors driving an Alfa Romeo in championship rallies but they captured the Kenya title."

Ben continued, "Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan used an Alfetta to win the Kenya National Rally Championship in 1978. History has a habit of repeating itself and George and I aim to repeat the successes achieved by Alfa in the past. My Alfa was admired by the spectators at the Schweppes Concours d'Elegance when I competed in the rally car class. This was a salute to Safaricom, my main sponsor and the Alfa Romeo Owners Club.

"After a good run in this year's Championship, I will adjust my driving from the present day sprint type rallies and adapt to the original motoring adventure style of the East African Safari. This requires concentration on the objective of keeping going and leaving other competitors to drop out of contention. It will be a matter of pacing my driving to bring the Alfetta back to Mombasa in the top ten at the end of the Safari which is the rally equivalent of a marathon. It is an honour to drive the Alfetta which has been prepared by S.S. Kalsi who has been responsible for 17 Safari rally cars."

East African Safari Classic

After the loss of the Safari Rally from the World Rally Championship in 2002, rally enthusiasts led by Mike Kirkland and Surinder Thatthi decided to recreate the nostalgia of "The Safari" by reverting to the unique characteristics of the East African Safari Rally. The idea was to allow classic cars built before 1974 and to avoid the powerful turbo charged and 4WD drive cars. The stages, or sections would be longer and the service crews and back up would be limited just like in the early days.

Mike Kirkland successfully participated in the London Sydney marathon in 2004 and finished in third position. He always thought that a revival of the East African Classic Safari Rally would be a fantastic project. In 2001 the East African Safari Rally Ltd was formed with Mike Kirkland, Surinder Thatthi and Mike Doughty. The first event was planned and run in December of 2003. The event had 53 entries and ran through Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania over a distance of 5000 Kilometres in ten days. Night stops were at exotic and famous hotels and lodges. The second successful running was in 2005 and had 49 entries. Both the 2003 and 2005 Classic Safari Rally events were won by, Kenyans Rob Collinge and Anton Levitan in a Datsun 240Z and 260Z respectively.

The stage is now set and it is all systems go today for the 59 contestants in the 3rd KQ East African Safari Rally in Kenya and Tanzania. From its humble beginning in 2003, the Safari, now fighting for its deserved place in the Kenya's sporting annuals after the Tusker Safari Sevens and Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, is a true reflection of Kenya's special places in the world motor racing. Enthusiasm and response at home and abroad has been overwhelming to a point it now rivals the once world championship Safari Rally. With 36 drivers being local, the safari's future has been assured. That 59 drivers two of them former world champions and shapers of the sport in the 80s through 90s_confirms the thirst and great memories rallying tests in Kenya and by extension Tanzania evoke the world over.

To headline this year's Safari between November 25 to December 3 is three times Safari champion Björn Waldegård, winner of the 1977 East Classic in a Ford Escort RS1800. In a repeat of history, Waldegård, a former world champion and a true legend among peers, is looking forward towards the Safari with the same temperament like in 1977 when it was thoroughly wet. But he went on to conquer the marathon, consolidating his lead through the thoroughly wet Kerio/Cherangani Hills sections when he gradually ran away from his distant cousin Rauno Aaltonen, one of the original Flying Finns who was driving a Datsun 160J.

Weather conditions are threatening to recreate the race of 1977, according to event's director Surinder Thatthi. During recce, Thatthi went calling the managing director of the Fluorspar Mine, down the scenic Kerio Valley but a nightmare for drivers irrespective of the weather condition. He was informed that the weather pattern indicate another El Nino is in the making, based on the 1997 figures. With the cars on either front or rear wheel traction, the Safari could be a real test for man and machine if the current rains persist. However, organisers have complementary notes and routes in a worst case scenario.

Waldegård will drive a Ford Escort MKII followed by Stig Blomqvist in a similar machine. The evergreen Swede, navigated by Anna Goni from Venezuela, was second last year behind Rob Collinge in his quest for Safari victory which has eluded him since his days with VW Golf and Ford. Kenya's greatest hope is Ian Duncan, the 1994 Safari Champion in a 4.5 litre Ford Mustang which he has fine-tuned though entered by Historic Motorsport. In 2005, Duncan who had overcome some teething problems including electrics in the Ford Escort RS1600 in Kenya and parts of Tanzania was getting fired up after setting fastest stage in the famous Usambara Mountains when he suffered a nasty roll and bowed out. Given his driving approach in the national championship events, he is bound to make good his challenge. In a battle between the engineering excellence of the West and simplicity but proven knowledge of the Orients, the Safari will water down to another bruising showcase between the Datsun and the Fords. Just like the old days. Through Collinge, Datsun has won the last two editions with Ford looking for their first. This, according to aficionado could turn out to be the year for Ford and the foreign drivers to break the East African jinx. However, the Datsun brigade will not let it go.

One of the leading foreigners, John Lloyd has been out in Kenya testing it on typical roads in a Datsun 260Z. Lloyd has participated in both the previous editions of the Classic Safari and is likely to be a strong contender for outright victory this year. On his first Kenya Airways Safari Classic in 2003, he rolled his Ford Escort on the very last day while lying a creditable fifth overall. On the last Classic Safari in 2005, he finished third overall in a Porsche 911.