Racing in the wild: East Africa Classic Safari Rally

Last year, as the Safari Rally headed to ‘Vasha’, I staked it out in the city and listened in nostalgia as friends and colleagues relived the good old days of the rally. Less than a year later, the craze was in town again in the name of the East African Classic Safari Rally.

And while I had missed the opening legs of the 10th edition of the Classic Rally in Naivasha, Nakuru and Laikipia, I was determined to have a front-row seat and watch the wilder side of the race in Amboseli and the ‘beach edition’ in Watamu.

I belong to a generation that gets a spike in adrenaline whenever the fast cars are cruising in the jungle, having been weaned on the once globally-acclaimed Safari Rally.

My team and I woke up before dawn from Kibo Slopes, the serene enclave establishment near Loitokitok that is aptly named after the highest peak in Africa.

From here we drove through the well-paved road out of the border town and onto the dusty one to Amboseli in order to find a vantage point along the special stage.

Half an hour later and the first rays of the rising sun had cast a golden glow on Kilimanjaro, creating a perfect glow on the ice cap. It was promising to be another hot day in the rally, and like the previous days of the rally, the heat will knock off several drivers from the finish line.

But in Amboseli, heat and dust will be the least of their concerns. A puncture inside the park would see drivers change tyres in the company of hyenas, buffaloes and elephants, animals that are better watched from the comforts of an all-terrain vehicle.

Day seven of the rally saw the cars skirt across the wildlife-infested Amboseli, entering the park through Kimana Gate after an overnight stay in the nearby Kilima Safari Camp and exiting through Meshanani Gate for a competitive stage across Masai plains.

As we drove through the park, we got a fleeting glimpse of what the drivers will soon face. Not far from Kimana Gate, a pack of hyenas were fighting over the skin of a wildebeest, the remnants of a heavy meal that made their bellies sag.

An elephant bull stood on the road with ears flapping before giving way. Flamingoes skimmed the waters of a nearby lake looking for the vital blue-green algae, their main food item. Their peace would be interrupted less than an hour later by the 43 rally drivers.

Ken Block, the world-renowned American rally driver had captured the rally’s affinity with the wild. He is the most active driver on social media with his YouTube rally videos clocking 500 million views. He was well aware of the unusual hazards of a rally in Kenya.

“There have been a lot of hazards to look out for during the race including wild animals, motorcycle traffic and water crossing,” he wrote.

While I did not witness the latter two hazards, the first one came in the form of vast herds of elephants.

A photo of his Tuthill Porsche 911 zooming past the jumbos must have affirmed the country’s position as a top tourist destination, a boost to the Kenya Tourism Boards efforts of marketing the country’s diversity.

In any case, the sight of these majestic giants must have slowed the drivers, at least to soak in the memorable, but fleeting experiences.

The main action began the moment cars were cleared for the competitive stage out of Meshanani Gate. Every three minutes, the drivers stepped hard on the gas pedal, sending plumes of dust high into the sky, giving more energy to the dust devils that whirled intermittently.

Young Maasai children watched the action from behind acacia trees, having been given a day off from school since their normal route had been taken over by the fast cars.

Ten minutes past eleven and the last car sped off into the vast wilderness. With clear roads, we headed back to our camp, but not before visiting the border town of Tarakea in Tanzania to sample the famed hospitality of our southern neighbours.

En route, our driver, Amos Kipruto who seemed to get some inspiration from the rally drivers regaled us with his bush tales. He is a young fellow who began his career with airport transfers before venturing into the wild.

In one training session in Masai Mara, he came face to face with a hyena that had entered into his unzipped tent while he had gone to get some dinner from the main tent. In a bid to scamper out of the driver’s tent, the hyena bit off a chunk of his forearm, leaving the young lad writhing in pain. Fortunately, the Flying Doctors service helicopter from Wilson Airport saved his life.

As we watched the snows of Mount Kilimanjaro, Amos recalled times when his clients would demand a refund after failing to see the mountaintop “despite promises by the tour company that Amboseli is the guaranteed Kilimanjaro viewing site.”

Such guests would leave for their homes only for the mountain to reveal all its glory the following morning. Call it nature!

With the rally on the wild side done, it was time to leave for Watamu where the final leg of the rally was going to take place. What will the Coast offer? Find out next week.