Daykin overcomes psychological hurdle to dominate day one of East African Safari Classic

MRF Tyres East African Safari Classic Rally day 1 closed with a commanding lead for Kenya’s Piers Daykin and co-driver Lloyd Destro, who topped the overall standings after three demanding stages.

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Driving a Datsun 280Z, Daykin delivered a near-flawless performance across SS1, SS2, and SS3 to end the opening day with an overall time of 01:55:18.2, placing him three minutes 40.1 seconds ahead of second-placed compatriot Baldev Chager.

Speaking after finishing day one on top, Daykin, who suffered an accident during last year's classic, said: "This is a a new car and for me, but you have to remember that this event has got such a psychological weight on me because of the last experience I had.

So, to have had a good first day, it kind of makes me pretty happy. This is a new build, it’s the car that I had an accident with in the last Classic. But for today the first stage was like a shakedown to get the car to work."

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Fellow Kenyan and multiple Safari Rally champion Chager, in the Porsche 911, sits second overall on 01:58:58.3, keeping himself firmly in contention heading into the longer, harsher stages that lie ahead.

“Day one is always a day to just settle in," Chager said. "We caught Eugenio in the first stage and sat in his dust for about 10 kilometers, which is all part of the game. Stage 2 was narrow, flowing and very tricky with a lot of traffic, so being first on the road was not fun at all.

We had to slow down often because every few brows had something, and the last thing you want is to hurt somebody or ourselves. The third stage went reasonably well."

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Geoff Bell and Tim Challen opened their charge in their Datsun 260Z to securing third overall with a cumulative time of 02:00:33.9, just over a minute behind Chager.

Bell said: “It was very nice, actually really nice stages. We had no problems until right at the very end when, with about 11 kilometers to go, we picked up a puncture. But we managed to get to the end on it, so it did not affect us too much. Overall, really enjoyed it. Good fun, absolutely great. The car feels strong, the power is great, and everything is working the way it should."

Former Formula One star Jos Verstappen and father to current F1 champion Max, continued his impressive adaptation to African rallying, placing fourth overall in his Porsche 911 with a time of 02:00:43.5, just ten seconds behind Bell.

“I did not really know what to expect today, so the first goal was to learn, how the roads behave, how the surfaces change, and what kind of surprises the Classic can throw at you. We took a sensible approach, made sure not to go off, avoid mistakes or punctures, and I am happy with what we’ve done so far. We are here, and the car is in one piece, which is very important."

Kenyan crews also made their presence felt across the leaderboard, with Farhaaz and Tauseef Khan placing 14th overall, while Asad Anwar and Mudasar Chaudhry finished 29th in their Ford Escort Mk2.

East African Safari Classic chairman, Joey Ghose and Gordon Noble completed the day in 32nd position, with Shakeel Khan, Basil Criticos and East African rally legend Glen Edmunds, enduring a difficult opening day, but brought their cars through the punishing terrain to remain in the rally.

Day Two will take the Safari Classic inland for the first real endurance test, as crews tackle CS4 to CS6 through Mwachanda to Mgalani, Mackinnon Road to Kileva, Ndome to Maktau.

The leg covers 147.56 km of competitive distance across a total of 425.61 km, combining fast sections, rough surfaces, and long stretches that will punish cars and crews alike.