Safari Rally Day 3: A Challenge for the Lead

Day 3 of the 2011 Safari Rally and it’s a cat and mouse game at the front.

First stage of the day was a 154km charge through Tanzania. Waldegård was first on the road, encountering problems when he came to a locked checkpoint gate. The Porsche’s horn soon roused the guard and he got through after a 30-second delay.

That hold up cost him the lead, but new leader de Mevius soon hit trouble. Stage 8 brought on a misfire which eventually stopped the car on Stage 9. When they got going again, Waldegård was eight minutes down the road.

2011 Kenyan National champion Ian Duncan, who was running third, was pushing his Capri hard and lost a wheel on one stage due to broken studs. The problem only got worse, with studs being swapped from the other wheels – the drama cost Duncan a top ten position.

All these changes mean Marcy now lies third, with Bell fourth and Steve Funk fifth. Two Tuthill cars in the top five and three in the top eight, with Flying Franz Wunderlich doing a sterling job. Tomorrow is another three-stager with Thursday an official rest day. We’ll all be pretty glad when Thursday comes around. Top ten looks like this:

KQ EASCR

CS9 Wald 0:36:22

1 Wald 7:02:33
2 deM +7:55
3 Marc +29:20
4 Bell +30:23
5 Clar +56:14
6 Mondr +88:57
7 Stig +93:16
8 Wunder +99:00
9 Vandr +110:10
10 Perez