NAIROBI, Kenya, November 25- The Kenya Airways Safari Classic Rally enters its sixth day on Friday with leader Bjorn Waldegard who holds a 39 minute lead time with everything to fight for as he charges to the finish ramp.
Navigated by his son Mathias, Waldegard guided his Porsche 911 through the first half of punishing terrain to a commanding lead that assures him of a win on paper should he sustain his drive.
But in rallying, anything can happen and his pursuers led by veteran rally driver Geoff Bell and Steven Funk who are racing under the Race 4 Change banner are waiting to pounce should the former world champion falter.
Waldegard’s Porsche 911 has run smoothly so far in the rally with only the addition of a new set of shocks to set it up for the next four days being the only alteration.
Bell in a Datsun 260Z, encountered problems with the rear control arm with one of the mounting points broken while the other was badly cracked slowing his chase for the leader.
Gerard Marcy placed fourth before break in a Porsche 911had to endure a sticky hour in a mud hole on Wednesday that saw him drop from second.
LOCAL LADS
Defending champion Ian Duncan who had been dogged by car problems managed to climb back up the standings from 22nd to 12th.
Meanwhile, legendary rally driver Patrick Njiru takes the drivers seat of the Porsche 911 for the Race 4 change team.
Former local rally Champion Alastair Cavenagh is in 16th place with Carl Tundo reading the notes in their Ford Escort.
The event that seeks to retrace the steps of the Coronation Rally that ran in the 50s now heads to Naivaisha before tackling stages around Lake Baringo Saturday.
On Sunday the organizers have laid out a 2.6km spectator stage in Athi River at the East Africa Portland Cement Quarry where the cars will come through on their way to Voi.
The first car is expected at the fan stage around 10:30am and will do one loop and then head to Voi, with a 36km stage full of jumps.
