AMBOSELI, Kijabe, Dec 10 – At the close of Day 6, Baldev Chager continues to assert control at the top of the overall classification of the East African Safari Classic Rally, as the classic rally returned to action Wednesday after the well-earned rest day, with crews tackling three demanding stages across Kajiado County.
Chager navigated by Gareth Dawe, who celebrated his birthday today in a Porsche 911, finished the day with a cumulative time of 11:56:59.1.
Despite facing rough terrain, animal crossings, and loose surface conditions, Chager maintained composure and consistency to protect his lead through the three stages.
Harry Hunt, sitting with Steve MCPHEE in their Porsche 911, remains firmly in second place on 12:13:25.2, trailing the leader by 16 minutes 26.1 seconds while Evgeny Kireev and PG ANDERSSON in their Porsche 911 hold onto third position with a total time of 12:23:04.8, just 9 minutes 39.6 seconds.
Jourdan Serderidis and Grégoire MUNSTER in their Porsche 911 Carrera SC sit fourth overall on 12:24:27.3, only 1 minute 22.5 seconds behind Kireev, underlining how tight the battle for the podium remains.
Rounding out the top five is Keith McIvor and David BURNS, their Ford Escort Mk2 in fifth on 12:56:11.1, 31 minutes 43.8 seconds behind Serderidis and 59 minutes 12 seconds off the overall lead.
The competitive route covered CS13 from Isineti to Selengai, CS14 from Mashuru to Isinya Chicks, and CS15 from Limukutani to Iremito.
Earlier in the day Charlie Tuthill with co-driver Gordon Noble in a Porsche 911, set the pace on SS13 with a dominant stage win, stopping the clock at 48:25.5. Johnny Gemmell with co-driver Sukhdev Chaggar took the second stage CS14 of the day in 31:37.8 while Piers Daykin, alongside co-driver Lloyd Destro in their Datsun 280Z, delivered a commanding performance to win the third stage CS15 with a time of 56:00.4.
Tomorrow features a gruelling three-stage return to Taita Hills, led by the demanding 138km CS16 from Isineti to Simba, followed by the 60.86km Ndii to Maktau stage and the 60.20km Lumo to Kudu Hill test, with endurance, tyre management, and precision expected to define the day.
DRIVER QUOTES
Baldev CHAGER
“We had an issue in the first stage where we hit a massive rock that was completely hidden. Luckily, there was no major damage, but it was such a big hit that I decided to take it easy for the rest of the stage just to make sure the car was okay.
The second stage was pretty good and quite fast, although there was a lot of clearing to do with animals and traffic. The top surface was also very loose, so I think we ended up cleaning the road a lot for the cars behind us.
The third stage was reasonably good as well, though it was rough and bumpy, so we took a cautious approach. There were many animals again, including herds of cows, which forced us to slow down significantly and carefully weave through them.
The challenge is always finding the right balance between pushing too hard and losing too much time, while also taking care of the car. We still have three long days to go, and tomorrow is a very long stage of about 140 kilometres, so the priority is to really look after the car.”
Piers DAYKIN
“It was a really good day and great fun. The last stage was especially so much fun. I was just saying earlier that the competitive stages and the distances we are getting to drive are actually fantastic. It’s really, really good.
That’s just how I am. Everything is always at 100 per cent. The pressure I put on myself is simply to go out, have fun, and try to push. For me, I just like to be up front and keep everyone in the game. We may not be in overall contention, but it’s still great fun being part of it.
Winning a stage does mean something. When you cannot fight for overall positions, taking a stage win is the next best thing. We don’t just want to drive around, we want to keep pushing and do the best we can.”
Evgeny KIREEV
“It was a good day in the office with no major incidents, and we are still holding on to a very important position. At the moment, it’s a balancing act between protecting the car and maintaining our rhythm. We are watching what is happening around us, especially behind us, and we are not taking any unnecessary risks.
For the second half of the 2025 Classic, the focus is simply to keep going step by step and stay consistent all the way to the finish. There is no drastic change in strategy. The best results come when we just keep doing what we have been doing.”
Harry HUNT
“We had a good day over the three stages. The morning stages went well, and the middle one was particularly fast. It was the same stage we used earlier, just run in the opposite direction. We did face a small front-end issue with the car again, but overall it was a solid return after the rest day.
Being in the top three does come with pressure, but honestly, we are still quite far from the overall leader, and we also have cars close behind us. So for now, we are just holding our position and managing our pace.
I did enjoy the stages today, although the last one was quite difficult for us. The soft sand sections were especially challenging. That terrain has been a problem for us, probably because we are starting further back. But overall, the day was still good.”
Jourdan SERDERIDIS
“I am really happy with where we are right now. Being ahead of the other K-Manjel cars is very satisfying, and we have had almost no issues so far. We only had a few punctures over the five days, which is not too bad at all. We have found a good rhythm, and most importantly, we are having a lot of fun inside the car.
For us, it has been a really good event. The weather has been great, the conditions are good, and honestly, life is good.
The partnership with Group Y has been amazing. We have experience together in sprint rallies, and now we are here for the Safari and this endurance marathon rally. Choosing which one I enjoy more is difficult. They are different, but with this Porsche, we are actually going even faster than with the Puma.”
TOP TEN OVERALL
Pos Car No. Driver Class Total Time Gap to Leader
1 3 Baldev Chager 4 11:56:59.1 —
2 10 Harry Hunt 4 12:13:25.2 +16:26.1
3 4 Evgeny Kireev 4 12:23:04.8 +26:05.7
4 2 Jourdan Serderidis 4 12:24:27.3 +27:28.2
5 18 Keith McIvor 3 12:56:11.1 +59:12.0
6 36 Roger Hodenius 4 13:10:10.7 +01:13:11.6
7 7 Geoff Bell 4 13:15:21.3 +01:18:22.2
8 16 Roger Samuelsson 4 13:15:42.0 +01:18:42.9
9 21 Farhaaz Khan 4 13:16:04.2 +01:19:05.1
10 17 Thomas Bell 4 13:16:41.9 +01:19:42.8
