Safari Rally Hit by Harsh Conditions : Race: Less than half the drivers are expected to finish the tough 2,480-mile African event.
Mechanical failures and quagmired roads forced seven drivers, including front-runner Markku Alen of Finland, out of the Safari Rally today.
Alen led most of the way in his Subaru Legacy until the car’s engine blew up halfway through the 712-mile first leg.
Three other drivers were time barred, one retired and a third withdrew just before the start, leaving 52 cars in the race. Officials gave no reasons for the withdrawal or retirement, but said those time barred were hampered by bad roads after torrential rains.
Alen’s withdrawal put Bjorn Waldegaard of Sweden in the lead in a Toyota Celica GT4.
Italy’s Massimo Biasion, world and Safari Rally champion driving a Lancia, fell from second place to sixth with 51 minutes and 17 seconds in penalty points.
The rally is divided into six sectors and the sectors in turn split into 83 sections. Drivers are required to cover each section in predetermined time. Penalty points are awarded for every minute a driver arrives late.
Less than half the starters are expected to finish the 2,480-mile race through plains, mountains and bush country.
The cars leave Nairobi on Friday morning on the second sector north around Mount Kenya, the continent’s second highest mountain.
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