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With 70 entries already received for a 60-car capacity in 2027 and 20 pre-booked for 2029, Ghose believes the changes will keep the Safari Classic as the world’s most talked-about classic rally
East African Safari Classic Rally will take on a new look in 2027, heading to Northern Kenya for the first time since its inception in 2003 and opening its doors to a new generation of affordable classic machines.
Event chairman Joey Ghose has announced major eligibility changes and a dramatic change of route as the world’s greatest historic rally seeks to become more inclusive, safer and more spectacular.
New for 2027, the eligibility cut-off has been extended by one year to 31 December 1986, up from 31 December 1985 in the 2025 edition.
“The first rule that has changed, which is very important, is now that the vehicles eligible are up to 31 December 1986,” Ghose confirmed. “This has a big significance because VW Golfs and Opel Astras are cheap cars available quite readily globally, and both have offered 16-valve engines across various generations and model years, so they are equally powerful as the Ford Escorts.”
“The move is deliberate to slash the cost of entry,”Ghose quipped.
“Why we did this: we want to see everybody enter. If you tell someone you need 300,000 USD to do a rally, they’ll say I will buy a house. Now you can do it at 50,000 USD. You can buy a car that is equally competitive and parts equally available, and it’s for fun at the end of the day,” Ghose said.
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The 2027 edition will also mark a historic geographic shift. For the first time, the nine-day, 4,000km epic will start in Northern Kenya and finish on the northern coast, with a two-day incursion into Tanzania, situation permitting.
“We will probably be going to Tanzania depending on how things prevail at the time in terms of the political elusiveness for two days,”Ghose said.
But the biggest change is the northern route. After years of Mombasa starts, the rally will now offer crews a glimpse of the iconic Mt Kenya.
“We are doing a few stages in Northern Kenya, and it will be well protected,”Ghose said. “Change of start location to the north; it was getting a bit boring to start always in Mombasa all the time, plus the heat. Our drivers, many are over 60 years, and the heat takes a toll on them. We felt it was good to show our competitors the whole of Kenya. We want to show them places like Eldoret, Nakuru, Isiolo, Nanyuki, Nyeri. We decided we will start there as it’s cool; they can also habituate themselves to the weather and see the beautiful Mt Kenya. We have so much to offer in Kenya; why not showcase all that.”
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The North promises a sterner test
“From the northern region there are lots of wild animals, but most important is the road. It’s not flat-out roads; it’s all technical routes, very difficult terrain. You have to watch your tyres. If you go too quickly, you will run out of tyres. The stages are 80-90 kms long, and if you are not careful, you will not have any tyres left,”Ghose warned.
Safety and control have also been factored in. Ghose said 70 percent of competitive mileage will now be run on private land, with only 30 percent on public roads.
“No oncoming traffic, no boda-bodas. Only 30 percent on public land, and even that will be much controlled.”
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On safety, the organization is stepping up massively. “We are also improving the safety levels. We are going to have five helicopters, three of which are ambulances, two more for observers, and making sure the event is run properly. We are increasing number of ambulances, doctors, even in our HQs, we have increased the number of medical staff that can guide the ones on the ground on what to do. Safety has been very important to us,” Ghose said.
“We have also upgraded the hotels we will stay at. In the sense that we have chosen better hotels.”
With 70 entries already received for a 60-car capacity in 2027 and 20 pre-booked for 2029, Ghose believes the changes will keep the Safari Classic as the world’s most talked-about classic rally, but one that a clubman with a Golf GTI can now realistically dream of winning.
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