Safaricom has announced that they will sponsor the ninth edition of the East African Safari Classic Rally under its M-PESA Global brand to the tune of Ksh. 13 Million. The amount will support operations, logistics and communication during the rally which will take place between November 27th and December 6th 2019. The rally is set to cover more than 4,500 kilometres in Kenya and Tanzania over nine days.
The East African Classic Safari Rally has been running every two years since 2003 and is open to two-wheel drive, naturally aspirated rally cars built before 1985. The race aims to showcase the beauty of the East African landscape with vehicles racing through world-famous game parks, with overnight stops at the region’s finest lodges and hotels.
The rally will begin at Sarova Whitesands in Mombasa, Kenya and run for four days in Kenya, before crossing over to Tanzania where stages will run across four days, with a finish in Sarova Whitesands in Mombasa, Kenya. Competitors are set to cover approximately 500 kilometres every day in competitive stages of between 50 km and 160 km.
Some of the teams that have already confirmed participation include, Tuthill Porsche, Freestone Rally Services, Minti Motorsport Oman, Team Tido Race 4 Health, ALS Motorsport and Safari World Africa.
Michael Joseph, CEO, Safaricom, had this to say, “Our sponsorship of this ninth edition of the East African Safari Classic Rally underlines our continued commitment to support and nurture talent through sport. With races in Kenya and Tanzania and a roster of drivers from around the world, the rally provides an opportunity to empower more customers through our M-PESA Global service.”
Entries remain open up till 9th October 2019 and entry forms can be downloaded here.