Daykin Extends Lead As Safari Classic Enters Decisive Phase after Day 3

Piers Daykin continues to stamp his authority on the leaderboard of the MRF Tyres East African Safari Classic Rally as the rally heads into its decisive stages. Daykin ended the day firmly in control of the overall standings with a cumulative time of 07:02:04.7, maintaining a steady and disciplined drive across the punishing terrain. Daykin described his day as one that largely went to plan, managing to stay clean, avoid mistakes, and pull a small gap on his closest rival while keeping the car in good shape. “Everything went to plan today. I didn’t go off, and we managed to make a little bit of time on Baldev. The car is good, and we’re still here with no damage, which is the most important thing. I just need to look after the time on the stages this evening, because when we get back to the coast, we return to stages that I really dislike. So, you just have to make it work up here” Said Piers. The 2022 East Afica Safari Classic Baldev Chager remains his closest challenger, sitting second overall on 07:05:20.5, just 3 minutes 15.8 seconds adrift after another strong and consistent performance. After a long and technical day on the stages, Chager summed up the moments that really defined his run. “Stage one was actually all right. It was quite tricky, but Piers had a really good time there. In stage two, we pushed a little bit and we were quickest, which was nice because it was much more technical driving and there was less attention needed for public roads, animals, and that sort of thing. It was a long, fun stage and I really enjoyed it. Stage three was also quite nice, but we had to stop on the stage when the brakes jammed and we went slightly off into the bank. Thankfully it was at low speed” said Chager Dutch driver Remon Vos holds third position on 07:21:48.6, keeping the pressure on the leading pair, while Britain’s Harry Hunt moved into fourth overall on 07:23:44.8. Evgeny Kireev completes the top five on 07:27:15.5, as the rally continues to sift endurance from ambition. After a mixed day on the stages, Vos reflected on the highs and setbacks of his Safari Classic run. “Stage one was beautiful. The weather was good, not too hot, with huge clouds in the mountains. It was a good stage with a mix of everything and a lot of turbulence. Stage two was an obstacle for us because we broke the suspension halfway through the stage, so we had to take it easy for the rest of it and we lost a lot of time. That was not a good one. The last stage was great, I liked it. Overall, it was not too bad.” Said Remon. From the other Kenyan entries, Farhaaz Khan is flying the flag well in 11th overall, holding his place firmly inside the top 15 after three tough days of competition. Further down the order, Asad Anwar sits 21st overall in Class 3, maintaining a consistent pace as he battles through the demanding Safari conditions. The relentless Safari conditions continued to take their toll, reshuffling the field and stretching time gaps deep into the classification. Jos Verstappen endured a difficult day after retiring from the stage following car trouble. Top 10 Overall Classification After Day 3 Piers Daykin – 07:02:04.7 Baldev Chager – 07:05:20.5 (+03:15.8) Remon Vos – 07:21:48.6 (+19:43.9) Harry Hunt – 07:23:44.8 (+21:40.1) Evgeny Kireev – 07:27:15.5 (+25:10.8) Jourdan Serderidis – 07:29:04.3 (+26:59.6) Fred Miclotte – 07:32:05.0 (+30:00.3) Keith McIvor – 07:38:49.8 (+36:45.1) Roger Samuelsson – 07:50:59.3 (+48:54.6) Thomas Bell – 07:53:36.7 (+51:32.0)