Czech lady singer Olga Lounova drives into East African Safari Classic Rally with female navigator

A team of women from the Czech Republic is debuting in East African Safari Classic coming up in Kenya, December 2023. They are out to prove that if men can do it, ladies will be even better.

The Eleventh Edition of the East African Safari Classic Rally on the other hand gets flagged on 9 December 2023, with the event running for nine days until December 18.

This time there is an all-lady team from the Czech Republic, driven by Olga Lounova, a renowned singer, songwriter and actress.

Olga will also be navigated by a female co-driver Lilia Khousnoutdinova. The two ladies are both showing up in the East African Motor event for the first time.

The Czech female motorists are taking the gender issue to extreme, bringing with them an entire squad of all female mechanics, to service their machine, which is a first experience for rallying in Kenya.

Official reports from Nairobi reveal that the final preparations are underway and that it will be a very nostalgic event, especially for the veterans, bringing back memories of the days of the original East African Safari Rally.

However unlike in the past when the rally raced in the three East African countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, this year the motorists are confined in Kenya only.

As you read this, the 2023 Classic Safari which has attracted more than 80 participants records the highest number of entries in history.

“Unfortunately, due to accommodation and night-rallying limitations, there are only 65 places available. One of its core tenets, safety, is of paramount importance to the Classic Rally, hence the limitation of entrants,” reads part of the statement.

This will mean that more than 15 aspiring entrants will have to sit out this event.

In the future, the organizers of East African Safari Classic Rally (EASCR) intend to ensure that all local classic rally car owners have the chance to compete in some form.

This year’s event will be very interesting as the variety of cars entered is diverse; from the usual brigade of Tuthill Porsches, more Porsches from BMA and other teams.

There is also a two car Morgan team, an Opel Manta 400, an Ascona 400, a large number of Datsun Violet’s joining the 240Z’s, the ever-popular Ford Escorts, a few Toyota Levins, a Trabant and a Mercedes 500 SLC.

Taking the rally back to the heart of Kenyans, the Classic rally is a fun, challenging journey covering 4,000 kilometers in nine days, attracting 45 international teams, accommodating more than 1,500 people and showcasing the beautiful landscape that the country has to offer to the world.

The event features over 11 families taking part, from father and sons, brothers and sisters, daughters, yet again proving the Classic is an event for the whole family.

The rally kicks off in Vipingo on December 9, with a shakedown stage, welcoming all spectators to come and watch a 20 kilometers stage that will enable the seeding of the event.

The true rally starts on Sunday 9am and travels north for three days until the rest day in Nairobi at the Carnivore, a gruelling 6-hour service for the crews, before heading back down South, to the climax in Diani Beach of Mombasa on the December 18, 2023.