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We’re delighted to announce that Patrik Sandell, former Junior World Rally Champion and Subaru Motorsports factory driver, will join Tuthill Porsche to take on this year’s East African Safari Classic Rally.
Patrik has a long professional rallying career under his belt. Winning the Junior World Rally Championship in 2006 kickstarted his international driving career and served as a springboard to participation in over forty WRC rallies. In the last eight years, Patrik has focused on American rallycross where he has enjoyed considerable success, with multiple medals and many race wins in both X Games and Nitro World Games.
“Patrik is a long-time friend of our company, so we’re delighted to have him on our EASCR team for this year,” said Richard Tuthill. “His natural pace and years of experience will put him in contention for the overall win.”
“I have followed Tuthill Porsche’s success on the Safari Classic Rally for many years and the rally has been on my bucket list since I first discovered it,” said Patrik. “Alongside my professional rally and rallycross career in America, I have also worked closely with Tuthill Porsche on the Below Zero Ice Driving experience each winter in Sweden, so the team and I enjoy a great shared history. We have also experienced victory together, when I won the Midnight Sun Rally in Sweden, driving one of Richard’s great 911 rally cars.
”I know the East African challenge is on another level, but I hope that the experience I have collected from across the world of rallying will help us in this event. No doubt we have the speed to do well, but wining these events is less about speed and more about driving smart. So we will set a plan and stick to it across the entire nine-day event.
“Henrik Bolinder will be my co-driver in Kenya. I’ve known Henrik for a very long time, and he was my personal mechanic during many years in WRC. His presence and professionalism will be a key factor to success and his mechanical skills are also world class. I am super excited to get to Africa and experience this unique rally.”
“It’s a once in a lifetime dream and opportunity to do Safari,” said Henrik. “To be able to do it alongside Patrik and with such an experienced team as Tuthill Porsche is incredible. I’m confident that we will be able to fight for the podium.”
The 2021 East African Safari Classic Rally takes place from November 1-9. The event covers up to 5,000 kilometres over many long and arduous rally stages across Kenya and Tanzania, pulled from decades of the world’s toughest rally: the original Safari Rally. Tuthill Porsche is a four-time winner in Kenya and our 2021 team consists of some seventeen cars. Follow all of our Safari news on social media!
