Jeff Zwart completes East African Safari Classic Rally in a classic Porsche 911

Jeff Zwart finishes the East African Safari Classic Rally in a classic Porsche 911, overcoming extreme conditions in one of the world’s toughest historic rallies. Read the full story.

At the age of 70, American filmmaker and racing driver Jeff Zwart has completed one of the most demanding events in historic motorsport: the East African Safari Classic Rally. Together with co-driver Alex Gelsomino, he tackled the nine-day Kenyan rally in a competition-prepared classic Porsche 911 (F-series), finishing 17th overall.

The Safari Classic Rally is widely regarded as a true test of endurance for both cars and crews. In 2025, the event covered 2,220 competitive kilometres across some of East Africa’s toughest terrain, combining extreme heat, mud, dust, water crossings and wildlife. Even by marathon rally standards, it remains one of the harshest events in the world, echoing the reputation it earned during the 1960s and 1970s.

For Zwart, the rally marked a deeply personal milestone. He first read about the original East African Safari Rally while still at school, at a time when it was considered the most difficult automotive event on the planet. More than fifty years later, he finally reached the start line in a car from the same era — an early, air-cooled Porsche 911, a model long associated with African endurance rallies.

The partnership with Alex Gelsomino added further significance to the entry. Gelsomino is best known as the former co-driver of Ken Block and brought extensive experience in extreme rally conditions. That expertise proved crucial as the crew dealt with suspension damage early in the event and a transmission issue near the end, which forced them to drive part of a stage in first gear.

Reaching the finish in the middle of the field highlighted both the resilience of the crew and the durability of the car. More than half of the starting field consisted of classic Porsche 911s, and the overall victory once again went to an экипаж driving the same model, underlining the continued competitiveness of the 911 decades after its debut.

The Safari Classic Rally remains a rare motorsport challenge where mechanical simplicity, preparation and human endurance matter more than modern technology. Jeff Zwart’s participation reinforces the idea that historic rallying today is not merely about preserving the past, but about confronting one of the toughest competitive environments still found in international motorsport.