Mud, punctures and mechanical failures – yes. But lions?

A new hazard was added to the perils of historic racing last month, with the first running of the Southern Cross Safari, organised by Rally the Globe.

The 19-day, 2,000-mile route through Kenya and Tanzania included private reserves and national parks where hazards included herds of zebra, crossing elephants and big cats.

Some of the regularity stages would be familiar to followers of the Safari Rally, with routes around Kenya’s Lake Naivasha and in the Taita Hills.

Among the vehicles that squelched through sinkholes and sped through clouds of locusts was a 1966 Ford Mustang, 1974 Datsun 240Z, safari-spec Porsche 911s and a Lancia Fulvia Monte Carlo.

You can see some of the stunning imagery from photographer Gerard Brown, in the gallery above.

The pre-event briefings included advice on what competitors should do if they broke down in one of the reserves but, even so, it’s just as well that reliability was on the side of the eventual winners – Keith and Norah Ashworth in their open-top 1927 4½-litre Bentley.