| 1973 Safari Rally 21st East Africa Safari Rally | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 4 of the 1973 World Rally Championship season
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| Host country |  Kenya | ||
| Rally base | Nairobi, Kenya | ||
| Dates run | April 19, 1973 – April 23, 1973 | ||
| Length | 5,300 km (3,300 miles) | ||
| Stage surface | Gravel | ||
| Overall distance | 5,300 km (3,300 miles) (with 56 points of "time control") | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Crews | 89 at start, 18 at finish | ||
| Overall results | |||
| Overall winner | Shekhar Mehta Lofty Drews DatsunDatsun 240Z | ||
The 1973 Safari Rally (formally the 21st East Africa Safari Rally) was the fourth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-April in central Kenya, the Safari was a markedly different rally from the other dates on the WRC schedule. About 5,300 km (3,300 mi) of gravel roads comprised the course, though there were not distinct special stages as in other rallies, but instead the course was uncontrolled. The rally was considered very punishing, and thus many of the successful teams were specifically focused on it, leading to a different set of front-runners than led most other rallies. The rally was won by a local driver, Shekhar Mehta.