The East African Safari Rally has been known as the gold standard for toughness in major international rallies. It was first held in 1953 to celebrate the inauguration of Elizabeth II, and the last East African Rally was held in 2002.

But the rally was so popular that one year later it was reborn in a historic format. Now run as the Safari Classic, the race takes place every other year. The route has varied over the years, passing through Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The 2015 rally was held Nov. 19-27 and covered parts of Kenya and Tanzania. It began at sea level in Mombasa on the Indian Ocean and went to altitudes of over 8,500 feet, high above the Great Rift Valley in Central Kenya. It passed under the slopes of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro and sped through several of the regions game preserves.

Just under 50 crews participated in the 2015 rally, which was dominated by Porsche 911 entries (19 of the 46 entries). All cars were required to be a car model that was manufactured before 1979 and must comply with current safety standards.

The 2015 rally covered 2,070 miles. Competitors raced over public roads where goats, villagers and wild animals wander freely. The roads — if they can be called that — are at best smoothed-over cow trails and at worst could be likened to "no man's land" in World War I. I have personally driven over African roads in East Africa, and they can be some of the most miserable drives you can imagine.

Faced with these obstacles, the Porsche 911s dominated the race. Porsche placed eight cars in the top 10 finishing spots and took the top five spots along with the overall win. The winning driver was Stig Blomqvist, and Stephane Prevot was his navigator.

It just proves once again what many of us already know: Porsche creates the ultimate driving machines.