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But on his return after a sabbatical in Mbarara was strong as he quickly reminded his opponents of his quality, keeping pace with the front runners, ending the first day of action only one second off the podium positions.
Hassan Alwi is optimistic yet realistic about his expectations for his National Rally Championship return, despite a strong performance during last weekend’s Mbarara Rally.
A fourth-place finish for Alwi alongside new co-driver Musa Nsubuga provided an effective evaluation ahead of what will be his first full season in three years.
“Mbarara rally was a good experience for me,” he told Kawowo Sports, adding; “So far, it looks to be a good start although our rally did not go well at the end.”
“We are now looking forward to having a good season and we try to see that we go a bit faster and be in the competition.”
“For now, we will try to attend as many events as possible,” Alwi suggested.
Alwi, whose last competitive drive was during last year’s Pearl of Africa Rally, which ended prematurely for him following car problems early on the second day.
But on his return after a sabbatical in Mbarara was strong as he quickly reminded his opponents of his quality, keeping pace with the front runners, ending the first day of action only one second off the podium positions.
He stayed within touching distance of his rivals, but trouble in the final speed test curtailed his charge for the podium, settling for fourth position.
With the pace getting even faster at the front especially with the arrival of Yasin Nasser’s Ford Fiesta R5 to add to the already impressive Ford Fiesta Protos owned by Ronald Ssebuguzi and Duncan Mubiru ‘Kikankane’, an upgrade to a stronger car from his Subaru Impreza N14 was expected.
However, Alwi insists that he still feels confident in his current car.
“I enjoy this car. So, I might continue with the car for a while. It is a fun car to drive although sometimes it is unpredictable,” he exclaimed.
“True, the new cars are much faster, it was not easy to catch their time. I really pushed hard but all I can say is, it was a good training for me,” he added.
Alwi is currently fourth on the driver standings with 65 points, and will hope to get on the podium in the second round of the NRC in Bukedea in March.
2023 NRC standings after Mbarara Rally
Yasin Nasser 100 pts
Ronald Sebuguzi 80
Duncan Mubiru 70
Hassan Alwi 65
Byron Rugomoka 60
Fred Kitaka 55
Innocent Bwamiki 50
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