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Marking the second consecutive ARC event in East Africa, the Ugandan leg of the continental championship provides a specific and divergent test for the car and crew from the one experienced in Voi, Kenya.
After the drama and excitement of last month's Equator Rally in Kenya, the Africa Rally Championship is shifting gears for the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally, (May 5-7) which promises to be just as thrilling and eventful as its predecessor.
The African Rally Championship has been stopping off in Uganda since 1999, and this years event is the 22nd to count for the ARC.
With the exception of 2020 and 2021 which were affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, the Pearl Rally has been ever-present on the African carlendar since its maiden appearance.
Marking the second consecutive ARC event in East Africa, the Ugandan leg of the continental championship provides a specific and divergent test for the car and crew from the one experienced in Voi, Kenya.
With rain predicted to fall at the third round, damp tracks, and low grip on the slippery cotton like surfaces in the cane plantation tracks of Jinja are just some of the hazards the drivers may face.
But not only are the roads expected to be slippery (when it has rained), but the stages themselves pose a specific challenge as they combine fast and flowing with slow and technical sections, providing a wholesome experience for the competitors.
Thirty crews will attempt to add their names to the exquisite list of winners, but the biggest battle is expected to be between Yasin Nasser in a Ford Fiesta R5 and Jas Mangat who will attempt to win it for a third time.
Ronald Ssebuguzi and Duncan Mubiru are also expected to join the party of front runners, with 2016 Pearl Rally winner Hassan Alwi also in the mix.
Road position is expected to be a factor in the rally especially if the clouds open up, with drivers running further down the order expected to suffer more with the degraded track.
With cars scoring both in the ARC and NRC, the ARC competitors will be given priority in terms of starting order.
Following the qualifying stage on Friday, Nasser chose to start third on the road on Saturday’s opening leg, with the road sweeping duties handed to Bwamiki, who will set the racing lines for the cars behind him.
Mukula starts second, Mangat will start fourth with Smith starting fifth and will be chased down by the cast will score under the National Rally Championship only led by Ukasha Mugoya.
The NRC drivers will start in a reverse order meaning that the Ford Fiesta Protos of Ronald Ssebuguzi and Duncan Mubiru will be the last cars on the road.
The rally will cover 12 stages over two days of action. Saturday's leg will be the longest of the rally covering 155 kilometres over eight competitive stages.
The crews will tackle three stages repeated twice (namely- Muna Singh, Frank Nekusa, and SCOUL) for the first two legs of Saturday before they move onto Edwin Kalule and Wairaka stages to end the day.
Sunday will cover four competitive stages including two passes over the Bujagali super special stage and the 40-kilometre MagaMaga section, the longest of the rally bringing the total competitive distance to 205.27 kilometres.
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