Alwi enters new territory

Alwi is set to thrill fans in his Subaru at the Pearl of Africa Rally. photo by JB Ssenkubuge

Kampala.

Hassan Alwi’S rise has been so instantaneous that he will find himself in an extremely unfamiliar position when this year’s V-Power Shell Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally is flagged tomorrow.
Alwi, a relative newcomer in only his second full season of competitive motorsport, will hit the road first in the final Africa Rally Championship (ARC) event of the year.

“The ARC rules dictate that the local National Rally Championship (NRC) leader is flagged off first,” Katende Mukiibi, the deputy clerk of course, said yesterday.

In the absence of NRC standings’ leader Jas Mangat (400 points), Alwi, second with 329, will be flagged off at Silver Spring Hotel tomorrow first. Consequently, his Subaru Impreza N14, will be pursued by three-time national champion Ronald Ssebuguzi in a Mitsubishi Evo. X.

Thereafter, the Kenyan ARC leader Don Smith, who flew into the country on a private jet yesterday, will join the fray in a red Subaru N16.

Smith, currently on 79 points, is followed by his closest challenger for the continental title, Zambian Muna Singh Jnr. (50). Rwandan Giancarlo Davite completes the top five.

However, it will be Alwi who will have to quickly learn and appreciate the merits and demerits of leading from the front.

Mangat has previously appreciated the good in “using the road before everyone else spoils it” and the bad of “doing an experiment no one has an idea of” yet.

Drivers will tackle a total of 522km, 232.76 of which is competitive and the rest transport and liaison.

Cars will be checked at Panemera Bar, Naguru today with turbo sealing also being done at the same venue.

The two-day event starts with a viewers’ super special stage at Motorsport Arena, Busiika before the survivors head to Mubende for seven sections. The longest is 25km.

The destiny of the ARC titles will be decided by the fall of dark on Saturday while the engraver might start to write on the NRC trophy.

PROVISIONAL START LIST
1. Hassan Alwi Jr. (Subaru N14)
2. Ronald SsebuguzI (Mitsubishi EVO X)
3. Don Smith (ARC, Subaru N16, ARC)
4 Muna Singh Jr (Subaru N16, ARC)
5 Giancarlo (Mitsubishi EVO X)
6 Ismail Shermohamed (Ford Fiesta, ARC)

PAST WINNERS
2010 - Jim Whyte
2011 - Ponsiano Lwakataka
2012 - Mohammed Essa (Zambia)
2013 - Jas Mangat
2014 - Rajbir Rai (Kenya)
2015 - Jaspreet Chatthe (Kenya)