Drivers looking for early NRC advantage in Jinja Rally

JINJA.

With only one round completed in the National Rally Championship (NRC), drivers will go into today’s Jinja Source of the Nile Rally with the aim of seizing the initiative in the championship race.

Having won the season opening Mbarara Rally, Duncan ‘Kikankane’ Mubiru is expected to be flagged off first and will be the man to beat in eastern Uganda.

He, however, told the Sunday Monitor during the week that he expects the first five cars that will be flagged off today to be in contention. “They proved the fastest in Mbarara and I expect the same here,” predicted the driver, who will cruise a powerful Subaru N14. Behind him will be Ronald Ssebuguzi(Mitsubishi Evo9), who on 75 points is 25 behind Kikankane in the standings and 15 ahead of Fred Wampamba (Subaru N8), who will be flagged off third.

Kikankane will also be wary of veteran Wycliff Bukenya (Mitsubishi Evo. 9), who finished fourth in Mbarara and second in the corresponding race last year and will be navigated by the experienced George Ssemakula.

The 270.26km rally will, according to clerk of course Jeff Kabagambe, start with the Namulesa-Muguluka section which is the longest of the route. “We expect the race to be very fast because 75% of it is smooth,” he told the Sunday Monitor on Friday.

PROVISIONAL START LIST
Duncan Mubiru (Subaru N14)
Ronald Ssebuguzi (Evo.9)
Fred Wampamba (Subaru N8)
Wycliff Bukenya (Evo.9)
Jonas Kansiime (Subaru N10)
Omar Mayanja (Evo.5)
John Consta (Subaru N10)
Ashraf Ahmed (Subaru N8),