Jas Mangat on top but controversy left indelible mark in motorsport

Kampala. In 2015, the motorsport calendar was all about one man Arthur Blick Jr. Blick Jr. took the sport by storm winning his maiden National Rally Championship (NRC) title with two events to spare. He also became a ‘Ssalongo’ when he added the Enduro title.

In contrast, 2016 will go down as the year of drama, from the onset when Dusman Okee defeated incumbent Jack Wavamunno in Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda (FMU) polls (33-32) for the presidential chair early in the year. He came into office riding on ‘transparency’. By the year end, his administration has cleared a debt of Sh80m they inherited. The same administration has not come out to tell us how much they have collected in their events.
The drama off the field took the gloss off what would have been a wonderful and competitive NRC season with two drivers going into the final event, both having a chance of winning the title.

In the end, Jas Mangat and Joseph Kamya in Mitsubishi Evo X ‘Kisodde’ pipped youthful Hassan Alwi Jnr and Enock Olinga in Subaru N14 to the title by only six points. It was Mangat’s third NRC title after previously winning back-to-back in 2012-13. Mangat previous two titles were won with Gihan de Silva.
This time round his navigator, Kamya, was quick to remind everyone why they stood out.
“We won the title with four wins, and only failed to finish twice,” Kamya said.
Mangat on his part was equally delighted with winning the title.

“I came in with a settled mind knowing exactly what to do. The destiny was in my own hands and I attacked from day one,” he said after winning the season-ender in Jinja.
Cheekily Mangat maintains he won five events this season. Officially the Pili Pili crew won the Kabale, Masaka, Fort Portal and Jinja while Kabalega Rally - which they had won - was awarded to the crew of Godfrey Lubega and Justin Mungoma in Subaru N12 by the Senate. The Kabalega fallout has continued to haunt the sport going into the new year with drivers, administrators and rally fraternity still divided about the outcome.
A section of the drivers have since gone to court challenging the decision by the Senate. I don’t think we have heard the last of this episode.

Alwi Jnr was the most consistent driver scoring in each and every round but that did not guarantee him the title. The highlight of his run was when he caught the top drivers napping on his way to winning the Shell Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.
Other top drivers like Ronald Ssebuguzi, a three-time national champion, Blick Jr, Duncan Kikankane, Desh Kananura, Ambrose Byona, Christakis Fitidis and Ranjit Kuku are glad to see the back of 2016.
On the bright side, 2016 will go down as the year of Evo X ‘Bisodde’ with no fewer than five coming in on the rally scene. The year also did not go down well with lady drivers.

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