Mangat, Mubiru content with KCB Kenya Safari Rally show

Soggy route: Uganda’s Mangat splashes his way through a muddy patch in the KCB Kenya Safari Rally. COURTESY PHOTO

KAMPALA.

Uganda drivers Jas Mangat and Duncan Mubiru ‘Kikankane’ were both contended with the positions they earned at the KCB Kenya Safari Rally that climaxed yesterday.
Three-time national champion Mangat finished third while Mubiru was the seventh driver to see the checkered flag upon the completion of the three-day event.
“We started off Friday against really tough competition. We tried to push the car but realised were off the pace so in end, we decided to keep the car on the road,” Mangat said.
Kenyan Carl Tundo led a Mitsubishi EVo. X sweep of the podium in a time of one hour, 55 minutes and five seconds to relegate Baldev Charger to second. This was Tundo’s fifth Safari Rally victory.
A 30-second penalty inflated Mangat’s time to two hours, five minutes and 19 seconds which was one minute and 15 seconds slower than Charger. However, they were no complaints. “It’s been an amazing result, great points,” Mangat said of the result in the second round of the 2018 Africa Rally Championship (ARC).
Mangat has won the first two events of the National Rally Championship (NRC) here and his assessment was echoed by Kikankane’s co-driver Musa Nsubuga despite a five-minute penalty.
“We are happy we completed the event. Kenyans here think Ugandans are full of drama. We are lucky there wasn’t much drama,” Nsubuga noted.
Global body, the FIA, were in Kenya to assess the Safari Rally’s readiness to return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) circuit in 2020.
To this, Kenyans got a nod. “I think they have put together something that everyone can look at and judge. They have a chance,” Mangat said.
The event was part of the WRC calendar for many years until being excluded after 2002 due to the lack of finance and organisation in 2003.

The results

1.Carl Tundo/Tim Jessoop 01.55.05
2.Baldev Charger/Ravi Soni 02.04.34
3.Jas Mangat/Joseph Kamya 02.05.19
7.Duncan Mubiru/Musa Nsubuga 02.14.38