Alwi going for Total Umospoc Kabalega Rally hat-trick
Penultimate round. All eyes will be Hassan Alwi Jr ( inset) winners of the event for the past two years as he attempts for a hat-trick with yet another navigator. PHOTO BY JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
- His current navigator Siraj Kyambadde said they want to enter the record books. Kyambadde like other drivers and navigators have pointed out the rough sections but confident of success.
Five drivers will go into the Total Umospoc Kabalega Rally in Hoima this weekend looking for victory to boost their chances of winning the National Rally Championship (NRC) title.
Less than 100 points separate Yasin Nasser (Subaru GVB) the championship leader and Christakis Fitidis (Evo X), the 2017 national champion, in fifth place. Ronald Ssebuguzi (Evo X) three times NRC champion, Arthur Blick Jr, the 2015 champion and Hassan Alwi (Subaru N14) are the other contenders.
However, the penultimate round on the FMU calendar will not decide the title but might separate the boys from men come tomorrow afternoon.
Ali Katumba, co-driver for told SCORE that they going into this race with one aim to finish on the podium. He added: “The roads are very rough and slippery and we have to take care.” “This is our first appearance in Hoima we want to be cautious because we are in the final bend of the season as we chase our first national title.”
Blick Jr, fresh from winning the UMC Fort Portal Rally is equally confident and vowed to use the same strategy of attacking from day one. “We are going to attack from the word go but very careful as some sections are bad,” the Shell Helix driver making his second appearance in Hoima since 2016 said.
However, all eyes will be Hassan Alwi Jr winners of the event for the past two years as he attempts for a hat-trick with yet another navigator. In 2017 he won with Josesh Kamya and Enock Olinga last year.
His current navigator Siraj Kyambadde said they want to enter the record books. Kyambadde like other drivers and navigators have pointed out the rough sections but confident of success.
Ssebuguzi said the pressure is on Nasser but will be all out to close the gap if he slips. “After the Garuga incident when our Mitsubishi Evo X caught fire, everything is now okay and ready,” the Shell V-Power driver said. The event which has attracted 40 drivers has total of 303.07km of which 173.83km is competitive.
Today’s sections
Day one
CS1- Kyentale 18.02km
Standings
Yasin Nasser (Subaru GVB) 355 pts
Ronald Ssebuguzi (Evo X) 300
Arthur Blick Jr (Evo X) 285
Hassan Alwi (Subaru N14) 260
Christakis Fitidis (Evo X) 258
