Kurji death takes gloss off Ssebuguzi

Kampala

Motorsport will need a lot healing in order to regain it’s place on the Ugandan sport ‘high table’. If that healing process entails only treatment, it may only provide a temporary cosmetic cover which might bleach motorsport out of shape.

Treatment may be insufficient but surgery, when performed with an open mind, will greatly repair the hearts and souls lost due to the death of rally ace Riyaz Kurji (RIP) during the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.

Fateful day
On May 2, 2009, while leading Uganda’s most prestigious rally on day two, Kurji, 45, died moments after crashing his 2005 pro-drive Subaru Impreza N8. His co-driver Sayed Kari survived without any major injuries.

Consequently, he was declared the winner becoming the first posthumous winner of an Africa Rally Championship days after he was laid to rest on May 5.

In his obituary following his death that ran in Daily Monitor on May 11, Omar Mayanja, a rally driver, wrote; “observing the crowds that turned up for the funeral procession of the late Riyaz Kurji, I was left wondering what acts of greatness this fairly young soul had committed to gain himself so many friends and admirers.”

Mayanja, whose first meeting with Kurji came in late 2003, added that; “in many ways, Riyaz had lived his life and a full life it was. Dying days before his 46th birthday, he had surpassed the average Ugandans life expectancy and had been justifiably referred to as Mzee.”

Kurji, a two-time Pearl rally winner (2005 and 2006), is a loss that the rally fraternity may never fully overcome not only because he was a fierce competitor across Africa but partly due to his big heart in sponsoring events. Outside of his death shedding the spotlight on safety standards, rally drivers have a huge task to keep the fire burning.

And the flame started so brightly in Mbarara with Ronald Ssebuguzi winning the National Rally Championship (NRC) opener. Nonetheless, the attention of local folklore was clearly set on the driver who emerged second – Abdul Nasser Mutebi.

That attention was not as a result of Mutebi’s Subaru N4 being more pimped than Ssebuguzi’s legendary Mitsubishi Evo. IV but because he was driving competitively for the very first time.
From then on , even with the huge dark cloud hanging over ‘speeding cars’ due to inadequacy of funds, the rally season became one to remember for several reasons.

Rallying doesn’t necessarily borrow any leaf from what boxing promoters do to enhance their pay-per-view figures.

For example; prior to each boxing fight, however insignificant it might be, the boxers will have a go at each other’s throat screaming all kinds of obscenities and insults to bring ‘psychological’ torture to their opponent.

Local rallying has become more familiar with this as any driver will talk up their chances with ease that you’ve got to fear for their opponents.

Fearless Ssebuguzi
The service parks and garages don’t have boxing rings or press conference tables but Ssebuguzi is good at his game. In any interview prior to any rally event, Ssebuguzi is always oozing with confidence that sometimes contagious.

The familiar line goes: “There is nothing to fear. I know I can beat any driver if my car remains intact. I am the best.”

Ssebuguzi is surely one driver who belongs to front row and the upper echelons.
But whether he is part of the crème-de-la-crème is a deliberation Ssebuguzi might be getting with from now mainly because of his healthy rivalry with Ponsiano Lwakataka (Subaru STi).
At the start of the season Lwakataka, with two national rally titles (2005 & 2007) and equal to Ssebuguzi in rhetoric, has always held the edge since the latter only had one crown (2006) to show for all his experience.

As Dr. Ahmed Ashraf, a rookie when he won the championship last year opted to let it slip away like jelly fish gliding through water, Ssebuguzi meant business.
Many have questioned the kind of opposition he faced but you cannot underestimate the manner in which he dominated the season.

Four wins in six races, no matter the opposition is no mean feat. Ssebuguzi strolled to victory in the season-opening Mbarara Rally, came first in the Jomayi-MOSAC punctuated by a four-hour time delay and triumphed in the poorly-organised Jinja Independence Rally.
Even when ninth place was enough to win the championship, he went for juggler in winning the season ender – the Central Motor Club (CMC) Challenge Rally.

This is not enough to impress the detractors who have pointed to the feeble opposition and claims of ‘cheating’ during events sponsored by Jomayi Property Consultants – his bankrollers.
Whatever the pro and anti arguments might be, it’s extremely disrespectful for Shafique Ssemujju (Subaru N10), Mutebi, Muhammad Abdulsamad (Subaru STi) and Grace Lubega (Subaru N4) who pushed Ssebuguzi all the way, making races very exciting.

Taunting game
“They’ve even forced some experienced drivers to abandon the sport because of fear to be beaten,” Ssebuguzi, in a clear torment hymn directed towards Ashraf and Lwakataka, hit back.
“Ashraf won the championship when no one knew him. All those drivers have good machines and have nothing to lose. Their only problem is lack of experience and good strategy but I don’t despise or underestimate their potential,” he argued.

Something people need to understand is that Ssebuguzi’s car, acquired from Charlie Lubega after the latter won five national titles in six years, had been suffering from the effects of wear and tear especially in 2008.

Cedric Buzabo, his navigator during the first five rallies has always been wary of the car holding together throughout the year. “This is the first time we have finished a rally without any hiccups,” Buzabo said after winning the Jomayi-MOSAC event.

The red Evo. IV is a 1999 model so it’s not hard to understand the difference in the power and transmission between it and the 2004-2006 Subaru models driven by Ashraf and Abdulsamad.
Even then, not many drivers have won the national title on more than one occasion.

Legendary status
Ssebuguzi joined Lwakataka, Lubega, Moses Lumala, Emmanuel Katto, Karim Hirji, Sam Ssali and Jimmy Dean in the select group of ‘near immortals’.

Reports have linked Ssebuguzi to much bigger and more powerful Mitsubishi Evo. 9 for next season’s challenges and from then, there can only be one way – you guessed right!
In ‘politics’, not often has Uganda contributed greatly to the fodder of international motorsport governing body (FIA) but this changed this when Ari Vatanen visited during his campaign trail which pitted him against Jean Todt.

Todt, supported by the exiting Max Mosley, won but the election put Uganda in the bridal corner.
Even with Vatanen in the picture, perhaps, no rally anecdote including Charles Muhangi continental exploits a decade ago will ever come bigger than the ‘big boss’ as Mayanja often referred to Kurji.

“And when our turn comes to go comes, we pray that we have done our part and that we go in character and style – the way Riyaz went,” Mayanja wrote.