Two foreign crews confirmed for Pearl Rally
Diana Komukama Ssempebwa, head of marketing at KCB Bank (2nd R) hands over dummy cheque of Shs80m to rally president Hon. Jimmy Akena (2nd L) as the clerk of course Omar Mayanja (R) and David Katende of National Council of Sports (NCS) look on. PHOTO/JOHN BATNUDDE
What you need to know:
Kenyan crews of reigning Africa Rally Champion Karan Patel and Junior Africa Rally Champion Hamza Anwar will be part of the over 30 crews that have confirmed participation in the prestigious event set to run in Jinja district.
When the 2024 edition of the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally revs off on Friday, two foreign crews will be in Uganda to provide stiff competition for the local drivers in the fight for glory.
This was revealed at the event’s official launch held last Friday at Kabira Country Club, Bukoto in Kampala.
Kenyan crews of reigning Africa Rally Champion Karan Patel and Junior Africa Rally Champion Hamza Anwar will be part of the over 30 crews that have confirmed participation in the prestigious event set to run in Jinja district.
Current National Rally Championship leader Jonas Kansiime, former NRC winners Jas Mangat, Ponsiano Lwakataka and Ronald Sebuguzi are some of the top drivers registered for the May 10-12 event.
“Safety of crews and fans remains our major priority. Our target scope in this rally, being an African Championship calendar opener, is to have a smooth and successfully run event,” newly-elected Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda (FMU) president Jimmy Akena told the press.
The new president, by his position, has taken on the role of event manager and anticipates an exciting event for both the drivers and fans.
“What I can assure the stakeholders is that we will have a wonderful event,” Akena promised.
The event will start with a qualifying stage for the Africa Rally Championship crews on Friday before covering seven stages on Saturday. The final three stages will be held on Sunday.
The event will cover a total competitive distance of 209.45 kilometres.
Big boost
At the launch, KCB Bank announced their Shs80m cash sponsorship package for the event.
Diana Komukama Ssempebwa, the Head of Marketing at KCB Bank, said: “We are very excited once again to be part of the POAUR. We have had a long and strong commitment with FMU regarding this really. It is in our hearts,” she said.
Vivo Energy are the event title sponsor under their Shell V-Power brand. National Council of Sports, Uganda Railways, Source of the Nile Hotel, SCOUL, Ruparelia Group, Jinja City and Fire and Safety Appliances are some of the other partners for the event.
Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally
Dates: May 10-12, 2024
Venue: Jinja District
Registered crews: 30
Foreign crews: Two
