By Jejje Muhinde;
Motorsport, just like other sports activities, was brought to a halt back in March when Rwanda suspended all sports and other activities to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Twenty months later, the battle for who becomes the next African rally champion returns to Rwanda this weekend with the Mountain Gorilla International Rally scheduled from 22-24 October 2021 in Busegera district.
The Rwanda event comes as the fifth round of the African Rally Championship; after the Zambia International Rally which took place from 24-26 September.
Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC) is quoted to have said that over 17 crews will take on the race however focus will primarily be on the ARC title contenders.
Kenya’s Carl Tundo, the five times winner of the Safari Rally, Guy Botterill from South Africa and Uganda’s Yasin Nasser will be in a mix against the home stars as they fight for the 2021 ARC points.
In a Volkswagen Polo, Carl Tundo and co-driver Tim Jessop clinched the Zambia Rally when the pair took control of the race setting the pace from the start
And with it, the Kenya crew currently stands at the top of the leaderboard with 90 points; South Africa’s Guy Botteril Botterill is second with 73 points. He finished second on the podium in Zambia.
Uganda’s Yassin Nasser and co-driver Ali Katumba remained third on the leader with 49 points, the crew finished third in Zambia.
Mountain Gorilla Rally will also attract local crews including Jean Claude Gakwaya, Jean Giesen, Elefterios Mitraros, Adolphe Nshimiyimana, Christian Kanangire, Mayaka Felekeni Amigo, and Mike Rutuku.
Burundi licensed crew of Giancarlo Davit and Sylvia Vindevogel will also take part in the race, the crew won the rally in 2018. Others include Anwar Hamza from Kenya, Din Imtiaz from Burundi, and McRae Kimathi from Kenya.
The crew’s will cover a total of 295 kilometers.
ARC 2021 Leaderboard
Carl Tundo (Ken): 90 points
Guy Botterill (SA): 79 points
Yassin Nasser (UG): 79 points
