Over 50 crews are set to rev off the 2017 Shell Pearl of Africa rally contention on Friday.
The event was officially flagged off on Thursday evening with a ceremonial start at Silver Springs Hotel.
Uganda’s championship leader Ronald Sebuguzi co-driven by Leon Ssenyange will be going first on the road.
2015 ARC champion and current ARC leader Jaspreet Chatthe and his co-driver Gurdeep Panesar from Kenya will be the next.
The event will have crews aiming for both national and African championship points.
Sebuguzi leads the Uganda national championship by 75 points over the chasing park of Christakis Fitidis and Fred Wampamba who are tied at 175 points.
On the other hand Jaspreet Chatthe currently leads the Africa Rally Championship with 28 points followed by Zambia’s Leroy Gomes. The two will be competing for ARC supremacy and whoever finishes ahead of the other will take the lead.
Kleevan Gomes from Zambia, Burundi’s Valery Bukera and Mohammed Roshanali are other drivers who came for ARC honours at the Pearl of Africa rally.
Uganda will also have crews of Christakis Fitidis, Yasin Nasser, Hassan Alwi, Duncan Mubiru and Kepher Walubi spice up the ARC chase for points.
Hassan Alwi who won the event last year is equally fancied to pull off victory following his previous triumph in the local championship.
The crews will open the event with a 4.38 kilometre super special stage at the Motorsports Arena, Busiika. It will be run twice. Day two will include nine competitive stages.