Uganda’s crew of Yasin Nasser and Ali Katumba were treated to both fun and disappointment as they ended their rally drought at the weekend Guru Nanak rally in Arusha, Tanzania.
The crew had been out of action for over seven months due the coronavirus pandemic that put a stop to sporting activities in Uganda.
However, the reigning national rally champions did not have a smooth event from the start.
In the opening stage, the Moil crew suffered a mechanical failure to their car, losing more than 10 minutes that put them out of contention for the top positions.
“Everything seemed fine until 4km into the first stage, the car suddenly switched off. It took us time to realise where the problem was since the dashboard was still on.
“Eventually, we found out that the fuel pump was not on. The ground wire had an issue which we tried to modify, but by the time we finished three cars had already passed us,” explained Nasser.
“Another incident happened in SS2 when our bonnet suddenly opened, we still lost a few seconds panicking to have it back in place,” he added.
At the end of the event, Nasser and Katumba had settled for 13th position overall in a race dominated by Kenya’s Karen Patel. Patel secured the win after a sublime drive in his Ford Fiesta while Ian Duncan in second in his Nissan Patrol.
Tanzania’s Randeep Singh sealed the podium in third.