The battle for who becomes the next African rally champion resumes this weekend with the Sarago Zambia International Rally in the capital Lusaka.
The Zambia event comes as the fourth round of the African Rally Championship; following the cancellation of the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally which was set for August.
Over twenty crews will take on the race but focus will be on the ARC title contenders.
Kenya’s Carl Tundo, Guy Botterill from South Africa and Uganda’s Yasin Nasser will be in a mix against the home stars as they fight for the ARC points.
Tundo in a VW Polo is on his first attempt for the ARC title. He currently leads the championship with 60 points from the three events he has covered.
Victory in Zambia will place the Kenyan in a better position to claim a maiden ARC title.
Botterill is 11 points behind Tundo. Misfortunes in the Safari Kenya and Tanzania rallies denied him the opportunity to maintain a stronghold in the championship.
The South African may have to dig deep this time round to secure maximum points and close in on the rival ahead of the penultimate round later in South Africa in November.
Uganda’s Yasin Nasser makes his maiden trip to Zambia standing third in the championship with 28 points.
Any realistic chances of catching up with the top two will depend on how well he drives on terrain he has not been to before.
The home stars; Leroy Gomes, Muna Singh Jr, Mohammed Essa are among the crews in the race.
Their previous experience on the Africa circuit could spice up the event and possibly cause a shift in the ARC title race.