Top foreign drivers, including defending African Rally champion Mohammed Essa from Zambia and runner-up Giancarlo Davite from Rwanda are in Dar es Salaam ready for this weekend’s Puma Energy Rally of Tanzania.
Event Coordinator Yusuf Ghor confirmed to the ‘Daily News’ on Thursday that the duo along with other foreign drivers will be up for screening today ready for Saturday and Sunday showdown.
This event counts towards the 2013 African Rally Championship and is the 4th round which will be held in Dar es Salaam and Coast regions tomorrow and on Sunday. The race has attracted 25 crews from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia.
FIA Africa top seed Mohammed Essa of Zambia and his co-driver Greg Stead from Zimbabwe will race in Subaru Impreza R 14 while Giancarlo Davite (Rwanda) and his codriver Sylvia Vindevogel will race in Mitsubishi EvolutionX. Kenyan Jas Mangat will be navigated by Ugandan Giran De Silva in Mitsubishi EvolutionX, Fitidis Christakis and his co driver Nzamwita Eric Maxime, both Ugandans will spin the wheels of Subaru Impreza N12, while the Sax Rally team of Don Smith navigated by Bob Kaugi both Kenyans will race in Subaru Impreza N14.
Other foreigners in the rally are Jassy Singh and Dave Sihoka (Zambians) in Subaru Impreza My04 and Kibos Team of Kenyans Jaspreet Singh Chatthe to be navigated by Gurdeep Sing Panesar in Mitsubishi Evolution 8.
A good number of local drivers have enrolled for the rally. They include Kirit Pandya and Awadh Bafadhili (Subaru Impreza GC8), Amarjit Dhillon and Mohamed Amit (Subaru Impreza MY06, Dharam Pandya and Sanjeev Panday (Subaru Legacy), Jayant Shah and Ravi Chana (Nissan 240Z) and Kelvin Taylor and Isac Tayllor in Toyota Sprinter.
Africa champion Essa seeks to retain his title while Uganda national champion Jas Mangat Mangat with 18 points, having finished on the podium in Zambia last month hopes to close the 15-point gap. Next month the battle ground will shift to Nairobi for the KCB Kenya Safari Rally ahead of the Shell Pearl of Africa Rally in Uganda in August. The Mountain Gorilla Rwanda Rally in September will wrap up Africa championship rounds in East Africa.
The final round of the 2013 continental championship will be the International Rally of Madagascar in November.
Source Tanzania Daily News
