Patel wins the 2024 Pearl of Africa Rally.
BY FRANK KAHEESI & S.NAKIYING(FMU MEDIA) – JINJA
KENYA’S Karan Patel wins the 2024 Shell V-power Pearl of African Uganda Rally.
The defending African Champion beat the event’s favourite homeboy Jas Mangat by a time difference of one minute 42 seconds after posting the fastest time of one hour,45 minutes 11.6 seconds.
Sealing the podium slots, Kenya’s ‘ Problem Child’ Hamza Anwar pushed his Ford Fiesta R5 for a third-position finish.
Shell-sponsored crew of Ronald Ssebuguzi and Anthony Mugambwa in Ford Fiesta Proto finish fourth, nine minutes 2 seconds off the rally winner.
Patel takes the lead in the African Championship chat with 30 points, Mangat second with 24, and Anwar third with 21 points.
The next stop for the ARC contenders is Zambia in July after the Equator Rally of Kenya was postponed to November due to a natural disaster.
The second African Championship round that was slated for 28th-30th June 2024 has been pushed to a later running date in the year after organisers cited flooding in areas where they planned to run the event.
The Pearl of Africa Rally which doubled as the third National Rally championship round, left many desiring for more with the smooth running stages.
Mangat currently leading the 2024 National championship with 140 points is likely to miss out on the fourth round, as it’s in close dates with the next ARC round, Zambia.