Moil-sponsored rally crew of Yasin Nasser and Ali Katumba (co-driver) finished third in the qualifying stage of the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally 2023 on Friday. The all-Ugandan pair posted a time of 01:58.0 to set up a good tone for the next two days.
Kenya’s Karan Patel and navigator Tauseef Khan in a Ford Fiesta headlined the qualifying stage with a time of 01:50.0. The Kenyan is the defending champion of the event and he is definitely aiming for back-to-back wins.
Uganda’s Jas Mangat and his French navigator Escatefigue Jules were second on Friday with a time of 01:54.0 hence the Ugandan fans who traveled for the event have lots to looked out for.
Yasin Nasser and Ali Katumba who have been firing out from all pistons of their Fiesta are the 2023 African Rally Championship leaders with 78 points. Jas Mangat and Escatefigue Jules are second with 63 points. After a good show on Friday, the Moil crew have their eyes set on the podium both on Saturday and Sunday.
“It (the race) was very good,” Moil Crew’s Nasser told FMU media on Friday evening adding that; “we are ready for Saturday’s stage. Our aim is to finish on the podium and maximize the points we already have.”
With competition tight in Rwanda, Nasser is confident that chances are there for them to post a good performance but the most important thing is for them to finish the event without any incidents.
The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally is hosted by the Rwanda Automobile Club, and it is a 348.18 km stretch with 6 stages.
The sixth leg of ARC, the Zambia International Rally, will be held in Zambia from the 20th to the 22nd of October before climaxing with the Rally of Tanzania from November 10-12.
