Duncan Mubiru Lands First Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally Win

2020/2021 National Rally Champion (NRC), Duncan Mubiru, landed his very first Pearl of Africa Uganda rally (POAUR) win in Jinja after thirteen years in motor rallying. The Pearl of Africa Uganda rally ended its competition on 07 May 2023 with a circuit in Bujagali where Duncan Mubiru with co-driver Joseph Bongole managed to hold steady to their number one position from the previous day doing a total time of 2:30:54:25 in their Ford Fiesta Proto in a total competitive distance of 216.09km.

Duncan Mubiru and co-driver Joseph Bongole had never won the POAUR before making this a great milestone in their rallying career. Duncan joins other legendary drivers to have victory in this event like Charlie Lubega, Chipper Adams, Charles Muhangi, and Riyaz Kurji. Duncan suffered some mechanical difficulties on the first day of the competition but managed to keep a hold of his position to secure a victory in the event. Duncan and Joseph also scored first place in the Premier division.

Yasin Nasser and co-driver Ali Katumba won the African Rally Championship (ARC) category in their Ford Fiesta R5 in a time of 2:39:54:87. The crew came back strong on Sunday doing the super rally after failing to compete in the last stage of day one due to a steering rack issue but this did not deter them from securing their first ARC first place win this season. This was the third round of the ARC as the competitors wait for the fourth round which will be the Tanzania rally that will take place in July. Nasser and Katumba scored a podium finish in the NRC as well where they placed third overall.

Kenya’s Rio Smith and co-driver Riyaz Ismail placed second with a time of 2:47:50:62 in their Subaru Impreza GVB. For his first-time taking part in the POAUR, Smith had a good performance throughout the event; he was also the ARC2 and ARC Junior winners. Rounding out the ARC podium, was Jas Mangat and co-driver Joseph Kamya in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X; the crew did a time of 2:47:53:31 that left a very slim time difference with Smith and Ismail of 02seconds69micro seconds between them, the crew was fifth overall. Innocent Bwamiki and co-driver Hamza Lwanga were the final crew on the ARC, they placed fourth with a time of

On the national level, Byron Rugomoka and co-driver Hakim Mawanda were second behind Duncan/Joseph in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X with a time of 2:32:30:42. The reigning NRC champion secured an impressive second-place finish overall also not suffering a lot with technical or mechanical issues, unlike most crews. Hassan Alwi Jr co-driven by Musa Nsubuga were fourth overall in their Subaru Impreza with a time of 2:45:21:38. The crew also were Division One winners.

The 2WD category was won by KCB Bank-sponsored Oscar Ntambi and co-driver Assuman Muhammad in their Toyota Altezza in a time of 2:52:46:17, impressively, the crew was sixth overall in the event; the Clubman Rally Championship (CRC) was won by Joshua Muwanguzi co-driven by Rita Nakigozi in their Subaru Impreza. The next round on the NRC calendar is slated for June/July.

Final Overall Results: