End of the road for Davite

V-power Pearl of Africa Uganda RallyTop five1. Jas Mangat /Gihan 2:02:082. Frank Tundo/Natasha 2:08:183. Ponsiano L/George S 2:16:324. Peter Horsey/Bella 2:22:305. Omar Mayanja/ Leon S 2:25:19Any chances for national rally champion Davite Giancarlo to win the African Rally Championship title hit a dead end over the weekend as he crashed out of the final day of the Shell V Power Pearl of Africa Rally in Zirobwe, Kampala.After a successful start in the super special stage held in Lubiri where Davite and navigator Sylvia Vindevogel finished in sixth position, their Mistubishi Evo X suffered mechanical problems on the final day.“We were second in the ARC standings until almost the end of the eighth competitive section when the engine blew off,’ said Vindevogel on her facebook page. Mangat hot favouriteWith two rounds to go, Uganda national champion Jas Mangat, who lived to his billing, clocking two hours 2.08 minutes to win the Shell V Power Pearl of Africa on Saturday, looks posed for the continental title.He beat second placed Kenyan Frank Tundo by six minutes and 10 seconds with Zambia’s Jassy Singh coming third having lost two hours, nine minutes and 16 seconds in the 425.9km event.Mangat leads the ARC log with 83 points followed by Singh on 66 points, while reigning African champion Muhamed Essa dropped from second to third with 50 points. Rwanda’s Davite is fourth on 32 points.Mathematically, even if Giancarlo won the remaining two rounds – in Rwanda and Madagascar – and somehow Mangat crashed out, the Ugandan driver would still win the African title with a one point difference.Mangat’s closest challenger for the African title is Jassy Singh who finished the Pearl Rally in eighth place.Jassy, son of legendary double continental champion Muna Singh, was ninth overall in the ARC title race, but scored crucial 18 points at the weekend to keep his title hopes alive going into the Rwanda Mt Gorilla Rally next month.Essa didn’t score any points after dropping out midway through the race which has probably put him out of contention to retain his title.Ponsiano Lwakataka, in a Subaru N8, claimed the third podium place, while Peter Horsey, Omar Mayanja and Ahmed Ashraf finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.Ronald Ssebuguzi (Uga), Wycliff Bukenya (Uga), Carl Tundo (Ken), John Consta (Rwa), Shafiq Ssemujju (Uga), Christakis Fitidis (Rwa) and Arthur Blick (Uga) were some of the other prominent drivers, who didn’t finish the race.

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End of the road for Davite