Moil win excites Lwakataka
Jul 04, 2005
TOO good to be true, fastened with a passionate kiss from Mrs Lwakataka on the podium, defined Ponsiano Lwakataka’s first rally championship feat in the Moil Challenge rally on Sunday.
By Fred Kaweesi
NRC standings
1. P. Lwakataka 175 points
2. R. Kurji 100
3. M. Lumala 80
4. O. Mayanja 60
5. R. Ssebugizi 60
TOO good to be true, fastened with a passionate kiss from Mrs Lwakataka on the podium, defined Ponsiano Lwakataka’s first rally championship feat in the Moil Challenge rally on Sunday.
“I needed that kiss,†Lwakataka joked after.
The kiss, under an immaculate blue sky, was evidently a just ‘reward’ for Lwakataka, who had been written off after falling five seconds behind day one leader Riyaz Kurji.
Better still was the fact that Kurji, a national championship agitator, failed to finish, helping the Kyotera-based driver to a 75 point lead on the NRC rankings.
The third national championship held in Mukono and Kayunga districts was an endurance test for cars, tyres and drivers alike but one that the WBS sponsored Lwakataka passed.
The rocky hairpin bends, thick dust and rutted roads combined to make driving conditions difficult, while the scorching temperatures tested the drivers’ stamina and physical fitness.
Kurji, Ronald Ssebuguzi, Abdu Mambo, Issa Numba, Wycliffe Bukenya, Vincent Kibudde and Ben Koyesiga were hard done by the bauxite and marble-like stones along the Mayangayanga section.
Kurji broke his shafts while Ssebuguzi and a host of other drivers blew up their engines in the rally that left the organisers — UMOSPOC — satisfied.
The Mbarara rally due July 28 will be the fourth event on the championship calendar.
NRC standings
1. P. Lwakataka 175 points
2. R. Kurji 100
3. M. Lumala 80
4. O. Mayanja 60
5. R. Ssebugizi 60
TOO good to be true, fastened with a passionate kiss from Mrs Lwakataka on the podium, defined Ponsiano Lwakataka’s first rally championship feat in the Moil Challenge rally on Sunday.
“I needed that kiss,†Lwakataka joked after.
The kiss, under an immaculate blue sky, was evidently a just ‘reward’ for Lwakataka, who had been written off after falling five seconds behind day one leader Riyaz Kurji.
Better still was the fact that Kurji, a national championship agitator, failed to finish, helping the Kyotera-based driver to a 75 point lead on the NRC rankings.
The third national championship held in Mukono and Kayunga districts was an endurance test for cars, tyres and drivers alike but one that the WBS sponsored Lwakataka passed.
The rocky hairpin bends, thick dust and rutted roads combined to make driving conditions difficult, while the scorching temperatures tested the drivers’ stamina and physical fitness.
Kurji, Ronald Ssebuguzi, Abdu Mambo, Issa Numba, Wycliffe Bukenya, Vincent Kibudde and Ben Koyesiga were hard done by the bauxite and marble-like stones along the Mayangayanga section.
Kurji broke his shafts while Ssebuguzi and a host of other drivers blew up their engines in the rally that left the organisers — UMOSPOC — satisfied.
The Mbarara rally due July 28 will be the fourth event on the championship calendar.