South Africans for KCB rally

Apr 09, 2008

JUST when you thought Emma Katto would be a clear favourite in the KCB Pearl of Africa rally, South African drivers have heightened the stakes. Jon Williams (Super 2000) and StefanWilken (VWPolo A6) will compete in the Pearl rally slated for April 25-27.

By Douglas Mazune

JUST when you thought Emma Katto would be a clear favourite in the KCB Pearl of Africa rally, South African drivers have heightened the stakes. Jon Williams (Super 2000) and StefanWilken (VWPolo A6) will compete in the Pearl rally slated for April 25-27.

The two reportedly forwarded their entries through the Confederation of African Countries in Motorsport (CACMS) chairman Surinder Thatthi yesterday.

“They are doing the rest of the Africa Rally Championship. Jon wants to win the Pearl rally outright.

He is too good and is capable of winning the rally,” South Africa-based Ugandan motorsport cameraman Dean Kasasa told The New Vision by phone, while in the company of the two drivers in Cape Town on Tuesday. Katto, who bought a brand new Subaru N14, will not only contend with the South Africans, but also Japanese Miyoshi Hideaki.

Jon finished ninth, but just 57 seconds off the pace in last weekend’s rally in Cape Town. He beat a
Subaru N14 by six minutes and a Subaru N 12 by two minutes in the rally.

Kasasa, who is conversant with South African rallying, believes Jon is much quicker than Riyaz Kurji, Muna Singh, Katto, Ronald Ssebuguzi and Jas Mangat. The second round of the Africa Rally Championship has so far attracted 12 entrants including five local drivers.

The majority of the home drivers will register when their cars are ready for the race. Registration ends on Saturday. The rally will start with a super special stage at Lubiri circuit on April 25, before the second and third legs that will be concentrated in Mityana district.

Entry list:

A.Khan (Ken)
A.Pandya (Tanzania)
R. Kurji (Kenya)
M. Singh (Zambia)
Y. Patel (Kenya)
J. Whyte (Zimbabwe)
M. Hideaki (Japan)
B. Widow (Uganda)
P. Horsey (Uganda)
H. Navraj (Kenya)
B. Roberts (Uganda)
A. Ashraf (Uganda)

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