JAS Mangat, in a roaring powerful Subaru Impreza, exhibited a clever display on the slippery track, to win the Premier Sprint at Lubiri circuit on Sunday.
Mangat, whose red Subaru waded through a couple of muddy corners with ease, clocked six minutes 51.59 seconds to top the race that attracted 24 drivers.
Alpha Rally Team’s Riyaz Kurji, a late entrant in the race, finished second — five seconds off the pace.
Ronald Ssebuguzi (Mitsubishi Evo4), the 2006 national champion, who raced head-to-head with Kurji (Subaru N8) on the double track, settled for third spot — a massive 18 seconds off the pace.
Omar Mayanja, Peter Horsey, Leonard Bagarukayo and Laila Mayanja were fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh respectively, in the event that attracted a capacity crowd, despite the morning rain.
The crew of Patrick Oling and Justin Mungoma, who had earlier kept pace with the front-runners, slipped to eighth position after overshooting a turn.
Teenage sensation Shafiq Ssemuju, 18, in a tiny Subaru pick-up struggled in the mud but managed to finish an impressive 13th.
The sprint organised by Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda (FMU) was a warm-up event ahead of the 2008 National Rally Championship that gets underway next month in Masaka.
Results
J. Mangat 06:51.59
R. Kurji 6:56.27
R. Ssebuguzi 7:09.84
O. Mayanja 7:24.82
P. Horsey 7:31.68
L. Bagarukayo 7:44.81
L. Mayanja 7:59.45
P. Oling 7:59.84
S. Muwonge 8:05.79
B. Koyesiga 8:11.39
A. Ashraff 8:21.06
E. Mungereza 8:23.19
S. Ssemuju 8:30.08
R. Lwakataka 8:31.96
M. Sanya 8:36.75
Rally man Mangat upstages big guns
