Emotions mark Kurji's Pearl victory
May 03, 2009
RALLY driver Riyaz Kurji, who died in a motor accident in the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally on Saturday, will be buried tomorrow.
By James Bakama
Pearl rally final rally results
R. Kurji 1:20:05hrs
M. Singh 1:22:27
J. Whyte 1:24:54
E. Katto 1:27:00
O. Costa 1:27:41
RALLY driver Riyaz Kurji, who died in a motor accident in the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally on Saturday, will be buried tomorrow.
A family member Sunny Lakhani said prayers will be held at Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Mosque in Old Kampala before burial at Kololo cemetery at 2pm.
A brief and sombre awards ceremony for the rally was held at Hotel Africa yesterday where Kurji was posthumously declared overall winner.
Riyaz was leading the rally when he died after veering off the road and crushing into an anthill and tree in Malangala village Mityana on Saturday. His navigator Sayed Kadri survived.
Organizers disregarded three of Saturday’s 13 competitive sections and Sunday’s round to give the deceased the top prize. Kurji died in the 11th section of the rally.
Zambian driver Muna Singh donated his runners-up trophy to the deceased’s family. “We have lost an icon. On behalf of Zambia’s rally fraternity, I pass our condolences to Kurji’s family,†said Singh.
Kurji was an international businessman owning Alpha Group of companies with Uganda Fish Packers as the lead enterprise.
He was born in Mombasa and later lived in Dublin, Ireland. He came to Uganda in 1991 and established Uganda Fish Packers.
Kurji joined the motorsport in 2002 with a Nissan Pulsar. But it was not until 2005 when he hit the headlines after winning the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally. He repeated the feat in 2006, the same year he also became the first driver with a Ugandan license to win a rally in Kenya since Emma Katto’s 1997 victory.
Besides winning many Kenyan rallies, he also competed in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Ugandan drivers have also previously been involved in fatal accidents. In 1970 Major David Ndahura died in Athi River in Kenya during the East African Safari Rally. His co-driver Agard, like Kurji’s navigator Kadri, survived. In 1998 journalists Richard Tebere and Rashid Mudin died during the Karamoja “cannonball†rally.
Other prizes:
ARC trophy - M. Singh
Best female - S. Vindevogel
Best foreign crew - R. Kurji/S. Kadri,
2nd place- CRC A. Mohammed,
1st FMU - E. Katto.
Pearl rally final rally results
R. Kurji 1:20:05hrs
M. Singh 1:22:27
J. Whyte 1:24:54
E. Katto 1:27:00
O. Costa 1:27:41
RALLY driver Riyaz Kurji, who died in a motor accident in the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally on Saturday, will be buried tomorrow.
A family member Sunny Lakhani said prayers will be held at Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Mosque in Old Kampala before burial at Kololo cemetery at 2pm.
A brief and sombre awards ceremony for the rally was held at Hotel Africa yesterday where Kurji was posthumously declared overall winner.
Riyaz was leading the rally when he died after veering off the road and crushing into an anthill and tree in Malangala village Mityana on Saturday. His navigator Sayed Kadri survived.
Organizers disregarded three of Saturday’s 13 competitive sections and Sunday’s round to give the deceased the top prize. Kurji died in the 11th section of the rally.
Zambian driver Muna Singh donated his runners-up trophy to the deceased’s family. “We have lost an icon. On behalf of Zambia’s rally fraternity, I pass our condolences to Kurji’s family,†said Singh.
Kurji was an international businessman owning Alpha Group of companies with Uganda Fish Packers as the lead enterprise.
He was born in Mombasa and later lived in Dublin, Ireland. He came to Uganda in 1991 and established Uganda Fish Packers.
Kurji joined the motorsport in 2002 with a Nissan Pulsar. But it was not until 2005 when he hit the headlines after winning the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally. He repeated the feat in 2006, the same year he also became the first driver with a Ugandan license to win a rally in Kenya since Emma Katto’s 1997 victory.
Besides winning many Kenyan rallies, he also competed in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Ugandan drivers have also previously been involved in fatal accidents. In 1970 Major David Ndahura died in Athi River in Kenya during the East African Safari Rally. His co-driver Agard, like Kurji’s navigator Kadri, survived. In 1998 journalists Richard Tebere and Rashid Mudin died during the Karamoja “cannonball†rally.
Other prizes:
ARC trophy - M. Singh
Best female - S. Vindevogel
Best foreign crew - R. Kurji/S. Kadri,
2nd place- CRC A. Mohammed,
1st FMU - E. Katto.