Ssebuguzi quits the national championship
Sep 13, 2010
NATIONAL rally champion Ronald Ssebuguzi has quit the national championship after questioning Ponsiano Lwakataka’s victory in the Jinja rally at the weekend.
By Douglas Mazune
NATIONAL rally champion Ronald Ssebuguzi has quit the national championship after questioning Ponsiano Lwakataka’s victory in the Jinja rally at the weekend.
Ssebuguzi, who is second in the national championship with 289 points, will skip the final race of the year – the Independence Rally– next month.
Ssebuguzi challenged the times
set by Lwakataka at the weekend. He said he doubted the authenticity of results from competitive section eight at Buwenge in which Lwakataka beat him and Jas Mangat despite suffering a puncture.
“That Lwakataka’s car had a puncture in the middle of a 22-km section and still beat me by 14 seconds is impossible. There must be a mistake somewhere. This can’t be true; it will be a waste of time to compete with Lwakataka in Masaka. I am out of the championship,†Ssebuguzi fumed in an interview with The New Vision.
Mangat also expressed suspicion about Lwakataka’s stage time when his Subaru N8 got a puncture.
“It is very, very surprising. Many spectators saw him struggle with a puncture and he managed to be quicker than us?†Mangat wondered.
Lwakataka was bitter with his rivals for undermining his victory.
“If they are finding it difficult to come to terms with my pace, I will remove one of the tyres and drive them in my car at 170km.
I am still reasonably quick even on a rim. We had a puncture with about four kilometres to the end.
They should note that when I repeated the same section I improved by 15 seconds and yet I had a problem with the suspension,†Lwakataka argued.
Championship leader Mutebi came in fourth behind Lwakataka, Mangat and Ssebuguzi and conceded defeat in Jinja. Mutebi also differed with Mangat and Ssebuguzi.
“Lwakataka is simply a mad man — his pace is crazy. As long as his time was recorded at the start and finish points just congratulate the man.
His degree of aggressiveness is higher than ours,†Mutebi counselled his compatriots.
NATIONAL rally champion Ronald Ssebuguzi has quit the national championship after questioning Ponsiano Lwakataka’s victory in the Jinja rally at the weekend.
Ssebuguzi, who is second in the national championship with 289 points, will skip the final race of the year – the Independence Rally– next month.
Ssebuguzi challenged the times
set by Lwakataka at the weekend. He said he doubted the authenticity of results from competitive section eight at Buwenge in which Lwakataka beat him and Jas Mangat despite suffering a puncture.
“That Lwakataka’s car had a puncture in the middle of a 22-km section and still beat me by 14 seconds is impossible. There must be a mistake somewhere. This can’t be true; it will be a waste of time to compete with Lwakataka in Masaka. I am out of the championship,†Ssebuguzi fumed in an interview with The New Vision.
Mangat also expressed suspicion about Lwakataka’s stage time when his Subaru N8 got a puncture.
“It is very, very surprising. Many spectators saw him struggle with a puncture and he managed to be quicker than us?†Mangat wondered.
Lwakataka was bitter with his rivals for undermining his victory.
“If they are finding it difficult to come to terms with my pace, I will remove one of the tyres and drive them in my car at 170km.
I am still reasonably quick even on a rim. We had a puncture with about four kilometres to the end.
They should note that when I repeated the same section I improved by 15 seconds and yet I had a problem with the suspension,†Lwakataka argued.
Championship leader Mutebi came in fourth behind Lwakataka, Mangat and Ssebuguzi and conceded defeat in Jinja. Mutebi also differed with Mangat and Ssebuguzi.
“Lwakataka is simply a mad man — his pace is crazy. As long as his time was recorded at the start and finish points just congratulate the man.
His degree of aggressiveness is higher than ours,†Mutebi counselled his compatriots.