Mangat unfazed by restricted route reccing

By Douglas Mazune

Africa Rally Championship standings

1. Giancarlo Davite (Rwanda) 33 points

2. Jassy Singh (Zambia) 30

3. Mohammed Essa (Zambia) 25

3. Jan Habig (S.Africa) 25

3. Eric Pages (Ivory Coast) 25

6. Jas Mangat (Uganda) 18

UGANDA national champion Jas Mangat will have to quickly adjust to restricted route reccing in the Puma Energy Rally of Tanzania in Dar es Salaam this weekend.

Mangat who is already in Tanzania told New Vision Sport shortly before departure that he was surprised by the time restriction but not threatened at all.

“Route reccing is not even one day. I am not complaining because it is the same for every competitor. That’s fair,” Mangat explained as he perused the recce schedule.

Crews that will go route reccing tomorrow will do it at specific times and will be timed. The majority of competitive sections have been take one hour while some will be 90 minutes.

“The time is enough. I can even go through a section more than once. Preparation is part of the competition, so fair that we have all be given equal time to do recce,” Mangat stated.

The Ugandan who will be navigated by Gihan Da Silva in their new Mitsubishi Evo X will be up against Africa championship contenders Davite Giancarlo from Rwanda and Zambians Jassy Singh and Mohammed Essa.

Africa champion Essa seeks to retain his title while Mangat with 18 points having finished on the podium in Zambia last month hopes to close the 15-point gap.

The race which is the fourth round of the Africa championship has attracted 25 crews from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia.

Next month the battle ground shift to Nairobi for the KCB Kenya Safari Rally ahead of the Shell Pearl of Africa Rally in Uganda in August. Then Mountain Gorilla Rwanda Rally in September will wrap up Africa championship rounds in East Africa.

The final round of the 2013 continental championship will be the International Rally of Madagascar in November.