Mangat on course for double

By Douglas Mazune 

Africa championship standings

Jassy Singh 48 pts 

Jas Mangat 40 

Davite Giancarlo 33 

Mohammed Essa 25 

Eric Pages 25 

Jan Habig 25 

Uganda’s Rally Championship standings

Jas Mangat 285 pts 

Ronald Ssebuguza 236 

Arthur Blick 177 

Duncan Mubiru 166 

Christakis Fitidis 116 

WHAT began as a slow start to the season for national champion Jas Mangat was turned around by the acquisition of a Mitsubishi Evo X that has placed him on course for a national and Africa double. 

Prior to winning the Puma Energy Rally of Tanzania last weekend, Mangat had won the Martyrs Day Rally in Jinja to take the lead in the national championship. 

Mangat took a strategic decision to quit the Kenya national championship and concentrate on the Uganda and Africa championships.

He tops the charts in Uganda with 285 points, 49 ahead of Ronald Ssebuguzi and he is second Africa championship with 40 points, eight behind Zambian Jassy Singh. 

In the Tanzania race, Mangat clocked 2 hours 25.37 minutes. 

He beat second-placed Gerard Miller of Tanzania by about three minutes in the two-day race that saw African champion Mohammed Essa and then championship leader Davite Giarncarlo of Rwanda drop out. 

Zambian youngster Singh claimed the third podium position to take the lead in the Africa championship with 48 points with four races to go. 

Mangat’s dream of becoming the second Ugandan after Charles Muhangi to win the Africa championship, appears to be taking shape having won convincingly in Dar es Salaam. 

The Africa championship contenders now head to Nairobi for the KCB Kenya Safari Rally next month ahead of the Pearl of Africa in August. 

The Mountain Gorilla Rwanda Rally is due in September and championship ends with the Rally of Madagascar in November.