Uganda: NRC Season Difficult to Predict, Says DR Ashraf

James Ssekandi

2 March 2011

Kampala — Former National Rally Championship (NRC) winner Dr Ahmed Ashraf believes this year’s title race is wide open.

Ashraf, the 2008 NRC champion, finished third in the season-opening Mbarara Rally at the weekend. He trailed second-placed Wycliffe Bukenya in a Mitsubishi Evo7 and eventual winner Susan Muwonge (Subaru N8).

Despite Muwonge’s victory, Ashraf foresees a tight finish with at least five drivers in with a shot of the coveted crown. “It has to be a pool of five,” said Ashraf, who is co-driven by Daniel Ayebare in a Subaru Impreza. “Just look at the quality of cars here, few seem to be very powerful and with the Subaru N cars facing a 20-point penalty. It’s should be a tight season,” he added.

“Apart from Godfrey’s (Lubega) factory upgraded machine and Ronald’s (Ssebuguzi) Mitsubishi Evo 9, all the other cars are on equal footing.”

In 2008, Ashraf became the first driver to lift the NRC crown without recording a single victory in the six rallies on the calendar.

Nasser Mutebi achieved a similar feat last year. “Rallying is about perfect condition of the car, calculation, preparation and luck,” Ashraf reasoned. “Now for drivers like Susan and Bukenya, podium finishes could hand them the title but anything can happen from an engine break-down to rolling.”

Next on the NRC calendar is the Umospoc Challenge Rally on March 26 in Masaka.

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