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Rugomoka's attempt to fight for victory against Duncan Mubiru on the final day fell short, but his podium finish puts him in a strong position to challenge for the title.
National rally champion Byron Rugomoka is currently in the position to challenge for his title defense following his impressive performance at the Pearl of Africa Rally.
The rally, held over the weekend in Jina and Buikwe districts, saw Rugomoka finish in second place overall behind Duncan Mubiru.
Despite facing a few mechanical challenges, Rugomoka was able to salvage some pace early on in the rally, which put him in a good position when the initial rally leaders retired on day one.
He finished the first leg in second position overall, and was able to stay within the fight for the top spots throughout the rally.
Rugomoka's attempt to fight for victory against Duncan Mubiru on the final day fell short, but his podium finish puts him in a strong position to challenge for the title.
He now sits third on the National Rally Championship leader board with 160 points, 33 points behind leader Yasin Nasser.
Speaking after the rally, Rugomoka said, “Retaining the title is our target this year.”
“We do not intend to let it pass without fighting. Pearl has given us great results, now the search heads to the next round.”
“The rally was not without incident for us as well, we struggled with a couple of mechanical issues, but I am proud of the effort from everyone that we made it back in one piece.”
“Obviously for a driver like me, pushing for the title is not easy, but I thank my sponsors for the shot in the arm, as I call upon more sponsors to come and fuel my charge for the title,” he stated.
Meanwhile, other drivers put in impressive performances, with rookie Kenyan driver Rio Smith and co-driver Riyaz Ismail finishing an impressive second in what was only his seventh career rally.
Mangat could only fight back to take fifth, with Innocent Bwamiki and Hamza Lwanga also recovering from their trouble on day one to finish fourth in the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) category.
Nasser topped the ARC standings with 50 points, eight points ahead of Mangat. Kenya's Karan Patel is third in the standings, with the championship headed for Tanzania next.
On the other hand, the national championship heading to Hoima on the weekend of 9-11 June.
Rugomoka will be looking to build on his performance at the Pearl of Africa Rally and continue his charge towards defending his title.
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