Unity rally team, the organisers of the Rallye des Mille Collines, have announced that starting next year, the annual motor rally competition will be renamed after navigator Christophe Dusquene, who tragically lost his life on Saturday morning after Claude Kwizera's car hit a tree stump.

Dusquene succumbed to internal bleeding and wounds as he was rushed to Gahini hospital in the Eastern Province.

Speaking to Times Sport, Jean Francois Cyatangabo, a member of Unity rally team and Secretary General of Rwanda Automobile Club, said, "Starting from next year the Rally des Mille Collines will be organised in memory of our dear friend Christophe Dusquene.”

"What happened was very unfortunate but we must celebrate his life. He was a very nice person, very friendly and we shall miss him dearly. He was a good friend of mine and was part of the rally family.”

The 54 year old was a retired security officer at the Belgian embassy in Kigali and had just flown in to be a part of the competition, but following the absence of his partner- driver John Murengezi, he accepted Kwizera’s request to navigate for him.

Dusquene was the first co-driver of four-time national champion Davite Giancarlo and the latter said that the fallen navigator was a very close companion who was also kind.

Giancarlo’s navigator Sylvia Vindevogel said, "He was a great and compassionate friend. From what I know about Dusquene, he loved racing so much he died doing his passion. He was a very positive person.”

According to the rally organisers, the Belgian embassy will fly Dusquene’s body to Belgium for burial tomorrow.

Bukera declared Champion

Meanwhile, Valery Bukera is the 2014 national rally champion having amassed 113 points before yesterday’s race, the highest this year on the National Rally Championship standings.

After the unfortunate accident, the race, which was still in the early stages of section two with three more sections to go, was immediately halted.

This was less than 50 per cent of the total distance and, according to international rules and regulations, Saturday’s results cannot be considered since that’s the day the tragedy occurred.