ARC standings, top 3

1. Manvir Baryan/Drew Sturrock    75 points 2. Jas Mangat/Joseph Kamya           33 points 3. Piero Cannobio/Silvia Frigo         29 points

The sixth and penultimate round of the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) series is set for this weekend in Tanzania. The race set off Friday and will end Sunday with around 31 crews competing for the podium finish.

The race has not attracted any Rwandan crew. Instead, it is a contest for drivers from Uganda, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania in what is expected to be a neck to neck thrilling competition.

Last year, defending champion Marvir Baryana, of Kenya, dominated the event en route to victory in Bagamoyo, regaining the rally lead following Jaspreet Chatthe’s day one accident.

Only two ARC contenders; Manvir and Piero Connobio, both from Kenya, are now in the spotlight for the ARC contention.

Both drivers are separated by forty-six points on the leaderboard, a mere finish for Manvir could all but earn him a second ARC title with round one round to go.

Whereas Cannobio and his navigator Silvia Frigo seem to stand slim chances to unseat Manvir, winning the Tanzania Rally could push the title down to the wire with November’s Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally, the final race event on the Africa Rally Championship series.

The Multiple Racing crew in their Skoda RS 5 car, Manvir Baryan and Drew Sturrock recorded victories in the previous three ARC events this year, South Africa, Zambia and Uganda.

ARC is comprised of seven races that take place in seven countries starting with Ivory Coast (Rallye Badama), South Africa (York Timber), Zambia International Rally, Pearl of Africa Rally (Uganda) , Tanzania Rally and lastly in Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally.

The overall winner is crowned as the African champion during the annual FIA awarding ceremony along with World Formula One champion, and other winners from across the globe.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw