General classification – Top 5

1. Din Imitiaz 86 points 2. Jean Claude Gakwaya 83 points 3. Eric Gakwaya 61 points 4. Jean Jean Geisen 50 points 5. Olivier Mbabazi 42 points

Rallye de Mille Collines – Top 5

1. Jean Claude Gakwaya 2. Din Imitiaz 3. Olivier Mbabazi 4. Eric Gakwaya 5. Lionel Kayitankore

DIN Imitiaz and his navigator Christophe Bigirimana were over the weekend crowned as winners of the 2018 National Rally Championship.

The Burundian crew scooped the title with 86 points in overall classification, three points ahead of the 2017 champion Jean Claude Gakwaya.

Gakwaya, and his pace reader Fernand Rutabingwa, won the season-ending Rallye de Mille Collines in Bugesera District on Saturday after overcoming Imtiaz in a stiff competition.

Imtiaz who went into the race with a seven-point advantage over Gakwaya, collected 21 points for his first runner-up position while then defending champion Gakwaya was awarded 25 points for his Rallye de Mille Collines victory.

Covering four competitive sections with a total of 146.48km, Gakwaya showed his desire for the title with an impressive pace but a fully-charged Imtiaz in his Toyota Avensis ensured he never left hi sight.

Navigated by Emmanuel Kubwimana in their Subaru Impreza GCB, Olivier Mbabazi finished third on Saturday while Eric Gakwaya completed top four of the day.

Of the ten entries that started the one-day event, Lionel Kayitenkore finished at the bottom – in fifth place – after five crews were marked DNF (Did Not Finish) having suffered accidents and mechanical hitches that forced them out of the race.

DNF crews:

1. Jean Jean Giesen/Dewalque Yannik – Toyota Celica 2. Edson Mugyereza/Kyambadde Sirajih – Subaru Impreza 3. Tassos Gakuba/Kevin Mujiji – Toyota Corolla 4. Gilberto Bolandemu/Ibrahim Waiswa – Toyota Corolla 5. Semana Genese/Pascal – Peugeot 205

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