The 2020 Mountain Gorilla Rally is scheduled for May 15-17, Saturday Sport has learned. 

The Rwandan popular race is ranked third on the FIA/African Rally Championship calendar this year, only behind the curtain-raiser Rallye de Côte d’Ivoire due next month and the South Africa Rally in April. 

This year’s African Championships comprises seven races. 

Set for June 19-21, the Zambia International Rally is fourth on the year-round schedule and will be followed by Kenya Safari, Uganda’s Pearl of Africa rally and Rally of Tanzania, in that order. 

With the Mountain Gorilla Rally brought among the first races on the calendar, it is expected that more international crews will participate unlike in the past – including last year – where, apart from home drivers, only Burundi and Uganda were represented.

Local driver Jean Claude Mugabo claimed the Mountain Gorilla Rally 2019 title, while Kenyan star Marvir Baryan retained the African Championships crown for a third consecutive year. 

No Rwandan has ever won the African Championships, and local crews hardly compete in races outside the region, largely because of involved logistics and expenses.