National rally champion Davite Giancarlo wants to borrow a leaf from what Uganda’s speedster Emma Katto recently said, "You can only win a rally if you can finish it.”

This year, Giancarlo has taken part in two FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) events; Kobil rally of Tanzania and the KCB Safari rally but failed to finish on both occasions.

In Tanzania, the Rwandan driver slid off the road while in Kenya, his N11 series suffered mechanical failure early on day two.

This weekend, Giancarlo will line up against some of Africa’s top drivers in the KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda rally and is eager to redeem his chances in the inaugural KCB East African Challenge for which the rally counts as a second tier.

"It’s very important for me to finish this rally otherwise I will have no chance when the Challenge moves to Rwanda later this year,” he said.

The KCB Pearl of Africa rally which runs from May 1-3 counts as the third round on the ARC and has attracted top drivers in the ranks of two-time African Rally Champion Muna Singh, Zimbabwe’s James Whyte and a collection of top Ugandan drivers like Emma Katto, Jas Mangat, Riyaz Kurji, Susan ‘Super Lady’ Muwonge and rising sensation Shafique Ssemujju.

Rwanda will be represented by Giancarlo and Olivier Costa who is enjoying one of the best rally seasons of his life.
After two rounds, Costa is fourth on the ARC charts with seven points, 13 points adrift of ARC leader James Whyte (20 points).

Whyte won last year’s KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.

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