Davite rules out Madagascar ARC round

ARC Standings after Round 71. Jas Mangat (Uga) 83 pts2. Jassy Singh (Zmb) 71 pts3. Giancarlo Davite (Rwa) 58 ptsThe 2013 Rwanda Mt. Gorilla rally winner Giancarlo Davite has ruled out participating in the final round of this year’s Africa Rally Championship due in Madagascar in November.Despite having revived his hopes for the ARC crown with a win of the Rwanda Mt. Gorilla Rally last month, Davite said, “Unfortunately our chances to win the ARC crown are minimal and dependent on the results of other competitors in the final rally of Madagascar.”Davite, navigated by Sylvia Vindevogel, won the 7th round of the African Rally Championship in their Subaru Impreza N10 known as Umuletti, with a comfortable 24.34 seconds lead over closest foe and defending champion Elefter Mitraros. Mangat, who clashed out of the Rwanda Mt. Gorilla Rally, leads the African rally championship standings with 83 points while closest contestant Jassy Singh from Zambia has 81 points with Davite settling in third position with 58 points.“We are 25 points behind the current leader and there are more 25 points to win. The calculation is, therefore, simple. I must win in Madagascar and hope that both Mangat and Singh retire,” Davite said.“At this point, I would be tied on 83 points with Mangat which would be a perfect equality not only in terms of points but also we would have two wins each, one 2nd place and one 3rd place.”What FIA regulation suggest in this case is clear. The FIA itself will decide the champion based on other considerations.“As you can see, even if the miracle would happen, our destiny is in the hands of “appropriate considerations.”Davite added, “Our game is over for us. We lost too many points in our four legs of the season. The retirement in Côte d’Ivoire will remain the worst memory of this season.”“We won’t go to Madagascar and good luck to Mangat and Singh for the final battle that will be surely very exciting in those unknown lands. They are both young, they deserve the championship and have both absolutely a bright future ahead of them for more victories and championships,” added Davite.He further added that they have now shifted focus to Burundi rally scheduled for late this month in Ngozi.The exit of Davite means that he finishes third in Africa championship pending the winner and first runner-up after Madagascar rally, which will climax the season.

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Davite rules out Madagascar ARC round