After long period of scorching sun, the rains that fell during the Guru Nanak Motor Rally in Arusha took local drivers by surprise.
Jamil Shahbhai, driving a Subaru Imprezza MY03 with navigator Ally Hamoud veered off road into a ditch after the car skidded on the rain drenched road.
The mishap occurred during the second lapse of the Rally in Monduli Juu section of Monduli District.
“It took us more than an hour before being rescued and by that time it was already too late for the third section,” said Shahbhai.
Apparently rains took them by surprise, they did not anticipate the downpour thus they were caught off-guard without the special tires for muddy terrains.
The car was damaged and currently undergoing repairs ready for the forthcoming Morogoro Atlantic Rally in December.
On his part, driver Harinder Deere with co-driver Zubayr Piredina of the Fuchs Titan Rally Team says he was on the lead up to section four and his way to win then rain struck.
“Many people know about the black cotton soil and how bad it can affect traction in the rain, we skidded into a gulley and lost time while trying to retrieve it,” he said.
The Rally featured 12 cars, but only nine teams managed to drive onto the finishing point.
Ugandan Driver Yassin Naser, who was racing in a Subaru Imprezza won the Rally in Tanzania.
Naser, together with Ali Katumba his navigator was racing as the Moil Rally Team from Kampala.
Manveer Birdi from Tanzania with his Kenyan navigator, Ravi Chana finished second.
The third winning team, was Tufail Amin with Co-Driver Manmeet Birdi.
Tufail says his car suffered three tire punctures and drove three stages with failed brakes.
Meanwhile Dharam Pandya the ace motorist who holds the second position in the National Rally Championships, intend to restore his former glory in the forthcoming Morogoro Atlantic Rally in December.
Having finished fourth in the just ended Arusha Guru Nanak Rally, Pandya said the Morogoro event will be closing the racing rounds for this year and he intends to use it as springboard to higher grounds.
“We move from scorching sun to pounding rains within same territory of Monduli District,” he says.
He said the rally saw several cars going off-road and others landing in ditches.
“However, we are lucky to finish in one piece, as the road was muddy, sandy and dusty at the same time, thus making it difficult to both handle loose traction on sand and muddy terrains,” he stated.
The Pandya team navigator during the Guru Nanak Rally was Mustafa Ali.
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