Africa-Press – Rwanda. Action is building up for the much anticipated 2025 Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally scheduled for July 4-6 as a host of top drivers get their tyres ready for the battle.
The Mountain Gorilla Rally, the third on the 2025 FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) calendar, was officially launched at Akagera Showroom in June, bringing together various drivers in Rwanda and officials at the local motorsport governing body, Rwanda Automobile Club.
Uganda’s Yasin Nasser and co-driver Ali Katumba top the 2025 ARC standings with 63 points after two rounds of ARC 2025. They are also rolling into Rwanda with one mission: make dust with their Ford Fiesta R5, take trophies and grab ARC points as they look to dethrone serial winning crew of Karan Patel and Tauseef Khan who won the continental championship for the past two consecutive seasons.
But how did Nasser get here?
One may say that Nasser gained where Patel lost.
Patel, driving a Skoda Fabia with his co-driver Tauseef Khan, started the 2025 season on a slow pace after he withdrew from Kenya Safari Rally in March which served as both the opening round of the African Championship and the third round of the FIA World Championship.
Also read: Patel retains Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally
The crew was forced to drop out on day two of the rally after their car engine clogged with heavy dust from the Fresh Fresh stage of Camp Moran 1.
Nasser and his co-driver Ali Katumba, who are running on a Tanzanian competition licence, began the ARC 2025 campaign in Naivasha, Kenya, with a fourth-place finish, losing the ground to Kenya’s Carl Tundo who, thanks to his Ford Fiesta R5, won the round with 2:23:30.7.
But a second spot finish was enough for the Ugandan crew to rise to the top, amassing 63 points before shifting their engines to Rwanda.
With Nasser’s smooth driving and Katumba’s laser-focused notes, the crew is aiming to stretch their championship lead.
If the competition thought they could relax, they clearly haven’t been watching Ugandan rally crews turn chaos into championship points. Rwanda, brace yourself, the boys from Moil are coming in hot, and they’re not here for the views!
Back home, Rwanda’s top rally warriors are revving their engines as well and ready to fight for pride on their home soil.
Reigning national champion Christian Kanangire, alongside co-driver Kevin Mujiji, will once again trust their loyal Subaru Impreza N12 to carry them through the dust and drama. And of course, fan-favourite Queen Kalimpinya isn’t sitting this one out, she’s back with co-driver Olivier Ngabo, piloting their iconic Subaru GC8 like it’s a rally legend on wheels.
With registration deadlines looming, expect more local and regional entries to roll in, setting the stage for what could be the fiercest Mt Gorilla Rally which could either confirm Nasser’s ARC championship credentials.
He will definitely be up for an ‘all or nothing’ contest from Kigali to Nemba and Gako in Bugesera District.
Two more round in Burundi and Tanzania will be up for grabs as well but Rwandan rally could prove decisive for Nasser or bring the likes of Nikhil Sachania and Carl Tundo (tied on 50 points in second and third places) both in contention while you can’t rule out Patel who has won it all in Rwanda twice in a row in 2023 and 2024.
Facts about Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally 2025:
Total distance: 389.47 km
Number of special stages: 15
Total distance of the Special Stages: 236.30 km
Number of Sections: 5
Number of Days: 2
For More News And Analysis About Rwanda Follow Africa-Press
