Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE sky-high success of the Equator Rally recently staged in Kenya as a candidate event for World Rally Championship has also heightened Oryx Rally of the Tanzania, Tanzania motorsports boss, Satinder Birdi unveiled in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Birdi told reporters in Dar es Salaam during the launch of the Tanzanian round of the African Rally Championship that WRC- classed event in Kenya has inspired most of the continent’s top drivers to come to Tanzania and all of them will be showcasing their driving skills at Highland Estate Ubena late next week.
“Equator Rally of Kenya has provided us top class drivers and their presence helps to spice up Oryx Rally challenge,” Birdi told reporters at Onomo Hotel during the official launch.
Birdi said the chase for the event’s top diadem will involve top Kenyan wheelers, Uganda’s best four drivers, a South African ‘daredevil, Guy Botterill and Burundian crew.
ORYX Rally of Tanzania was officially launched in Dar es Salaam on Thursday announcing the names of 34 drivers to be involved in dusty road showdown July 23-25.
According to Birdi, there are five types of rally cars in this year’s round of the continental class event.
Besides the usual Subaru- Mitsubishi showdown, this year’s Oryx Rally has added Toyota Etios, Ford Fiesta and Skoda Fabia on the event’s flag off podium.
The event’s surprise entry is Kenyan wheeling star Carl Tundo, who will be competing in Tanzania for the first time.
Tundo is one of the nine Kenyan drivers coming to race for Oryx Rally throne while others like Ugandan Jas Mangat, Yassin Nasser, Duncan Mubiru(Kikankaane) have been regularly competing in Tanzanian Safari rallies.
South African champion Guy Botterill is likely to be event’s golden boy whose presence in Tanzania will be paraded in Toyota Etios.
The Oryx Rally of Tanzania is the third round of the African rally championship 2020/2021 after Ivory Coast’s Rallye Bandama and Kenya’s Equator rally.
There are 19 Tanzanian drivers and 14 foreign entries from South Africa, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda.
There will be also a personal showdown between Kenyan Carl Tundo and South African Botterill who will be renewing the second round’s rivalry.
The two drivers are joint ARC table leaders with 30 points from the two rounds done so far, and according to the latest entry list of Oryx Rally, Tundo will return in the VW Polo R5 fresh from the WRC safari rally where he finished 9th overall and 3rd in WRC 3 category.
According to Birdi, the major title contenders from Tanzanian include Dharam Pandya, Gurjit Dhani, Kelvin Taylor, Altaf Munge, Manvir Birdi and Randip Birdi who represented other driver during the launch.
