RALLY OF TANZANIA IN SUSPENSE AS FIA HINTS ON CANCELLATION

Tanzania is due to host the round six of the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) series but such hopes will now depend on the final decision to be made by the World Motorsport governing body the FIA.

Already, FIA has indicated via their website that the event will not be held this year but the officials of the Automobile Association of Tanzania (AAT) could not comment of the fate of the Tanzania round.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has ravaged most countries, has affected preparations of the event.

Only Rally Bandama in Ivory Coast had taken place, while South Africa had earlier withdrawn from this year’s championship. The Rwanda and Zambia rallies were all postponed to later dates in the year.

The Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally slated for August 14^th to16th this year is another race likely to be canceled this year.

With its vast, often merciless, playgrounds for crews and machines, the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) allows professional and amateur drivers to live their passion in the Sub-Saharan region.

First held in 1981, the championship is now in its 40th season and features some legendary gravel events across stunning African landscapes.

With eight titles to his name, Zambia’s Satwant Singh is the most decorated driver in the series’ history, while reigning champion Manvir Baryan from Kenya has won back-to-back titles since 2017.

Last year Baryan and British co-driver Drew Sturrock sealed victory in the Pearl of Uganda Rally in August to wrap up three-in-a-row African championship titles with two rounds of the 2019 title chase to spare (Tanzania and Rwanda).

The pair placed their Škoda Fabia R5 on the podium on every ARC round they attended, clinching three first places (Ivory Coast, Zambia, Uganda), one second place (South Africa) and one third place (Kenya) to build a huge gap ahead of their rivals, leaving little chance to their closest competitors, Zambia’s Leroy and Urshlla Gomes in second, to catch them.