Mangat won the opening stage in a rain-interrupted leg one and was never by the charge of local championship leader Ponsiano Lwakataka as well as a host of other African rally championship contenders.

First on the road on leg two of the rally, the Ugandan managed to maintain his pace to claim the victory in spite of treacherous muddy conditions and a late charge from restarters Karen Patel and Tauseef Khan from Kenya.

It was his first Pearl of Africa rally win since 2013 and a first for a local crew since 2016.

“This is an emotional win. It is my first rally this year and my first Pearl win in a very long time. We put in the effort and it has paid off,” said Mangat.

Zambia’s Leroy Gomes/Urshlla Gomes took second place, finishing 5m5s behind. With this podium finish, they continue to lead the FIA African Rally Championship standings with 78 points, ahead of the Kenyan pair of Patel/Khan, who are 33 points behind.

Rwanda’s Giancarlo Davite and navigator Slyvia Vindevogel completed the podium and are third in the overall ARC standings with 38 points.

The duo McRae Kimathi/Kioni Mwangi claimed the ARC Junior’s category win.

The championship now heads to Tanzania from 22-24 July.

The final results and ARC can be found standings can be consulted on fia.com. More information is available on the website of the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda.

Photo credit: Sanyuka (photo 1 & 2); Mcrae Kimathi Instagram (photo 3)