By The Arusha News Correspondent
Kenya’s Samman Vohra, navigated by Drew Sturrock, dominated the two-day Guru Nanak–Mkwawa Rally last weekend, powering their Škoda Fabia Evo through Arusha’s rugged and fast-paced stages to claim overall victory in a time of 1 hour, 16 minutes and 33.8 seconds.
Vohra’s precision driving and relentless pace proved decisive across the demanding dirt tracks and technical corners that defined the rally.
Fellow Kenyans Jasmeet Chana and Ravi Chana followed closely, delivering a strong second-place finish in a Ford Fiesta R5. They crossed the line more than seven minutes behind the leaders after a consistent and competitive run.
On home soil, Arusha-based driver Gurpal Singh Sandhu, with co-driver Dave Sihoka, showcased resilience and local expertise to secure third overall in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.
Sandhu’s podium finish drew loud applause from spectators, as he successfully held off pressure from seasoned rivals and underlined Tanzania’s growing strength in rally motorsport.
“It was a good rally — very technical and well organised,” Sandhu told The Arusha News.
“We had a very unfortunate puncture in the last section; otherwise, we could have achieved an even better result,” he added.
The Mkwawa Rally Team continued to impress, with Shanto Nahdi and Misam Fazal finishing fourth in a Ford Proto, narrowly ahead of teammates Ahmed Huwel and Rahim Suleiman, who rounded out the top five in a Toyota Yaris. Huwel was also crowned the 2025 National Rally Champion.
The rally tested both speed and endurance with several crews battling mechanical challenges.
Despite retirements by some competitors — including 2024 winner Manveer Singh Birdi and Vishal Patel — the field delivered an exciting spectacle marked by daring overtakes, tactical driving and fierce competition across Arusha’s varied terrain.
Sixteen cars started the rally but only ten completed the full course. Among the finishers was Kartic Valambia, navigated by Monica Lyimo, the rally’s only female participant. The pair finished in tenth position.
