Uganda: Pearl Still Lacks the Pomp of Yesteryear

By Hassan Badru Zziwa

The Observer, Kampala

Before the just-concluded Pearl of Africa rally, it had been a long time since the country’s premier motorsport showpiece took centre stage at the expense of traditional attractions such a football, rugby and basketball. Right from the event launch back in May, organisers pulled all stops to ensure this year’s event matched the hype of past times. Personally, I felt nostalgic following proceedings on phone and had it not been my tight schedule, I would have spent the weekend around the areas of Matugga and Semuto where the rally took place.

Such is the captivating nature of rallying; that in spite of the recent setbacks such as accidents and low sponsorship, fans still flock in to follow the machines. Having said that, while many of today’s fans enjoy the action – particularly on the dusty sections – the sport falls way short on the excitement like it was in the previous generations.

Rallying has been a major sport in the country since the late fifties but it was in the late eighties up to the mid-2000s that the sport enjoyed its biggest popularity. For instance, there is no consistent performer today to match the feats of Chipper ‘Corner Specialist’ Adams and I deeply miss a fierce rivalry to match the eras of Karim Hirji versus Sam Ssali versus Jimmy Dean or the Charlie ‘Macarena’ Lubega versus Moses Lumala.

What we have today is a mixed bag of part-time drivers competing against novices yet to master the basics of the sport. I keenly followed the build-up to the 2014 edition and nearly all previews put emphasis on the type and power of the rally cars at the expense of the expertise of the contenders.

In the past, while it was an open secret that Emma ‘Speed mMerchant’ Katto was the fastest driver in the country by a mile, Adams outperformed everyone in tight sections while Lubega hardly failed to make it to the finish line. With the leading figure boasting a special attribute, each had a legion of followers and fanatics that made every rally special.

I vividly remember how Ssali and Jolly Lutaaya used to taunt Hirji and Yusuf Karmali. Work would come to a standstill on rally weekend as rival fans jostled for the best viewing areas to cheer their heroes. Sound Solo, a popular radio set at the time, were also an essential item to have in order to know the pecking order via Radio Uganda.

Joy and despair would be the talk of town the following Monday, the kind we are used to these days when Manchester United or Arsenal register mixed fortunes.

Today, I can only compare that level of fanaticism to the current music rivalry of Bebe Cool versus Chameleone versus Bobi Wine. In essence, the sport of rallying badly needs superstars and not merely a big number of rally drivers.

When I dissect the current crop of active rally drivers, I cannot help feel pity. Beyond Ronald Sebuguzi and Jas Mangat, I can boldly state the rest are not yet good enough to be described as elite. Ironically, Dr Ashraf Ahmed and Nasser Mutebi won the National Rally Champion (NRC) of 2008 and 2010 respectively without winning a single rally event.

That basically confirms the low levels of competition we have in the current generation. As if that wasn’t queer enough, Susan ‘Super Lady’ Muwonge made history in 2011 when she won the NRC title. Without sounding sexist, Muwonge’s record deserves to be in the Guinness World Records because I don’t know of any sport where a single lady can comprehensively defeat men.

I’m also reliably informed that today, anyone can become a rally driver overnight as long as he or she buys a rally car. Granted, numbers portray an image of thriving sport. But surely, as much as organisers would like to give every rally driver the benefit of doubt, the Pearl rally is on the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) magnitude and should be limited to top-notch drivers technically proven to have what it takes to match the continent’s best.

All said and done, the 2014 Pearl rally can be a springboard for a new wave of vibrancy and local motorsport body FMU should fully exploit the event’s popularity to trickle down to NRC events.

Editor: Somehow it sounds as if he is also writing about rallying in South Africa

Much of what he mentions sounds very familiar. But judge for yourself.