Samman Vohra Dominates Day1 Of The Rwanda Mt Gorilla Rally

By Mwambazi Lawrence
Ladies and gentlemen If you were planning to win the Rwanda Mt Gorilla Rally 2025, Samman Vohra has politely asked you to go home and if you blinked on Day 1 of the Rwanda Mt Gorilla Rally 2025, you probably missed Samman Vohra zooming past, waving politely, and stealing everyone’s lunch. The Kenyan hotshot, with Drew Sturrock calmly dictating the dance steps, treated the Rwandan roads like his personal racetrack, bullying the clock into submission with a stage-winning spree 7 out of 9, like a greedy kid at a candy store.

Clocking a jaw-dropping 1:00:12.4 in their Skoda Fabia Evo (yes, the one that growls louder than your neighbor’s generator), Samman and Drew left nothing but tire marks and broken dreams behind. It was so smooth, fans started whispering he’d secretly paved the roads himself.
But while Vohra cruised like a rallying messiah, disaster struck the reigning ARC overlords, Karan Patel and Tauseef Khan. Let’s just say, Stage 3 hit back hard. First, the front left of their Fabia R5 got introduced to Rwandan rocks (not very friendly ones), then the gearbox tapped out like a wrestler in pain. With both components begging for mercy, the crew now finds themselves contemplating an early safari – just not the one they trained for.

Meanwhile, Rwanda’s own rally sweetheart, Giancarlo “The Gentleman” Davite, reminded us that age is just a number and EvoXs still bite. Co-driven by Isheja Sandrine (who must have nerves of steel), they tiptoed through the chaos to finish Day 1 in second a cool 1:07:21 on the clock. Not bad for a crew that spent most of the day dodging flying gravel and fan selfies.
Rolling into third with style and grace, Kenya’s Nikhil Sachania and Deep Patel made their Ford Fiesta R3 dance like a ballerina with turbo. With a tidy 1:09:27 time, they stayed sharp and steady, like accountants with a vengeance. Expect them to pounce if Vohra so much as sneezes.
Uganda’s Joshua Muwanguzi and Hamza Lwanga decided enough is enough they’re not just showing up for continental fuel consumption records. With their Subaru Impreza N12 looking like it just got back from a spa day, they logged 1:14:01, proving that when Ugandans come to play, they bring torque and tenacity.
Rounding off the top five, Prince Charles Nyerere (no royal titles were harmed) and Fernand Rutabingwa braved the horror of road-opening duties. With every rock unflipped and every jump fresh, their Mitsubishi EvoX held on admirably for a 1:16:05 earning applause, not just for the pace, but for making it to service with all body panels intact.

And then there was carnage…Stage 3 became a buffet for misfortune. Karan Patel’s early retirement was followed by Yoto Fabrice, who rolled his Subaru Impreza N8 so thoroughly, someone suggested turning it into a souvenir. Uganda’s own Isaac Sozzi suffered a dramatic engine failure in Stage 4 the kind that makes even spectators cough in sympathy. Then came the shocker ARC title hopefuls Yasin Nasser and Ali Katumba threw in the towel, with mechanical gremlins staging a full-blown mutiny.

But wait Day 2 still has more rally sorcery up its sleeves: 94.40kms of competitive action, 3 stages repeated twice, and just to spice things up, the organizers said, “Let’s reverse everything.” Yes, reversed routes. New lines, new dangers, and co-drivers suddenly remembering they left the handbrake on… yesterday.
Will Vohra maintain his god-mode grip on the lead?
Can Davite deliver a homegrown miracle?
Will someone please check if the gravel gods are accepting bribes?
Buckle up the jungle ain’t done talking.
Day 1 – Top 6 Results
- Samman Vohra / Drew Sturrock – Skoda Fabia Evo – 1:00:12.4
- Giancarlo Davite / Isheja Sandrine – Mitsubishi EvoX – 1:07:21
- Nikhil Sachania / Deep Patel – Ford Fiesta – 1:09:27
- Joshua Muwanguzi / Hamza Lwanga – Subaru Impreza N12 – 1:14:01
- Prince Charles Nyerere / Fernand Rutabingwa – Mitsubishi EvoX – 1:16:05
- 💨Faizal Kayira / Duncan Katumba – Subaru Impreza GC8 – 1:28:45
Stay tuned, buckle your seat belts, and keep your popcorn dry Day 2’s plot twist might just include flying bumpers and rally voodoo.