Samman Vohra Steals the Show on Day 1 at Mkwawa Rally Tanzania
By Mwambazi Lawrence
Kenya’s Samman Vohra, co-driven by Drew Sturrock, made it clear today that he didn’t come to play he came to win. Driving a Škoda Fabia Evo like a caffeinated rocket, Vohra scooped up four of six stages on Day 1 of the Mkwawa Rally of Tanzania, leaving fans scratching their heads and rivals chewing dust. His total time? 1:03:27.7. That’s right he’s basically putting the “fast” in “fast and furious,” and he’s doing it without even breaking a sweat… well, maybe a little.
2024 African rally champion Karan Patel powers his Skoda Fabia in one of the stages.
Hot on his tail is fellow Kenyan Karan Patel, co-driven by Tauseef Khan, who is trying very hard not to spill his tea or his timing. With a stage win and a total of 1:03:40.7, Patel is just 12.9 seconds behind Vohra. That’s close enough to say, “Hey, maybe this is a photo finish,” but far enough that Vohra is probably already celebrating with imaginary champagne.
Home crowd favourite Ahmed Huwel, alongside co-driver Vili Oslaj in a Toyota GR Yaris, made the Tanzanian fans go “ooh” and “ahh.” This was only Huwel’s second time driving the car, and yet he’s handling it like a pro chef flipping pancakes smooth, controlled, and slightly risky. He’s currently third overall, proving that home advantage sometimes comes with a little magic dust sprinkled on top.
Local hero Ahmed Huwel negotiates a corner in one of the stages he is lying 3rd ovarall (Photo by Johnson Were)
Meanwhile, Uganda’s Yasin Nasser and co-driver Ali Katumba in a Ford Fiesta R5 are playing it safe… maybe too safe. A stall in the opening stage cost them precious seconds, leaving them fourth with 1:08:16.7. Fans are holding their breath, crossing fingers, and possibly praying to the rally gods time is running out, Yasin, and the championship won’t win itself!
Yasin Nasser playing it safe through the Kilimanjaro Stage ( Photo by Johnson Were)
VIRTUAL ARC STANDINGS AFTER DAY1
Pre-rally standings:
Yasin Nasser – 114 pts
Samman Vohra – 106 pts
Karan Patel – 35 pts
Ahmed Huwel – 0 pts
THE MATHS
Samman Vohra: 106 + 30 = 136 pts
Karan Patel: 35 + 24 = 59 pts
Ahmed Huwel: 0 + 21 = 21 pts
Yasin Nasser: 114 + 19 = 133 pts
Virtual ARC standings after Day 1
Samman Vohra – 136 pts ✅
Yasin Nasser – 133 pts
Karan Patel – 59 pts
Ahmed Huwel – 21 pts
In fifth is Burundi’s Roshanali Mohammed/Christophe Bigirimana in a Subaru Impreza GVB (1:13:44.1), and in sixth, local hero Prince Charles Nyerere with co-driver Charles Nyerere in a Mitsubishi Evo X (1:16:41.1), probably wondering why their Evo doesn’t fly like Vohra’s Škoda.
Over in the NRC class, Huwel is leading comfortably by 1:41.1, with Randeep Singh Sunny/Manmeet Birdi hot on his heels in a Mitsubishi Evo 9, while Manveer Birdi/Kenya’s Ravi Chana wrap up the podium (1:08:56.6). The rest of the field is chasing like a pack of confused chickens adorable, but not quite close enough to snatch the lead.
Tanzania’s Randeep Singh lies 2nd in the NRC Class and still going strong ( Photo by Johnson Were)
Day 1 NRC RESULTS
- Ahmed Huwel/ Vili Oslaj – Toyota GR Yaris =1:06:03.3
- Randeep Singh/ Manmeet Birdi- Mitsubishi Evo9=1:07:44.4
- Manveer Birdi/ Ravi Chana- Mitsubishi Evo9=1:08:56.6
- Gurpal Sandhu/ Dave Sihoka – Mitsubishi EvoX=1:10:40.3
- Samir Nahdi/ Maisan Fazal – Ford Fiesta Proto=1:10:45.0
- Shehzad Munge/Aaron John- Mitsubishi EvoX=1:12:19.8
- Waleed Nahdi/Ally Hamoud –Subaru Impreza =1:12:22.0
- Prince Charles Nyerere/ Charles Nyerere- Mitsubishi EvoX=1:16:41.1
- Dharam Pandya / Bafadhil- Subaru VAB=1:17:16.9
- Kelvin Taylor / Ethan Taylor – Subaru N12= 1:19:58.2
- Kartic Valambia/Monica Lymo- Mitsubishi Evo7=1:20:51.8
- Arsh Somji/ Imranali Chandu –Subaru Impreza =1:34:20.5
Day 2 promises more drama, more dust, and more chances for drivers to make questionable life choices. Crews will tackle 132.48 km, with 60.53 km of competitive stages spread over three tests. The 11.91 km Kilimanjaro stage is the power stage think of it as the chocolate cake of the rally, offering bonus points that everyone secretly wants but nobody wants to crash trying to get. The remaining 71.95 km is liaison distance, a polite way of saying “drive carefully or your mechanics will cry.
Will Vohra keep his lead, or will Nasser pull a plot twist worthy of a Netflix thriller? Only Day 2 will tell, but one thing is for sure: it’s going to be bloody
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