A collapsed bridge at the Busiika Circuit looked to have delayed the start of the racing as new routes around the circuit had to be considered. This also seem t have affected the drivers’ pace notes.
The 2019 Pearl of Africa Rally revved off on a rather dramatic note after a bridge at the Motorsports Arena in Busiika collapsed hours to the race.
The bridge fell in after a beverage truck drove over it.
That forced organizers into an impromptu adjustment to the route. Crews had to do a convoy rece over the newly created route that increased the distance to 3.62 kilometers, about 140 metres longer than the originally set up.
Manvir Baryan and Drew Sturrock yet again proved they still have got the knack for the Pearl Rally with an early lead after day one.
The Skoda Fabia driver covered the 3.6 km super special stage in 3minutes and 17seconds, heading into the final day on Saturday. He holds a three seconds lead over Jas Mangat (Mitsubishi EvoX).
Hassan Alwi came in third followed by Tanzania’s Dharam Pandya in fourth.
Yassin Nasser completed day one’s top five positions. Adam Rauf and Arthur Blick finished in sixth and seventh respectively.
Crews will head to Kayunga district on Saturday for the final day tackling four stages, all repeated in a total competitive distance of 210 kilometers.
