Uganda is once again at the center of continental motorsport as the 2026 Shell V-Power Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally revs into action from 7–10 May, doubling as the second round of the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC).
Anticipation is surging across the country, with a record 65 crews confirmed for the event—23 of them competing for crucial ARC and ARC2 points—setting the stage for an intense and high-speed showdown across the Ankole region.
The spotlight early on has fallen on Tanzanian ace Ahmed Huwel, who has already touched down in Uganda ahead of his maiden Pearl Rally appearance. The Mkwawa Rally Team driver, behind the wheel of a Toyota Yaris Rally2, arrives with clear intent as he looks to kickstart his 2026 title ambitions.
Having skipped the WRC Safari Rally Kenya earlier in March, Huwel is treating the Pearl Rally as a pivotal reset point in his championship push.
“I’m here for a podium to open up my title contention and build valuable seat time in the car,” he noted after a productive test session.
Huwel fine-tuned his Rally2 machine over the weekend in Namungo, Mityana, using the training facility of seasoned Ugandan driver Moses Lumala.
Standing in his path, however, is reigning African champion Yasin Nasser, who returns to home soil eager to assert dominance.
Navigated by Ali Katumba, Nasser will once again command the Moil Rally Team Ford Fiesta R5 ‘NEMO’—the same machine that carried him to the 2025 ARC crown.
Nasser’s title triumph last season came in dramatic fashion, edging out Kenya’s Samman Vohra by a solitary point in one of the championship’s most tightly contested finishes.
With five competitive stages mapped out across Mbarara and the greater Ankole sub-region, crews will be tested on pace, precision, and endurance.
The terrain promises a thrilling blend of speed and technical challenge—conditions that could prove decisive in shaping the early ARC standings.
As engines fire and crews lock in, the Pearl of Africa Rally is not just another round—it is rapidly evolving into a defining chapter in the 2026 African rally calendar.
