Thirteen ‘ironmen’ register for Mkwawa Leaf Rally showdown

MOROGORO: WHO will be the first off ramp is a jigsaw puzzle to be solved by thirteen drivers already registered for Mkwawa Leaf Rally of Morogoro this weekend.

 “Everything is in place and we have already registered 13 cars for the two-day dusty road challenge,” announced Dr Mosi Makau, the event’s chief coordinator from Mount Uluguru Motorsports club.

Top title favourites include Ahmed Huwel from Mkwawa Rally team,, Manvir  Birdi from ASSS Team, Walid Nahdi from Mkwawa and Harinder Deere also from ASAS team.

Others include IUrfaan Ladin ‘Madebe’ from Dar es Salaam, Musa Mswaki Kartik Valambhia from Morogoro.

Veteran driver from  Arusha, Girpal Sandhu also among the top-ranked drivers in the list. Sandhu will be navigated by Zambian Dave Sihoka in Mitsubishi Evo X.

Also  with Mitsubishi Evo X IS Shehzad  Munge from ASAS while Charles Bicco and David Matete  from Amapiano team will be powering their Subaru Impreza N12.

Still all eyes this weekend will be on Ahmed Huwel and his top challenger, Manvir Birdi as top title contenders.

Bringing to Morogoro top drivers from Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Iringa, Tanga and Morogoro, Mkwawa Leaf Rally serves as the third round of this year’s National Rally Championship(NRC) series, according to Mount Uluguru club’s Chairman, Gwakia Mahigi.

Huwel from Iringa will represent the Mkwawa Rally team as the defending champion while Birdi will be powering his Skoda Fabia under the ASAS team banner.

Birdi, who recently won the second round of NRC in the event held in Kisarawe district, be be facing Huwel, one of the event’s tittle favourites.

Iringa’s Ahmed Huwel, in his hyper-fast Toyota GR Yaris, is a force to reckon with in his renewed chase for the NRC title once again this time around.

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Speaking to the Daily News, Dr Makau said the two-day event will be flagged off on Saturday,  September 5, 2026, at the Mkwawa Tobacco processing plant before the ceremonial start will be staged.

On the same day, cars will move to the Tanzania Forest Services (TFS) plantation area in Mkundi, for a Super Special Stage.

All remaining stages will be held on Sunday, September 6, 2026 at Mkundi TFS, according to Dr Makau.

“I urge residents of Morogoro and all Tanzanians to come out in large numbers to witness this thrilling event,” he said.

He added that the rally presents a major economic opportunity for local residents and small businesses, as it will attract visitors from both within and outside Tanzania.

Mkwawa Group is the event’s title sponsor, and the company continues to work closely with various institutions to promote motorsport in Tanzania.