Dar es Salaam. Prominent rally driver Ahmed Huwel has been crowned the 2025 National Rally Championship (NRC) winner after a gritty performance at the Guru Nanak, Mkwawa Rally held in Arusha over the weekend.
Huwel, navigated by Rahim Suleiman, sealed the coveted national title by finishing fifth in the final round of the championship, earning 23 crucial points to end the season with a total of 128 points.
Although he did not finish on the podium in Arusha, the result proved sufficient to secure the NRC crown, underlining the consistency that defined his campaign throughout the season.
The championship finale attracted intense competition, with drivers pushing hard in one of the most demanding rallies on the calendar.
Huwel’s ability to manage pressure and avoid costly mistakes ultimately played a decisive role in his title triumph, especially as several of his closest rivals struggled with mechanical issues and challenging stages.
Randeep Singh, partnered by navigator Manmeet Singh, finished second in the overall NRC standings. Singh entered the Guru Nanak–Mkwawa Rally with 88 points and added 24 more after placing sixth, bringing his total to 132 points.
Despite ending the season with a higher aggregate, championship regulations and scoring criteria worked in Huwel’s favour, allowing the Tanzanian driver to emerge as the overall champion.
Third place in the national standings went to Waleed Nahdi and his navigator Ally Hamoud of the Mkwawa Rally Team.
Nahdi accumulated 94 points over the season and picked up 14 points in Arusha after finishing ninth in a rally that saw only 10 drivers reach the finish line, a testament to the event’s toughness.
On the rally results themselves, the Guru Nanak, Mkwawa Rally was won by the Kenyan duo of Samman Vohra Singh and Drew Sturrock, who delivered an impressive performance in their Skoda Fabia Evo.
They were followed closely by compatriots Jasmeet Chana and Jaswinder Chana, driving a Ford Fiesta R5, in what turned out to be a thrilling contest at the front.
Tanzanians Gupal Sandhu and David Sihokha completed the podium in third place, piloting their Mitsubishi Evo X with precision and composure.
Their strong finish was aided by misfortune for defending champions Manveer Birdi and Victor Jackson, whose Evo 9 suffered two punctures during the power stage, costing them valuable time and allowing Gupal to snatch the final podium position.
