Asas Team Ace of Tanzania made a clear statement in Mbarara on Saturday as Randeep Singh stormed to third overall at the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally 2026, while also claiming top honors in the National Rally Championship (NRC) category.
Randeep, alongside Ugandan co-driver Enock Leroy Olinga in the #111 Ford Fiesta Proto, was the surprise package of the event.
Although not registered for Africa Rally Championship points, the Tanzanian showed blistering pace to finish behind only ARC winner Karan Patel and runner-up Samman Vohra.
He stopped the clock at 02:07:02.5 after SS12 Shell V-Power Stage, 3:55.8 adrift of Patel’s winning Skoda Fabia Rally2 The result put him ahead of a string of full ARC-spec entries, proving Asas Team Ace can no longer be taken lightly in African rallying.
“The idea to race Uganda was simple,” Randeep said. “The stages here are world class, and the competition is strong. We wanted to measure ourselves against the best. To win the NRC round and finish third overall is huge for us. We definitely want to have a go at the full Uganda NRC championship now.”
Asas Team fielded two cars in Mbarara, with Randeep’s sibling Manvir Birdi steering a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.
“Uganda is always a big challenge,” Birdi said. “The roads are fast, technical, and rough. For Asas Team to put a car on the overall podium and win the national class shows the progress we’ve made. This is just the start for the team.”
The final standings underline Singh’s giant-killing run. He finished 1:27.6 ahead of home hero Duncan Mubiru, who took fourth in another Ford Fiesta Proto. Yasin Nasser brought his Ford Fiesta home fifth, 5:53.0 off Patel, while Aakif Virani was the next best Skoda in sixth, 9:38.4 back.
Hassan Alwi claimed seventh, with Umar Dauda eighth in a national-spec Mitsubishi. ARC regulars Jasmeet Chana and ARC3 champion Nikhil Sachania rounded out the top 10, both finishing behind Singh’s national-class Fiesta Proto.
For Randeep, the result was more than a podium. It was proof of pace against the continent’s best and a marker for Asas Team Ace’s ambitions beyond Tanzania.
OVERALL RESULTS, AFTER SS12 SHELL V-POWER STAGE (all categories):
- #201 Karan Patel/Tauseef Khan – Skoda Fabia Rally2 ARC – 02:03:06.7
- #202 Samman Vohra/Drew Sturrock – Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2 ARC– 02:04:44.0 (+01:37.3)
- #111 Randeep Singh/Enock Leroy Olinga – Ford Fiesta Proto Nat – 02:07:02.5 (+03:55.8)
- Duncan Mubiru/Siraj Kyambadde – Ford Fiesta Proto Nat – 02:08:30.1 (+05:23.4)
- Yasin Nasser/Ali Katumba – Ford Fiesta Rally ARC – 02:08:59.7 (+05:53.0)
- #207 Aakif Virani/Zahir Shah – Skoda Fabia ARC – 02:12:45.1 (+09:38.4)
- #20 Hassan Alwi/Musa Nsubuga – Ford Fiesta Proto Nat – 02:13:27.1 (+10:20.4)
- Umar Dauda/Steven Bunya – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Nat – 02:14:26.0 (+11:19.3)
- #203 Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana – Ford Fiesta Rally2 ARC– 02:16:02.4 (+12:55.7)
- #208 Nikhil Sachania/Deep Patel – Ford Fiesta Rally3 ARC – 02:19:21.3 (+16:14.6)
