Pandya gets massive backing for Iringa Rally

DAR ES SALAAM: THE two-time National Rally champion (NRC), Dharam Pandya, has expressed gratitude to his sponsors, Puma Tanzania, after the firm backed his comeback to Iringa Rally ahead of its flag this Saturday.

Speaking in Iringa today, May 22, 2025, during the route-reconnaissance exercise, Pandya thanked the management of Puma Energy Tanzania for backing him again this year, and that, he said, is a morale boost.

“They sponsored me when I was the national champion in 2013 and 2015. I am delighted to see them continue supporting me again this year,” he said.

Pandya said he expects stiff opposition in Iringa since all top-ranked drivers are there.

Pandya’s presence in the Iringa Rally seems to challenge the dominion of the defending champion, Manveer Birdi, who is also the national champion for 2024.

Other big figures heading to Iringa include African Rally Champion series leader,  Yassin Nasser, host Ahmed Huwel, and Randeep Birdi.

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With Pandya on course, the 2025 season’s opener has turned to be a five-megastar showdown.

Officially known as the Mkwawa Rally of Iringa, the event will take place in Iringa on May 24 and 25 this year, according to the Chairman of Iringa Motorsports Club(IMSC), Robert Maneno, who added that drivers from outside Iringa would start arriving there from today.

Pandya, who will be navigated by Mustafa Ally in a Subaru Impreza, said he is back with a new winning formula.

“I haven’t lost my driving skills, and I am as I was before when I won the national championship a few years ago,” said Pandya, who named Subaru Impreza GBV as his winning machine.

Drivers from Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia will join Tanzanians in Iringa in a race for the event’s diadems.

The two-day event, according to Maneno, will be flagged off at Samora Stadium on May 24 before completing other stages at Mt Huwel Farm on Sunday, May 25 this year.