Just like the tombstone rolled away and Jesus rose again okay, not in three days, but after a year that felt longer than an Old Testament genealogy Speed Star Umar Dauda has finally emerged from the motorsport wilderness! And let’s be honest, it wasn’t just a wilderness; it was more like being banished to a desert with no Wi-Fi, no fuel, and no clue what a torque wrench is. But now he’s back! And no, he’s not here to “participate” like it’s a high school science fair the man’s on a mission to conquer! So buckle up, hide your trophies, and pray your gearbox holds, because Dauda’s not just bringing speed he’s bringing divine intervention and a little bit of chaos with turbocharged vengeance.
You heard it right, folks. The no-nonsense, curve-kissing, gravel-gobbling Evo 6 whisperer is dusting off his helmet and slipping back into the cockpit for none other than the Shell V-Power Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally, scheduled for May 8th to 10th in Mbarara. Yes, you read that correctly Mbarara, the land of milk, cows, and now, turbocharged destruction
This isn’t just any rally. It’s Round 2 of the African Rally Championship (ARC) and Round 3 of the National Rally Championship (NRC) and Dauda is rolling in with some biblical vengeance like Moses parting the Red Sea… except this time it’s spectators diving out of the way as he four-wheel-drifts through corners like a man possessed.
Let’s hit rewind for a second. Remember when Dauda was out there terrorizing the big names with his humble, underdog Evo 6? That thing looked like it came from a scrapyard but drove like it was tuned by NASA. The man didn’t just race he launched that car like a surface-to-air missile with a grudge! And just to show he wasn’t playing, he won the UMC Fort Portal Rally not once, but twice! That’s like stepping into a UFC cage wearing flip-flops, sunglasses, and a toothpick in your mouth and still walking out with the belt. Respect? No, no knighthood might be more appropriate!
Even rally don Ambrose “Kikankane” Byona himself took off his sacred racing boots and bowed in honor — a moment so rare, it nearly caused a seismic reading in Fort Portal. As a tribute to Dauda’s 2023 Fort Portal heroics, Kikankane gifted him an Evo X shell. Now before you gasp in awe, let’s be clear: it was a beautiful shell… with absolutely nothing inside. No engine, no drivetrain basicallycall. But come on, has that ever stopped a man like Dauda? No sir! Give him four wheels, a dream, and a can of Red Bull, and he’ll build a rally car out of a wheelbarrow if he has to!
It’s taken him a year of wrench-turning, bolt-tightening, budget-stretching, and probably more than a few desperate prayers to the rally gods including sacrifices of spanners and maybe one or two cracked gearboxes but guess what? Dauda’s brand-new Evo X battle machine is finally ready to drop jaws, raise eyebrows, and possibly a few dust clouds big enough to be seen from space. And get this: he’s teaming up once again with his ride-or-die, Steven Bunya the longtime co-driver and partner in sideways crime. These two? They’re basically the rally version of Batman and Robin if Batman had a lead foot and Robin had a map, a death wish, and the nerves of a bomb technician. One drives like he’s late for his own wedding, and the other keeps him from launching into Lake Mburo. It’s chaos, it’s beautiful . it’s Dauda and Bunya, baby!
Now picture this, if you will: Dauda, foot welded to the floor like the accelerator owes him money, the Evo X snarling like a rabid lion that’s been poked one too many times, dust exploding behind him like a biblical sandstorm sent straight from the Book of Exodus. He’s not just driving he’s slicing through the Mbarara sugarcane fields like a hot knife through butter… if that butter was terrified and trying to run away. It’s pure, high-octane poetry in motion. And if that scene doesn’t get your heart racing, make no mistake you might not just be unbothered… you might be a tree. Possibly even a sugarcane stalk. Wake up!
This year’s Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally will be the first time Mbarara hosts the prestigious ARC round, and with big-name foreigners flying in like rallying is the new Formula 1, the pressure is on for our boys to defend home turf. And who better to join the Ugandan charge than the man who made an Evo 6 look like a time machine?
Get ready for Mbarara to turn into Mad Max meets Top Gear, because when Dauda lights up that Evo X, even the cows will be cheering.
