Running along the mountains of the moon, the event is renowned for its vibrant colour and atmosphere created by the welcoming locals and tourism attractions that provide a backdrop to the competition on the stages.
Winning the Fort Portal rally is one of the more fulfilling achievements for any rally crew locally.
The tourism city of Fort Portal will play host to round four of the 2022 FMU National Rally Championship this weekend from July 8-10.
The event is popular with crews and fans alike with around 50,000 fans lining the stages to cheer on their rallying heroes.
The Fort Portal Rally has become a constant feature on the local calendar since making its return during the 2016 season with its only absence being in 2021 after it was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once again, the event will be based in areas surrounding the Fort Portal with most of the stages remaining the same as when it last run in 2019 with slight tweaks here and there.
The Fort Portal rally features a challenging mixture of quite rough gravel roads. Some sections are extremely fast, some very technical and slow especially through the tea plantations.
For the competing crews, it is a tough and contrasted test covering 119.5km competitively with 74.2km covered between the stages amidst constantly changing conditions.
Rally organisers, Uganda Motor Club have earmarked four different stages that will be run on both days specifically Amabeere ga Nyinamwiru, Harugongo, Karim Hirji named after the rally legend and the newly created Kyakaigo spectator stage
Ponsiano Lwakataka travels to Fort Portal as the championship leader but has not completed the rally in both his attempts at it. He will seek to defend his position against 41 other competing crews.
Lwakataka who currently has collected 262 points has a 122-point advantage over his main rival Jas Mangat who comes into the rally on the back of a victory in the Pearl of Africa rally and was the winner there in 2016.
Mangat has had several running battles with Ronald Ssebuguzi who enters the rally in his newly acquired Ford Fiesta Proto, but that too will take quick learning if he is to prevail.
As the two meet yet again, Ssebuguzi despite winning the rally in 2017, will want to avenge his bruising exit in the final stage of the 2016 rally as they went all out for victory.
Defending champion Duncan Mubiru can attest to how turf it s to tame the power of the proto, as he has rolled out of both rallies he has competed behind the car.
However, who wins the battle of man and machine against the elements between Ssebuguzi and Mubiru is the other source of entertainment for the fans.
Arthur Blick beat Hassan Alwi to victory in 2019, but he will miss the rally as he recovers from injuries he recently suffered during a motocross event.
Kibale Forest National Park, Tooro ‘Omukama Palace, Amabeere ga Nyinamwiru Caves, Lake Kyaninga, and Toro Semuliki Wildlife Reserve are among the tourism locations that will excite fans.
