• ZAMBIA’S rally ace, Mohammed Essa in action during the Super special stage on Friday at the Madagascar International Rally. Picture by African Rally Championship

By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
Zambia’s Mohammed Essa yesterday cruised into second position of the FIA Africa Rally Championship (ARC) season-ending Madagascar Rally to keep his slim chance of winning the continental title alive.
Essa, who finished seventh on day-one, timed an hour 53 minutes and 20 seconds in his Subaru Impreza to finish day-two in overall second position but ahead of his ARC title rival Gary Chaynes.
The two are the only drivers competing for African title and with the winner taking 25 points and the second place finisher receiving 18 points, the tide is marginally in the favour of Chyanes.
Going into the race, Chaynes is on 101 points picked from five races while Essa is in second position with 93 points from the four races he has competed in meaning the Ivorian would still win the title even if he finished second.
This has left Essa with an unenviable situation of wishing that Ivorian Chaynes crashes out of the race to hand the Zambian the title currently held by Jassy Singh, who opted out owing to school commitments.
Yesterday’s rally saw Essa finish a minute and 40 seconds behind day-two leader Patrick Mamy Solofonirina of Madagascar.
Chaynes driving a Mitsubishi Evo-10 finished down in 15th position overall, but second on ARC drivers chart, and more than 15 minutes behind Essa as the race continues and ends today.
Meanwhile, Chatte Jaspreet of Kenya, who is not taking part in the final leg of the ARC, will finish in third place with 58 points followed by Davite Giancarlo of Rwanda on 39 points, Soumoro Morifere of Ivory Coast on 18 same as Sempebwa Abdu of Uganda, Manvir Baryan of Kenya is seventh and Kenny Mukosa of Zambia is eighth on 12 points.