Uganda’s hopes at the 2024 Motocross of All African Nations Championship (MXoAN) in Marrakech, Morocco, have been ignited by impressive podium finishes in heat one of the continent’s premier motocross competition.
Leading the charge for Uganda is Stav Asiimwe Orland, who dominated the MX2 class with the fastest time recorded on the electronic transponder. The Bar Aviation-sponsored captain posted an impressive 19 minutes and 17.740 seconds, securing a P1 finish in MX2 for Uganda.
In the MX1 class, Fortune Emmanuel Ssentamu, Uganda’s assistant team captain, put up a fierce fight against host country Morocco and defending champions South Africa. Although he narrowly lost first place to Morocco’s Saad Soulimani, he secured a strong position in the race, with South Africa’s Callan Broskie taking third place.
Uganda’s junior rider, Ramathan Mubiru, earned a commendable P2 in the MX65 category, finishing behind South Africa’s Viv Cameron Howell, while fellow Ugandan Isaac Kabera Mitima secured a fifth-place finish. Larry Sekamwa and Ethan Paul Musedde contributed crucial points with their seventh and eighth-place finishes, respectively.
In the MX Lite class, Uganda’s top performer, Malcon Gift Ssebuguzi, son of three-time National Rally Champion Ronald Ssebuguzi, clinched second place with a time of 17 minutes and 57.410 seconds—just 13 seconds behind South Africa’s Kabelo Madimetja, who won heat one.
“Our boys are quite impressive and promising; we are hoping for even better performances in the last two heats,” said Bruce Byaruhanga, one of Uganda’s rider trainers who accompanied the team to Morocco. Byaruhanga noted that the team performed well despite four riders sustaining injuries.
In MX Lite, Jason Burrow managed a 10th-place finish, while Ethan Jessa Katex and Ali Kimera were forced out due to injuries in heat one. However, Kimera is expected to return for heats two and three on Sunday, pending medical clearance.
Currently, South Africa leads the score chart with 51 points, with two heats remaining. Morocco holds second place, and Uganda trails closely in third, just one point behind the hosts.
In last year’s competition in Cape Town, Uganda finished fifth, following Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in positions four, three, and two, respectively, while South Africa took the title.
by Kaheesi Frank
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