Garuga Sprint on September 20 to mark quarter-century of Uganda’s toughest rally icon. When you talk about Ugandan motorsport in the last 25 years, you cannot tell the story without Ponsiano Lwakataka.
The two-time National Rally Champion will celebrate 25 years in the sport on 20th September at the Garuga Victoria Raceway Track and for once, the celebration is bigger than just trophies [2005 and 2007]. Lwakataka has never been just a driver. He has been a factory.
The Driving Force Behind New Blood
Through his Southern Motor Club [SMC], Lwakataka has become a breeding ground for talent. While many top drivers guard their secrets, Mafu has been opening doors — giving young rally drivers seat time, and supporting a new generation of MX riders who now dominate the National Motocross Championship. His club is one of the most active in the country, consistently bringing new crews to scrutineering every season.
The House That Built Champions
His influence runs deep in the family and beyond. His wife, Rose Lwakataka, was one of the most feared women behind the wheel in the early 2000s, holding her own against men in brutal NRC events and proving rallying was not just a man’s sport.
And then there is Suzan Muwonge ‘Super Lady’. The two-time National Rally Champion and Uganda’s most successful female driver came through Lwakataka’s hands. It was in Lwakataka’s own car that Suzan drove her maiden rally the start of a journey that would make history.
That lineage continues today. Current NRC driver Peter Kalule still proudly calls himself ‘Mafu Mafu 2’ a tribute to copying his driving style from the legendary driver. The hard braking, the never-lift attitude, the way he wrestles an old Subaru beyond its limits it’s all Mafu.
Garuga To Roar For Mafu
The September 20th Sprint at Garuga is therefore more than a race. Organizers say it will be a homecoming — a gathering of all drivers, riders, mechanics, fans and officials whose careers have intersected with Lwakataka’s 25-year grind.
From the forests of Kayunga where he started with a borrowed car, to becoming the man who beats R5s in an N12B, to building champions for the future, Ponsiano Lwakataka’s 25 years can’t go unnoticed.
Garuga will not just celebrate a driver. It will celebrate an institution.
