Crown Beverages Limited, through its Sting Energy Drink brand, has partnered with Ugandan rally driver Umar Dauda as the energy drink makes its entry into the country’s rally and motorsport scene.
The partnership, announced in Kampala on August 18, brings together Sting’s “Funa Boost Ne Sting” campaign and Dauda’s growing profile in the National Rally Championship (NRC).
The collaboration is built around shared themes of energy, performance, speed and the pursuit of excellence, with Sting expected to engage motorsport fans through rally activations, digital content, fan engagement and experiential activities.
Joseph Byaruhanga, Brand Manager for Sting at Crown Beverages Limited, said the partnership reflects the brand’s desire to take its energy proposition into a sport that resonates strongly with Ugandan audiences.
“Sting is a brand built around energy, intensity and pushing beyond the expected,” Byaruhanga said.
He noted that Sting has an international association with Formula 1 and said the partnership with Dauda would help translate that motorsport connection into Uganda’s rallying environment.
“There is no better personality to bring our ‘Funa Boost Ne Sting’ proposition to life than Umar Dauda,” he said.
Dauda has established himself as one of the competitive drivers on Uganda’s National Rally Championship circuit.
His breakthrough came in 2022 when he secured his maiden NRC victory at the Fort Portal Rally, driving a Mitsubishi Evo VI alongside co-driver Hamza Lwanga.
He successfully defended the Fort Portal title in 2023, this time partnering with Steven Bunya in a Mitsubishi Evo IX. The pair completed the rally in 1 hour, 40 minutes and 41 seconds.
Dauda later moved to the more powerful Mitsubishi Evo X, popularly known as the “Boost Bomb”, which he has continued to use in NRC competitions, including the Bugerere and Kabalega Hoima rallies.
His progression through different Mitsubishi Evo models has helped strengthen his reputation among Uganda’s rally enthusiasts and positioned him as a driver capable of competing at a high level.
For Sting, the partnership comes as the brand continues to push its “Funa Boost Ne Sting” campaign, with rallying providing a platform to connect its identity with speed, precision and intensity.
Byaruhanga said the qualities required in rallying closely mirror those associated with the Sting brand.
“Rally is not for the faint-hearted. It demands focus, resilience, precision and the energy to keep pushing. These are the same qualities we see in Sting and Umar Dauda,” he said.
Through the partnership, Sting will seek to deepen its engagement with motorsport followers while giving fans opportunities to interact with the brand and the driver through activations and other experiences.
The deal also gives Dauda a new commercial platform as he continues to build his career in Ugandan motorsport.
For Crown Beverages, the partnership represents an expansion of Sting’s presence beyond conventional energy drink marketing into a sport whose appeal is driven by competition, speed and spectacle.
The company said the collaboration marks a new chapter for both Sting and Dauda, with the brand backing a driver whose rallying journey reflects its message of pushing limits and going further.
