Karan Patel during this year's Safari Rally/ FILEAfter a scintillating 2025 Africa Rally Championship (ARC) campaign, the 2026 season is shaping up to be one for the ages with three rally titans ready to lock horns for continental glory if this year’s drama is anything to go by.
The 2025 ARC season came to a thrilling close in Tanzania on September 21, marking the end of one of the most fiercely contested campaigns in recent memory.
Uganda’s Yasin Nasser etched his name into the history books after being crowned overall champion with 135 points, becoming the first Ugandan to lift the continental title since the late Charles Muhangi in 1999.
Hot on his heels was Kenya’s national champion Samman Vohra, who fell short by just a single point after collecting 134. Nikhil Sachania wrapped up the podium with 77 points, while two-time African champion Karan Patel finished fourth with 70.
The trio of Nasser, Vohra and Patel are now set to headline what promises to be an explosive 2026 ARC season, a campaign already brimming with anticipation and rivalry.
Nasser’s historic triumph has reignited Uganda’s motorsport spirit, and the reigning champion is keen to extend his dominance into the new year. “I am now at peace, the Africa Rally title is my ultimate career fulfilment,” Nasser said after sealing the crown in Tanzania.
He, however, admitted that the pressure was immense heading into the final leg. “Just imagine being under pressure, panicking, overthinking and losing hope, all while still being hopeful. By the final stage, nothing mattered anymore but to finish and accept the results,” he reflected.
After missing out on the title by a whisker, Vohra will be a man on a mission in 2026. The Kenyan ace has been in sensational form this season, notching up victories in Rwanda and Burundi.
Behind the wheel of his Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, Vohra has proven himself a formidable contender and will be hungry to go one better next year.
Meanwhile, Karan Patel will be out to reclaim his place at the summit of African rallying as he hunts for a third continental title.
His 2025 campaign was plagued with setbacks.
He suffered a mechanical nightmare at the opening leg, the WRC Safari Rally, before making a strong rebound to win the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.
However, mechanical woes hit again at the Mountain Gorilla Rally in Rwanda, while logistical hurdles forced him out of the Burundi Rally as he struggled to secure spare parts for his Skoda Fabia R5.
But Patel and his trusted navigator Tauseef Khan ended the season in style with a statement victory at the Makwana Rally in Tanzania. Tauseef reaffirmed the duo’s hunger for redemption heading into 2026.
“We won the Makwana Rally in Tanzania, which was our goal from the beginning,” he said on his socials. “To the future, we will come back stronger and better.”
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