Karan Patel (R) and Tauseef Khan/ FILE
After a commanding start to his 2026 African Rally Championship (ARC) campaign, two-time continental champion Karan Patel is determined to maintain his winning streak at the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally from July 10–12.
Navigated by his long-time co-driver Tauseef Khan, the Kenyan ace is eyeing a fourth victory on the demanding Rwandan roads.
The 2026 FIA ARC season roared into life in March at the WRC Safari Rally before moving to Uganda from May 7–10. The upcoming Rwanda Rally marks the third stop on the calendar, which will conclude with the Tanzania Mkwawa Rally from October 2–4.
Patel has been untouchable through the opening two rounds of the continental series. He fired an early warning shot in his quest for a third African title by dominating the season-opening WRC Safari Rally in March, storming to victory in 4:26:54.6. He finished comfortably ahead of Aakif Virani (4:43:06.7) in second, while last year’s ARC runner-up, Samman Vohra, completed an all-Kenyan podium sweep in 4:46:47.1.
Patel then tightened his grip on the 2026 ARC standings with another masterclass at the Uganda Rally, posting a winning time of 2:03:06.
He once again defeated Vohra, who settled for second in 2:04:44, while defending African champion Yasin Nasser of Uganda completed the podium in 2:08:59. This Uganda triumph also made Patel only the second driver in history to secure three consecutive victories at the iconic event (2024–2026), following in the tyre tracks of fellow Kenyan Manvir Baryan, who achieved the feat between 2017 and 2019.
These back-to-back victories put Patel at the top of the 2026 ARC standings with 83 points, followed by Vohra on 66 and Virani in third with 60.
With the championship shifting to Rwanda, the Kenyan speedster is confident of extending his rich vein of form. “We are ready to give everything we have got,” Patel said in a statement.
The event returns him to a terrain where he has enjoyed remarkable success, having previously claimed three consecutive victories. Patel captured his maiden Rwanda title in 2022, clocking 1:19:40.3 to beat Zambia’s Leroy Gomes (1:19:53.5) and compatriot Hamza Anwar (1:21:21.8).
He successfully defended his crown in 2023 with a time of 1:20:16.5, edging out Uganda’s Jas Mangat (1:20:33.2) and Anwar (1:25:46.5). Patel then completed a memorable hat-trick in 2024, dominating from start to finish in his Skoda Fabia R5 to win in 1:37:47.7.
The Patel-Khan pairing finished well clear of Uganda’s Michael Mukula and Edward Kiyingi (1:50:21.1), while Kenya’s paraplegic ace Nikhil Sachania and co-driver Deep Patel rounded off the podium in a Ford Fiesta (1:55:36.3).
However, Patel’s quest for a fourth successive Rwanda crown came to a heartbreaking end during last year’s edition, when a crash into a tree during Stage 3 forced him into an early retirement.
