Kenyan rally driver Evans Kavisi has turned his attention to the 2026 FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) season, targeting the May 8–11 Pearl of Uganda Rally following a milestone performance at the Safari Rally.
Navigated by Absalom Aswani in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Kavisi completed the gruelling Safari Rally for the first time since debuting in 2018.
The duo secured an impressive 24th overall finish, clocking 5:21:38.9 if concluded in Naivasha on Sunday.
Despite the achievement, Kavisi said there is little time to celebrate, with preparations already underway for the Ugandan contest.
“The 2026 Safari is among the top two hardest and most demanding events I have ever done, including the East African Classic,” Kavisi said.
The team is already addressing mechanical issues ahead of the Uganda leg, particularly with expectations of wet conditions.
“We need to fix a small leakage in the car because the Pearl Rally is typically a wet event. We will also replace worn-out parts. From a performance perspective, we will stick to our approach—drive within our limits and only compare times at the end of stages, not during,” he added.
Perseverance has been key to their breakthrough.
“The biggest lesson from the Safari Rally is to keep trying until it works. We have attempted this event since 2018 without success, but we never gave up. Now that we’ve finished, it has lit a fire in us to push even harder,” he said.
Co-driver Aswani echoed the optimism, saying the Safari experience has boosted their confidence heading into unfamiliar terrain in Uganda.
“The Safari Rally was fantastic, and we really enjoyed it. We are motivated for the Pearl Rally. We now understand where we stand competitively, and our focus will be adapting to the new terrain since this will be our first time competing outside Kenya,” he said.
Karen Patel and Tauseef Khan merged as the highest-placed Kenyan crew in the gruelling rally held in Naivasha, while also securing victory in the African Rally Championship (ARC) category to take an early lead in the 2026 continental championship standings.
