The road to a third African Rally Championship title is firmly within reach for Kenyan rally ace Karan Patel and navigator Tauseef Khan after the duo launched their 2026 campaign with back-to-back victories.
Patel and Khan first captured the continental crown in 2023, winning the title aboard a Ford Fiesta Rally2 after collecting 144 points across the season.
The pair returned in 2024 and successfully defended their championship, this time driving a Skoda Fabia R5 and finishing the season with 140 points to cement their dominance on Africa’s demanding gravel stages.
However, their bid for a historic third straight title in 2025 was derailed by mechanical problems and inconsistent results. The duo managed victories at the Pearl of Uganda Rally and the Tanzania Mkwawa Rally but suffered costly retirements at the WRC Safari Rally and the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally.
Missing the Burundi Rally further weakened their championship challenge. Ugandan driver Yasin Nasser eventually clinched the 2025 ARC title with 135 points, edging Kenyan Samman Vohra by a single point, while paraplegic driver Nikhil Sachania completed the podium with 77 points.
Patel sent a strong warning to his rivals this season after producing a commanding display at the opening round of the 2026 championship during the WRC Safari Rally in March.
He conquered the punishing terrain in 4:26:54.6, finishing comfortably ahead of Aakif Virani (4:43:06.7). Vohra completed a Kenya sweep in 4:46:47.1.
Jasmeet Chana finished fourth in 5:06:35.7, while Ugandan driver Oscar Ntambi rounded off the top five in 5:11:08.0.
Patel and Khan maintained their superb form at the Pearl of Uganda Rally on May 9, storming to victory in a cumulative time of 2:03:06.
Vohra once again settled for second place after clocking 2:04:44, while defending champion Nasser completed the podium in 2:08:59.
The Uganda triumph also saw Patel become only the second driver in history to win the Pearl Rally three consecutive times after victories in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
The achievement matches the feat previously recorded by Ugandan rally legend Manvir Baryan between 2017 and 2019.
Following the victory in Uganda, Patel now leads the African Rally Championship standings with 83 points, ahead of Vohra on 66 points.
Virani sits third with 60 points as the title race gathers momentum.
Patel described the Pearl of Uganda Rally as a memorable and demanding weekend.
“The Pearl of Uganda Rally was a great two days of rallying. The first day was full of issues for us with the car, but the second day turned out to be the complete opposite, so we can’t complain,” said Patel.
Navigator Khan admitted this year’s Ugandan stages were tougher than previous editions.
“We had a good rally. The stages were much rougher compared to last year and we are happy to have won the event.
“We were quite far behind after day one, but in rallying it’s never over until it’s over,” Khan said.
Attention will now shift to the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally scheduled for July 10-12 before the 2026 ARC season concludes with the final round in Tanzania on October 2-4.
