Chana brothers seek ARC podium in Serengeti to cap off first full continental charge

The 2023 Kenya National Rally champion, Jasmeet “Iceman” Chana and navigator, brother Ravinder Chana, will be hoping to cap their first full Africa Rally Championship (ARC) campaign on a high when the season ends at the Serengeti Rally this weekend in Tanzania.

The Chana brothers are third in the ARC standings with 67 points.

Two-time ARC champion Karan Patel, who is targeting a hat-trick of titles in Tanzania, leads the leaderboard with 118 points, followed by Aakif Virani with 85 points.

Last year’s runner-up, Samman Vohra, completes a Kenyan top-four with 66 points.

Uganda’s Oscar Ntambi is fifth place with 38 points, four better than compatriot and ARC champion, Yasin Nasser.

Speaking earlier in the season, Chana outlined his ambition to contest the first full continental campaign and gain valuable experience against some of the region’s leading drivers and add more accolades to his rich trophy cabinet.

“We’re planning to…..if all goes well, we want to tackle all rounds,” he said.

The Chana brothers, sitting behind the wheels of a Ford Fiesta R2, revved into their 2026 campaign at the March 12-15 WRC Safari Rally in Naivasha.

At the Safari, Karan quickly stamped his authority on the continental series, posting a cumulative time of 4:26:54.7 to secure maximum points and take an early lead in the championship standings.

Virani followed in 4:43:06.7, while Vohra completed the podium in 4:46:47.1.

Chana finished fourth in 5:06:35.7.

The Chana brothers then made their maiden appearance at the Pearl of Uganda Rally on May 7-10, placing fifth in a cumulative time of 2:16:11.5.

Karan won in 2:03:06.7, ahead of Vohra (2:04:44.0), Nasser (2:08:59.7) and Virani (2:12:44.3).

Chana placed fifth again at the Rwanda Mount Gorilla Rally of July 10-12, timing 2:28:47.0.

Karan underlined his dominance by clinching his third straight victory of the 2026 campaign, finishing in 2:13:18.5, ahead of Tanzania’s Ahmed Huwel (2:20:48.5) and Virani (2:25:52.4).

For Chana, the Serengeti Rally presents one final opportunity to put finishing touches to an encouraging maiden full-season ARC campaign.

Chana has been a consistent figure on Kenya’s motorsport scene, winning 2WD, Division One, Division Three, Group S and Group N, before crowning his progression with the overall Kenya National Rally Championship title in 2023.

by TEDDY MULEI