After clinching his third African Rally Championship (ARC) title before the start of the final leg at the Serengeti Rally in Tanzania, Karan Patel went on to sign off his 2026 continental campaign in emphatic fashion, securing a fourth straight victory to complete an unbeaten season.
Karan had already sealed his third consecutive ARC crown, long before the Serengeti Rally, after second-placed Aakif Virani pulled out of the Tanzania showdown.
“After a hard-fought season, Arrow Racing Team has taken the strategic decision to consolidate 2nd position overall in the African Rally Championship and not contest the final leg in Tanzania,” Virani said in a statement.
With the title already secured before the cars revved in Tanzania, Karan and his trusted navigator Tauseef Khan were expected to ease off the throttle and manage their pace.
Instead, they dominated the rally from the flag-off and powered to victory in a cumulative time of 2:02:37.8. Tanzania’s Manveer Birdi secured second place in 2:03:11.5, as Uganda’s Yasin Nasser completed the podium in 2:10:28.6.
Karan capped his 2026 ARC charge with a commanding 152 points, having remained unbeaten throughout the continental campaign. The Kenyan speed merchant launched his title assault emphatically at the opening round, the WRC Safari Rally, held from March 12-15, where he powered to victory with a cumulative time of 4:26:54.6.
He finished comfortably ahead of Virani, who clocked 4:43:06.7, and last year’s ARC runner-up Samman Vohra completed an all-Kenyan podium sweep in 4:46:47.1. Karan tightened his grip on the championship at the Uganda Rally, staged from May 7-10, producing another commanding drive to stop the clock in 2:03:06.
Once again, he outpaced Vohra, who settled for second in 2:04:44, while defending African champion Uganda’s Yasin Nasser completed the podium in 2:08:59. Patel was once again in imperious form, charging to victory in 2:13:18.6 at the third round of the continental championship, the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally.
Tanzania’s Ahmed Huwel finished second in 2:20:48.5, and Virani completed the podium in third in 2:25:52.4. The win was Karan’s fourth on Rwandan soil, further underlining his mastery of the demanding event.
He first conquered the Rwanda Rally in 2022, clocking 1:19:40.3 to edge Zambia’s Leroy Gomes, who finished in 1:19:53.5, while compatriot Hamza Anwar completed the podium in 1:21:21.8.
Patel successfully defended his crown in 2023 after posting a winning time of 1:20:16.5 before completing a memorable hat-trick in 2024 aboard his Skoda Fabia R5, claiming victory in 1:37:47.7.
Last year, however, Patel’s charge ended in heartbreak after he crashed into a tree on Stage Three, forcing an early retirement and bringing his remarkable winning streak at the event to an abrupt end.
