Patel makes history with third African crown

Kenyan ace joins continental rally’s elite after rival’s withdrawal confirms title before Tanzania finale begins

By Martin Weche

Karan Patel etched his name into African motorsport history yesterday, becoming only the fourth driver in the 45-year history of the FIA African Rally Championship to win three or more titles after his sole remaining rival withdrew from the season-ending Serengeti Rally of Tanzania before a single competitive stage had been run.

The confirmation came through a statement released by Arrow Racing Team on Friday night, announcing that Aakif Virani and co-driver Zahir Shah had taken the strategic decision to withdraw from the final round in Morogoro rather than contest what had become a near-impossible points chase. “After a hard-fought season, Arrow Racing Team has taken the strategic decision to consolidate 2nd position in the overall African Rally Championship standings,” the team said, offering their congratulations to Patel and his navigator Tauseef Khan.

The withdrawal was, in truth, a formality that simply brought forward the inevitable. Patel needed only to take the start in Tanzania to be crowned champion — the arithmetic had long since shifted decisively in his favour. But the announcement crystallised the achievement before Day 1 even began on Saturday, handing Patel and Khan an unassailable lead heading into the final two days of competition.

It is a third ARC drivers’ title for Patel, who now stands alongside three of the most celebrated names in the championship’s history. Only Zambian legend Satwant Singh, who dominated the competition across a remarkable span of seasons to claim eight titles, has won more. Patel joins Ivory Coast’s Alain Ambrosino and fellow Kenyan Manvir Baryan — each a three-time champion — in a group of drivers whose consistency at continental level sets them apart from the field. Tauseef Khan is simultaneously confirmed as the 2026 ARC navigators’ champion, a title that reflects his own quiet excellence across a gruelling season-long campaign.

Patel also claimed the 2022 Kenyan national rally championship, and his progression from domestic champion to three-time continental title-holder with the KCB Racing Team represents one of the more compelling arcs in Kenyan motorsport in recent years. His 2026 campaign, conducted in a Škoda Fabia, demonstrated the kind of controlled aggression that separates championship-winning drivers from those who merely compete at the front.

The Kenyan crew wasted no time signalling their intentions even after the title had been settled. Earlier on Friday, Patel and Tauseef won the 2.40km SS00 Mkwawa Qualifying Stage in Morogoro, clocking 1 minute 58.1 seconds in their Škoda Fabia to beat Tanzania champion Ahmed Huwel, who finished 0.6 seconds behind in a Toyota Yaris GR Rally2, with Manveer Birdi a further 1.1 seconds back in third. Under ARC regulations, the qualifying stage winner selects his road position for Day 1. Patel opted to start fifth, slotting in directly behind Huwel.

The rally proper, which runs until Sunday, begins Saturday in the Morogoro region with crews facing demanding stages across terrain that has long tested the endurance of both man and machine. Uganda’s Oscar Ntambi heads the Day 1 start order at 09:00, followed by 2025 champion Yasin Nasser and Birdi. Ntambi had already secured the ARC2 category title without driving a single stage after his Rwandan rival Christian Kanangire failed to enter the finale.

Virani, meanwhile, departs the 2026 season with second place in the overall standings and the ARC Masters title — awarded to competitors aged 50 and above — secured at the penultimate round in Rwanda. It is a meaningful haul for a driver and team who pushed Patel harder than any other crew this season.

The Serengeti Rally, running from 2 to 4 October, closes out an ARC season that began with several title contenders and progressively narrowed until only Patel and Virani remained with a realistic chance. Saturday’s stages will now be contested without a championship at stake, giving Patel and Tauseef the freedom to race on their own terms as the sport in eastern Africa celebrates a new chapter in a storied rivalry between Kenya’s finest.

SS00 Mkwawa Qualifying — Top 3:

1. Karan Patel / Tauseef Khan (KEN — Škoda Fabia) 1:58.1
2. Ahmed Huwel / Roheet Solanki (TZA — Toyota Yaris GR) 1:58.7 +0.6s
3. Manveer Birdi / Zubayr Piredina (TZA — Škoda Fabia Evo) 1:59.8 +1.7s

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