ARC3 winners Nikhil Sachania (C) and Deep Patel (R) present their trophies to Sports CS Salim Mvurya/ HANDOUT

 Paraplegic rally driver Nikhil Sachania and his navigator Deep Patel are determined to build on last year’s historic success as they target Africa’s top rally prize in the 2026 season.

After a confidence-boosting 2025 campaign, which saw Sachania become Africa’s only paraplegic rally driver to win an FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) title in the ARC3 category, the duo are now aiming for the overall continental crown.

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“This year, we are not leaving anything to chance. We plan to participate in every single leg, starting right here with the Safari Rally,” said Patel.

“Our focus is no longer just on WRC3. We are aiming for the overall ARC title.” Patel highlighted that growing experience and chemistry inside the cockpit could prove decisive over the long and punishing African rally calendar.

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“We have the machine, we have the chemistry, and now we have the experience to go for the big one,” he added.

The pair wrapped up the 2025 ARC season with 77 points, placing third overall behind champion Yasin Nasser of Uganda (135 points) and Kenya’s Samman Vohra, who trailed Nasser by a single point. Despite missing two championship legs, their consistency and early performances earned them the ARC3 crown.

“Winning the WRC3 title is a dream realised, but doing it while missing the Burundi and Tanzania legs makes it even more special,” Sachania said.

Their championship campaign was highlighted by commanding performances in WRC3 at the Safari Rally, where they recorded an overall time of 7:04:36.9 in their Ford Fiesta Rally3.

At the Pearl of Uganda Rally, the pair finished third (2:07:48.3) behind two-time African champion Karan Patel (1:51:18.9) and Nasser (2:02:04.6).

They repeated the third-place finish at Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Rally (2:03:39.7), trailing Vohra (1:48:59.1) and Giancarlo Davite (2:00:03.8). Reflecting on their triumph, Sachania emphasised the importance of strong starts in key rallies.

“We knew we had to be perfect in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda to build that lead,” he said. “We pushed the car to its absolute limit in the WRC Safari Rally, and that foundation is what carried us through.”