Kenyan rally driver Karan Patel (R) and his navigator Tauseef Khan (L) pose with their award in Naivasha on March 15, 2026./HANDOUT
Kenyan rally driver Karan Patel (R) and his navigator Tauseef Khan (L) pose with their award in Naivasha on March 15, 2026./HANDOUT
Two-time African Rally Champion Karan Patel emerged as the top Kenyan finisher at the Safari Rally Kenya, wrapping up the grueling 2026 edition of the third leg of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 17th place overall.
Patel, navigated by Tauseef Khan, clocked a cumulative time of 4:26:54.7 in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 to spearhead the Kenyan contingent. Close behind, Aakif Virani and navigator Zahir Shah steered their Skoda Fabia to 18th overall, posting a time of 4:43:06.7.
In 19th position, Samman Vohra alongside Drew Sturrock clocked 4:46:47.1 in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. The Jasmeet Chana and Ravinder Chana brotherly pairing powered their Ford Fiesta Rally2 to 21st overall, crossing the line in 5:06:35.7.
Kenyan rally driver Karan Patel (R) and his navigator Tauseef Khan (L) receive their award from President William Ruto in Naivasha on March 15, 2026. /HANDOUT
Paraplegic driver Nikhil Sachania and trusted navigator Deep Patel guided their Ford Fiesta Rally3 to 23rd place with a time of 5:15:33.4.
Rounding off the Kenyan finishers were Evans Nzioka and Absalom Aswani, who wrestled their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X through the brutal stages to seal 24th place in 5:21:38.9.
The Safari Rally served not only as the third round of the WRC season but also doubled as the opening leg of the 2026 African Rally Championship (ARC) campaign.
While the Kenyan crews battled deep in the overall WRC classification, they stamped their authority on the continental stage, locking out the top four positions in the ARC standings.
Patel, Virani, Vohra and Jasmeet currently occupy the top four slots in the ARC leaderboard, with Oscar Ntambi of Uganda sitting close behind after posting a cumulative 5:11:08.0. Reflecting on the rally, Patel admitted the event threw everything at them from the very start.
“It’s been a crazy event from the start. We began with probably the most difficult stage I’ve ever driven, Camp Moran in the rain,” Patel said.
Yet that brutal opener ultimately set the tone for their campaign.
“That set the precedent and gave us a good kickstart to the rally. We started with the hardest stage and I think it got easier as the days went by,” he added.
Apart from the treacherous Sleeping Warrior Stage, which was eventually cancelled due to worsening conditions, Patel admitted several sections demanded maximum concentration.
“Sleeping Warriors was cancelled, and it was one of the most challenging stages as well,” he noted.
Most importantly, Patel was relieved to steer the car back to the finish ramp intact, a stark contrast to the Safari Rally Kenya 2025, where his campaign ended in early retirement.
“We are glad to have brought the car back in one piece,” he said.
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