Patel bullish of third African crown after statement Safari outing

Karan Patel (R) with his navigator Tauseef Khan (L)/ FILE

Two-time African rally champion Karan Patel has fired an early warning shot in the continental title race, insisting his commanding showing at the just-concluded World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally has laid down the marker for a shot at a third continental crown.

At the unforgiving Safari, Patel, guided by trusted navigator Tauseef Khan, clocked a cumulative time of 4:26:54.7 in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 to finish 17th overall, emerging as the highest-placed Kenyan in the showpiece. Hot on his heels, Aakif Virani and co-driver Zahir Shah steered their Skoda Fabia to 18th overall, stopping the clock at 4:43:06.7.

In 19th, Samman Vohra and Drew Sturrock powered their Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo through the attrition to post 4:46:47.1. The brotherly duo of Jasmeet Chana and Ravinder Chana wrestled their Ford Fiesta Rally2 to 21st overall, crossing the line in 5:06:35.7.

Paraplegic driver Nikhil Sachania, alongside dependable navigator Deep Patel, delivered a resolute drive in their Ford Fiesta Rally3 to seal 23rd place in 5:15:33.4. Rounding off the Kenyan finishers, Evans Nzioka and Absalom Aswani muscled their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X through the savage stages to claim 24th in 5:21:38.9.

The WRC Safari Rally, the third round of the WRC season, also served as the curtain-raiser for the 2026 African Rally Championship (ARC) campaign. While Patel battled deep in the overall WRC classification, he stamped his authority on the continental front, storming to the top of the ARC standings on the 2026 opening leg.

Patel, Virani, Vohra and Jasmeet now lock out the top four slots in the ARC leaderboard, with Uganda’s Oscar Ntambi lurking close behind after posting 5:11:08.0.

Buoyed by his Safari charge, Patel is brimming with confidence as he eyes a third title to cement his dominance on the African rally scene.

“I am definitely trying to get a third African title, and if things go well, maybe a fourth and a fifth, who knows,” Patel said.

Patel first lifted the continental crown in 2023 at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta before successfully defending it in 2024 in a Skoda Fabia. However, his bid for a third straight title in 2025 was derailed by persistent mechanical issues.

With the Safari dust now settled, his focus shifts to the next battleground, the Pearl of Uganda Rally scheduled for May 8–11. “The plan is to go to the ARC Pearl of Uganda Rally,” he added.

Reflecting on the Safari rally, Patel admitted the event threw everything at them from the word go. “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.

That baptism of fire, however, proved pivotal in shaping their campaign. “That set the tone 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.

Despite the cancellation of the treacherous Sleeping Warrior stage due to worsening conditions, Patel revealed that several sections demanded razor-sharp focus and precise car control. “Sleeping Warrior was cancelled, and it was one of the most challenging stages as well,” he noted.

Above all, Patel drew satisfaction from conquering the Safari’s notorious brutality and guiding the car back to the finish ramp intact—a stark redemption from the 2025 edition, where his charge ended in early retirement. “We are glad to have brought the car back in one piece,” he said.