After crashing out of the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla event in early July, FIA African Rally Championship title holder Karan Patel is back for the season-closing ARC Mkwawa Rally of Tanzania, headed for Morogoro this weekend (September 19–21).
Karan and his long-standing co-driver Tauseef Khan have vivid memories of the Tanzania-based event where they celebrated outright victory in 2022 before losing the ARC title to the Zambian husband-and-wife crew of Leroy and Urshlla Gomes on the homestretch.
In 2023, the Kenya Airways- and KCB-sponsored crew etched their names in the annals of continental motorsport by securing their maiden Africa Rally Championship (ARC) title on the season-ending ASA Rally of Tanzania, a feat they replicated in 2024.
A masterclass in skill and strategic finesse, Karan and Tauseef navigated their way to a second-place finish in the 2023 edition in Tanzania, securing the championship title while also becoming the first Kenyan pair to achieve this remarkable feat in a Ford.
But Karan saw his chances of cementing an ARC hat trick of titles shattered in Rwanda in July 2025, where he retired in stage three.
After retiring in the ARC 1 Safari Rally 2025 event, Karan went into the third round in Rwanda with only 35 points, collected from the victory he posted in the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally 2025 in May.
Nevertheless, crashing out in Rwanda caused significant damage to the Skoda Fabia’s gearbox, prompting the champion to skip round 4 in Burundi, where the ARC title race was reduced to a two-horse race between Kenyan champion Samman Vohra and his Ugandan counterpart Yasin Nasser.
Yasin is leading the ARC title race with 114 points, followed by Samman with 106 after the end of the fourth round in Burundi. Yasin needs to finish second and indeed score crucial points in the Power Stage to win his maiden ARC title, that is, if Samman wins outright and scores a maximum of 5 additional points.
Tanzanian Prince Charles Nyerere from Arusha already has the ARC 2 title in the bag as there is no challenger entered in the season’s closer in Morogoro.
A total of 27 drivers from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Zambia, and the UK have confirmed their participation in the 338 km FIA regional-level event.
The three-day event will be flagged off on September 19 at the Mkwawa Tobacco processing plant before the cars head to Tungi (Nane Nane Grounds).
On Saturday, September 20, the cars will move to the Tanzania Forest Services (TFS) plantation area in Mkundi, featuring three stages: Stage One: 20 km, Stage Two: 12 km, and Stage Three: 30 km.
Each stage will be completed in two loops, and the rally will conclude on September 21 with a single loop held again in the TFS area.
Meanwhile, Karan has showcased the first look of his Skoda Fabia R5, rebranded in elegant KQ and KCB livery in a replacement shell for their vehicle fitted after the Rwanda accident.
As part of its commitment to growing motorsport in the region, Kenya Airways has supported Kenyan drivers, including Karan, Nikhil Sachania, and Tinashe Gatimu in their ARC course, enabling their participation in various ARC rallies.
Last month’s heavy presence of Kenyan officials in Ngozi was a deliberate move to shore up the level of the ARC Rallye International du Burundi 2025 and help organisers run a quality event.
FIA ARC drivers points after Burundi
1 Yasin Nasser (UGA) 114pts
2 Samman Singh Vohra (KEN) 106pts
3 Nikhil Sachania (KEN) 77pts
4 Carl Tundo (KEN) 50pts
5 Prince Charles Nyerere (TAN) 47pts
6 Jeremiah Wahome (KEN) 42pts
7 Karan Patel (KEN) 35pts
8 Minesh Rathod (KEN) 24pts
9 Godfrey Kaguta (UGA) 21pts
Past winners of Tanzania
2024: Cancelled due to inadequate sponsorship
2023: Jas Mangat – Jules Escartefigue (Hyundai i20 R5-UGANDA)
2022: Karan Patel – Tauseef Khan (Ford Fiesta R5- KEN
2021: Carl Tundo – Tim Jessop (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5-KENYA)
2020: Cancelled due to COVID-19
2019: Dharam Pandya – Ratnaveer Darbar (Subaru WRX STI-TANZANIA)
2017: Manvir Baryan – Sturrock Drew (Škoda Fabia R5-KENYA)
2018: Manvir Baryan – Sturrock Drew (Škoda Fabia R5-KENYA)
2016: Randeep Singh Birdi – Zubayr Piredina (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX- TANZANIA)
2015: Gerard Miller – Peter Fox (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX- TANZANIA)
2014: Jaspreet Singh Chatthe – David Sihoka (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X-KENYA)
2013: Jas Mangat – Gihan de Silva (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X R4-UGANDA)
2012: Mohammed Essa – Greg Stead (Subaru Impreza STi N12-ZAMBIA)
2011: Jean-Yves Ranarivelo – Rila Ranaivomamianina (Subaru Impreza STi N12-MADAGASCAR)
2010: James Whyte – Philip Archenoul (Subaru Impreza STi N10-ZIMBABWE)
2009: James Whyte – Philip Archenoul (Subaru Impreza STi N10- ZIMBABWE)
2008: Muna Singh sen. David Sihoka (Subaru Impreza-ZAMBIA)
2007: Hideaki Miyoshi – Hakaru Ichino (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX-JAPAN)
2006: Patrick Emontspool – Alain Robert (Subaru Impreza STi N12-BELGIUM)
2005: Riyaz Kurji – Sayed Kadri (Subaru Impreza-UGANDA)
2004: Omar Bhakhresa – Georgie Ferreira (Subaru Impreza- TANZANIA)
2002: Jamil Khan – Arshad Khan (Subaru Impreza- TANZANIA)
2001: Patrice Comitose – Carl Voltaire (Land Rover 110)
* Rally of Tanzania was first run in 2001 as a largely amateur event but became part of the African championship in 2005.
Rally Tanzania entries – ARC category
1. Samman Singh Vohra/Drew Sturrock -KEN-UK (Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2)
2. Mohammed Roshanah Abbas/Christphe Bigirimana-BUR-BUR (Subaru Impreza)
3. Yasin Nasser/Ali Katumba -UGA-UGA (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2)
4. Karan Patel/Tauseef Khan -KEN-KEN (Skoda Fabia Rally2)
5. Naveen Puligilla/Musa Sherrif -IND-IND (Ford Fiesta Rally3)
6. Ahmed Huwel/Roheet Solanki -TZA-TZA (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)
7. Prince Charles Nyerere/Charles Nyerere -TZA-TZA (Mitsubishi EVOX)
