Karan Patel is making a return to Uganda for the first leg of the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) this weekend as he intends to reclaim his continental title. The KCB racing team driver and his long-time navigator Tauseef Khan will compete in a Skoda Fabia R5 rally two-car at the event that has attracted 37 crews from across Africa.
The championship will begin on Friday, where there will be a ceremonial start in Jinja before the action on Saturday where cars will pass through Buikwe District through Kitogoma, Nakawungu, and Buwundo.
The start leg two will rev off at Buikwe District as cars pass Wakisi, and Kitogoma villages, the event will culminate in a prize-giving ceremony on Sunday at the Source of Nile Hotel to crown the winners.
Karan will face competition from Uganda’s Jas Mangat, Hamza Anwar, and other drivers who have registered for the three-day event in the Eastern part of Uganda. He will be competing for the first time at the event since the 2024 WRC Safari Rally where he finished 18th overall, the first time he has finished a Safari Rally since the return of the event to Kenya in 2021.
Speaking ahead of the race, an excited Patel had this to say, “After a good performance at the Safari Rally in March, we intend to pick up from where we left off last year in the Africa Rally Championship. Our objective is to bag the title and stamp our authority as the best in Africa. Uganda is like my second home, I know the routes very well having raced a number of times at the challenging gravel. At the moment, the car is in good condition and we cannot wait to get into action.”
After the Ugandan edition, the African Rally Championship will resume on August 18th-20th for the Rallye International du Burundi.