NAIVASHA, Kenya, March 13 – Kenya’s Karan Patel defied the odds to lead the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) category— ranking 14th overall after Day Two of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2026.
The Škoda Fabia R5 driver and twice ARC champion was in imperious form against his continental rivals, most who retired on the seven-stage challenging terrain of the day.
“It’s been a tough outing for the last two days. Yesterday was tough and today has been getting the car through nice and clean and I hope tomorrow goes well,” Patel, who is chasing a third ARC career title, told reporters.
“I’m hoping tomorrow we can keep a good pace and maintain our lead in the ARC standings,” he added.
Aakif Varani, is second in ARC and 18th overall in another Skoda with Jasmeet Chana (23rd) and Samman Vohra (24th) rounding off the all Kenyan top four.
Several top ARC drivers, including reigning champion Yasin Nasser from Uganda and Kenyan ace Hamza Anwar retired on Day 2 due to mechanical issues.
Nasser, who is looking to defend his title, suffered sensor problems on his Ford Fiesta R5.
The retired drivers will restart the rally on Super Rally on Saturday, determined to salvage some points on the continental championship.
“We’ll come back fighting. We’ve fixed the problem, and we’re looking forward to getting back on track,” Nasser stated.
Samman, who was the Junior ARC winner last year, is seeking to clinch his maiden ARC title.
