Karan Patel out to extend good run in local series

Tauseef Khan

Equator rally winners Tauseef Khan and Karan Patel  celebrate at KWS Institute Naivasha on April 3,  2022.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Hamza Anwar continued his fine run in the FIA African Rally Championship with victory in the ARC Junior Category.
  • The 23-year-old Safaricom-KQ sponsored driver takes over the lead from stablemate Jeremiah Wahome who drops to second with only one round to go.

Karan Patel, 31, looks set to extend his winning streak in the KBL-sponsored Kenya National Rally Championship series with the Mombasa Rally to be held on October 15 and16.

Navigated by Tauseef Khan, Patel has won five out of six KNRC events so far.

They lead the overall standings with 167 points followed by Jasmeet and Ravi Chana on 161.

Patel and Khan have won the following events: Nanyuki Rally, Eldoret Rally, Equator Rally, Nakuru Rally and the KMSC Rally so far.

Apart from the Eldoret Rally, all the other victories were scored in a Ford Fiesta R5. The Eldoret Rally was won in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO10.

The crew has also won four rounds of the 2022 ARC so far. The crew won the Rwanda Rally, Tanzania Rally, Equator Rally and Uganda Rally respectively.

Karan has contested 63 rallies with 22 retirements.

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The Mombasa Motor Club event will have three competitive stages that will be done twice.

The competitive distance will be 154km. The stages will be mainly smooth and fast. Bamba will host the rally headquarters for the sixth round of the KBL-sponsored series.

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Hamza Anwar continued his fine run in the FIA African Rally Championship with victory in the ARC Junior Category.

The 23-year-old Safaricom-KQ sponsored driver takes over the lead from stablemate Jeremiah Wahome who drops to second with only one round to go.

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The standings of the 2022 FIA ARC after Rwanda Rally with just the Zambia Rally remaining are as follows: ARC Drivers: 1. Leroy Gomes ZMB 126pts, 2. Karan Patel.KEN 105pts, 3. Hamza Anwar KEN 55pts, =Jeremy Wahome KEN 55pts, 5. Jas Mangat UGA 49pts, 6. McRae Kimathi KEN 43pts, 7.Giancarlo Davite RWA 38pts, 8. Yasin Nasser UGA 34pts, 9. Maxine Wahome KEN 28pts, 10.Jasmeet Chana KEN 21pts.

ARC Navigators: 1. Urshlla Gomes ZMB 126pts, 2. Tauseef Khan KEN 105pts, 3. Adnan Din KEN 55pts, =Victor Okundi KEN 55pts, 5. Joseph Kamyat UGA 49pts, 6. Mwangi Kioni KEN 43pts, 7. Sylvia Vindevogel RWA 38pts, 8. Ali Katumba UG 34pts, 9. Murage Waigwa KEN 28pts, 10. Ravi Chana KEN 21pts.

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Kalle Rovanperä was crowned the youngest ever World Rally Champion after winning the New Zealand Rally over the weekend.

Rovanperä has become the youngest ever winner of an FIA World Rally Championship title at the age of 22. He and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen secured their maiden crowN in style with victory at Rally New Zealand.

The following drivers won the WRC crown as Toyota Team drivers: 1990: Carlos Sainz (Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165), 1992: Carlos Sainz (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185), 1993: Juha Kankkunen (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185). 1994: Didier Auriol (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185), 2019: Ott Tänak (Toyota Yaris WRC), 2020: Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Yaris WRC), 2021: Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Yaris WRC), 2022: Kalle Rovanperä(T oyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID).