Karan buoyant ahead of the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally

Kenya National Rally Champion Karan Patel has set his sights on the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla rally slated for this weekend.

Karan, who bagged the fourth edition of the Africa Rally Championship held in Burundi last month, is currently sitting third in the African Rally Championship (ARC) leaderboard with 60 points behind Yasin Nasser of Uganda (78 points) and second-placed Jas Mangat also from Uganda who has 63 points.

Speaking ahead of the rally, Karan said he is aiming for a top finish in the remaining legs to boost his chances of winning the overall title.

“We are up against top drivers across Africa, and they are all battling for the top spot. Our aim is to win each of the remaining legs, close the gap with the log leader, and finally bring the ARC title to Kenya.” Karan noted.

On his part, Karan’s navigator, Tauseef Khan, added that they have been working on the car to make sure it is in good condition as they aim for a podium finish.

“In our last major competition, that is the WRC, we developed a mechanical problem which forced us to retire earlier. It was a disappointment; given that we had spent a lot of time prepping the car for the stage. This time round, we believe we are all set for the race, and we are not only going for the finish, but we aim for a top finish with substantial points.”

The Rwanda edition will be hosted by the Rwanda Automobile Club, and it is a 348.18 km stretch with 6 stages. The sixth leg of ARC, the Zambia International Rally, will be held in Zambia from the 20th to the 22nd of October before climaxing with the Rally of Tanzania in November,

The Rwandan rally is the fifth edition of the 2023 African Rally Championships.