By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Two-time African Rally Champion Karan Patel marks his birthday this week as the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally gets underway in Mbarara, with the Kenyan ace looking to celebrate by extending his early lead in the 2026 ARC title race.
The Pearl Rally is traditionally held in early May, a date that often coincides with Patel’s birthday. The timing hands the defending ARC leader an extra shot of motivation as he tackles the two-day event in Uganda’s “milk capital.”
Patel arrives as the man to beat after a commanding run at the WRC Safari Rally Kenya, the opening round of the 2026 African Rally Championship. His 17th overall finish in Naivasha broke a prolonged run of retirements and put him top of the ARC standings heading into round two.
A decorated driver, Patel is a two-time African Rally Champion and was crowned Kenya National Rally Champion in 2022. He now lines up in Mbarara in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 alongside navigator Tauseef Khan, aiming to convert local experience and outright pace into another strong haul of points.
Pearl has always been special for Kenyan drivers. The stages are fast, the fans are passionate, and starting the rally on a champion’s birthday makes it even better. Kenya has a strong representation of 10 drivers, all aiming to keep it clean and score championship points.
Friday’s leg features five stages totaling 60km competitive, starting with SS1 Charles Muhangi 1 at 9:40am. Saturday’s longer route covers 127.92km competitive before the Shell V-Power Stage Power Stage closes the event.
With 23 ARC crews entered and the largest foreign turnout in the iconic Pearl, Patel’s birthday run will be watched closely as he chases a third African crown.
