Karan Patel and Tauseef Khan are the 2023 Africa rally champions after sealing the championship in the final event in Tanzania on Sunday.
The Kenyan team took on a more calculative strategy from day one maintaining second position throughout to clinch the championship.
In the Ford Fiesta rally2, Patel finished the event 4 minutes and 41seconds behind event winner Jas Mangat.
The Kenyan had come into the ultimate round with a nine points lead over Uganda’s Mangat.
Karen’s second place was however enough to secure him the African title.
Mangat however secured his first victory of the season as well as opening his Hyundai’s victories log.
Yasin Nasser lost out of the first runners battle after mechanical issues forced his retirement on day one. He would resume the event on Sunday. He finished the event fifth and could only settle for a third position overall on ARC standings.
However, all was not lost for the Moil Rally crew as they secured their maiden Tanzania National Rally championship.
In the ARC2, Hamza Anwar easily fared through to secure the category title after his counterpart Charles Nyerere suffered mechanical glitches.
Patel now becomes the sixth Kenyan to win the Africa rally title after Carl Tundo (2021), Manvir Baryan (2017, 2018, 2019), Don Smith (2016), Jaspreet Chatthe (2015), and David Horsey (1984).