Kenya driver Samman Vohra chalked-up his maiden international win in the 2025 edition of the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally which culminated in Bugesera District.
Navigated by Briton Drew Sturrock behind the wheel of a Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo, the reigning Kenya champion had his campaign effectively sewn-up when compatriot and defending African champion Karan Patel and his co-driver Tauseef Khan crashed out in the mid-morning stages of Saturday’s Leg1 after their Skoda Fabia car was brutally damaged.
The crew escaped the accident but they couldn’t continue the rally on Sunday.
Vohra, co-driven by Drew Sturrock delivered stunning performances which saw them dominate the rally in dusty roads of Bugesera, winning in Saturday’s Day One race after a 145.62km drive from Gasenyi-Gako-Nemba in 1:00:12.4.
They never looked back! Sunday’s six-stage Kamabuye-Gako-Ruhuha looked nice on the crew which also race 94.4km in 48:46.7 which was enough to win their first Mountain Gorilla Rally, ending Patel’s three-year dominance in Rwanda.
Sachania Nikhil and Patel Deep trail in second place by just 14:40.6 with Prince Nyerere and Fernand Rutabingwa pushing hard in third place, 27:37.6 shy of winner Vohra.
The victory earned the crew 35 points which pushed them to third place overall on ARC rankings with 71 points after three rounds. Vohra is now 15 points behind Yasin Naser who keeps his top spot with 86 points despite finishing fourth in Rwanda.
He is followed by Nikhil Sachania in second place with 77 points while Patel’s failure to finish the rally in Rwanda leaves the top three now locked in contention for the ARC title with two rounds remaining including one in Burundi in August and the decisive one Tanzania in September.
Giancarlo dominates national rankings
Rwanda’s Giancarlo Davite and his co-driver Sandrine Isheja Butera emerged the winner in the National category after finishing second overall at Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally.
Davite, 62, is one of Rwanda’s most decorated drivers, having won the Gorilla rally twice outright in 2013 and 2018.
FIA ARC rankings after Rwanda Mt Gorilla Rally
Yasin Nasser 86pts
Nikhil Sachania 77pts
Samman Vohra 71pts
Carl Tundo 50
Jeremiah Wahome 42
Karan Patel 35