Kenya's Karan Patel took a significant step towards reclaiming the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) title after extending his lead with a commanding victory at the 2026 Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally on Sunday, July 12. The triumph marked Patel's fourth career victory in Rwanda and earned him the maximum 35 championship points, taking his tally to 118 after three rounds of the 2026 season. Under the ARC points system, drivers and co-drivers receive identical championship points based on their overall finishing positions, with the winner earning 35 points, second place 28 and third place 24. ALSO READ: Patel triumphs again in dramatic 2026 Mountain Gorilla Rally Patel arrived in Kigali with an eight-point lead in the standings after collecting 83 points from the opening two rounds. However, his dominant display across the rally's 18 special stages in Kigali and Bugesera saw him significantly widen that advantage ahead of the next round in Tanzania. Partnered by long-time co-driver Tauseef Khan, Patel dominated Saturday's action by winning 10 of the 12 special stages before adopting a measured approach on Sunday to secure the overall victory by more than seven minutes. The result further underlines his status as the championship favourite as the series reaches its halfway point. Reflecting on his latest success, Patel said competing in Rwanda always holds a special place for him. We love Rwanda; we love coming here, he said. It was a good competition with a lot of good drivers and good cars. It wasn't easy, but we pushed the team, kept it safe, and did what we came to do in Africa. Patel now tops the championship standings with 118 points, opening a commanding 33-point lead over fellow Kenyan Aakif Virani, who sits second with 85 points. Jasmeet Chana is third on 67 points, just one ahead of Samman Vohra on 66. Nikhil Sachania occupies fifth place with 56 points, while India's Naveen Puligilla climbed to sixth on 39 points after winning the ARC3 category in Rwanda. Uganda's Oscar Ntambi is seventh with 38 points, followed by compatriot Yasin Nasser on 34. Rwanda's Christian Kanangire moved into ninth with 27 points after claiming ARC2 honours on home soil, while Tanzania's Ahmed Huwel completes the top 10 with 24 points. Patel will now turn his attention to the Mkwawa Rally in Tanzania, scheduled for October 2-4, where he has enjoyed considerable success, having won the event in both 2022 and 2025 driving a Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo. The Tanzanian round is expected to provide another stern challenge, with rivals including Yasin Nasser, Samman Vohra and Ahmed Huwel all eager to cut Patel's growing championship advantage. Despite holding a comfortable lead, Patel insists the title race remains far from decided. The championship is still long. Every rally is different and every point matters. There are a lot of good drivers with good cars. We have to keep working hard because the competition keeps improving. He also credited the strong relationship with his team and co-driver as a key factor behind his continued success. The relationship between my team, my co-driver and me is very important. It's like a marriage—we need to understand each other and have good chemistry to perform at our best. We'll need that again in Tanzania, where the competition will also be very tough, Patel said.
