Kenya’s Karan Patel, the current leader of the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC), and ARC4 champion Rio Smith will be representing Kenya at the upcoming 2023 Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.
The rally is scheduled to take place from May 5-7 in Bulkwe and Jinja districts. Patel and Smith will be competing against six other FIA ARC drivers, including Uganda’s Innocent Bwamiki, last year’s winner Jas Mangat, Yasin Nasser, Byron Rugomoka, and Michael Mukula.
A strong list of 27 drivers has also been confirmed to participate in the national category, including Hassan Alwi/Musa Nsubuga, Ronald Sebuguzi, Nasser Mutebi, and Duncan Mubiru “Kikankane.”
Karan Patel will be looking to secure his first Pearl Rally win and consolidate his lead on the ARC log. He skipped the season-opening Rallye Bandama in Ivory Coast but emerged as the winner in his home round of the Equator Rally in Voi, taking an early lead on the ARC standings.
Although his run in Uganda last year ended with an incident on Day One, Patel and Taussef Khan still amassed valuable points in their ARC title chase against eventual champion Zambian Leroy Gomes.
The event will start on May 5 with a 6km shakedown at Wairaka midday stage, providing ARC competitors with an opportunity to warm up their engines.
There will also be a ceremonial start at the course of the Nile in Jinja at 4 pm on the same day, flagged off by State Sports Minister Peter Ogwang.
Plans to host the event are said to be at an advanced stage, according to the Federation of Uganda Motorsports (FMU) president Dipu Ruparelia.
The current standings for the 2023 ARC after the Equator Rally in Kenya are as follows: Karan Patel (KEN) with 30 points, Yasin Nasser (UGA) with 24 points, Jas Mangat (UGA) with 21 points, Asad Anwar (KEN) with 19 points, Nikhil Sachania (GBR) with 17 points, and McRae Kimathi (KEN) with 15 points.
The ARC calendar for 2023 includes Rally Bandama (Côte d’Ivoire) from February 24-26, Tanzania Rally from July 21-23, and Zambia International Rally from October 20-22.
