Karan Patel, the reigning Kenyan champion, is set to thrill home fans as the FIA World Rally Championship Safari Rally Kenya kicks off in Naivasha later this month.
As the lead driver for the KCB racing team, Patel is among the 13 participants listed in the prestigious WRC2 category, typically reserved for Rally 2 marques in the FIA Rally Pyramid.
Although he did not finish in the 2022 Safari edition, Patel was one of three Kenyan drivers who secured historic WRC points in 2021, finishing a commendable 8th overall (second in WRC3) behind Onkar Rai in 7th and Carl “Flash” Tundo in 9th.
During the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Safari Rally in Nairobi, Patel expressed his excitement to local fans, stating, “Keep an eye on us, we are hoping for a strong finish and, hopefully, emerge as the top Kenyan crew overall.”
Acknowledging the demanding nature of the Safari Rally, Patel added, “Safari is still a very tough rally even for the modern cars. It’s not the same as it used to be many years ago, with respect to the distances that used to be covered in those days.”
When asked about the requirements to compete with world-class WRC drivers, Patel emphasized the need for Kenyan drivers to have access to the same cars as the top contenders.
He mentioned the possibility of Kenya acquiring a Rally1 car with government support, enabling Kenyan drivers to showcase their skills alongside rally stars like Ogier and Rovanpera.
KCB, the official banking partner of the 2023 WRC Safari Rally, will have a three-car lineup consisting of Karan Patel, Evans Kavisi, and Nikhil Sachania. Other sponsors include Talanta Hela, KWS, Toyota Kenya, and the Government of Kenya (GOK), who are the primary sponsors.
The Safari Rally will commence with the Shakedown on June 21 at KWS Naivasha, allowing priority 1 cars to warm up before the main action begins on June 22. The event will culminate with the thrilling Wolf Power Stage spectacle at Hell’s Gate on June 25.
In the WRC2 category, Karan Patel will compete with his Ford Fiesta Rally2. Other notable entries include Oliver Solberg in a Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2, Kajetan Kajetanowicz in a Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2, Grégoire Munster with a Ford Fiesta Rally2, Carl “Flash” Tundo representing Kenya, Piero Canobbio from Kilifi with a Hyundai i20 NG Rally2, Aakif Virani from Nairobi with a Skoda Fabia Rally2, and Martin Prokop from the Czech Republic, among others.
RALLY2 ENTRIES
11 (#20) Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson – SWE/GBR (Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2)
12 (#21) Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak – POL/POL (Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2)
13 (#22) M-SPORT FORD WRT: Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka – LUX/BEL (Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally2)
14 (#23) Martin Prokop/Zdeněk Jůrka – CZE/CZE – (Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally2)
15 (#24) Armin Kremer/Timo Gottschalk – DEU/DEU – Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2)
16 (#25) Karan Patel/Tauseef Khan – KEN/KEN – FORD Fiesta Rally2)
17 (#26) Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop – KEN/KEN (Skoda Fabia Rally2)
18 (#27) Daniel Chwist/Kamil Heller – POL/POL – (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)
19 (#28) Miguel Díaz Aboitiz/Rodrigo Sanjuan – ESP/ESP – (Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2)
20 (#29) M-SPORT FORD WRT: Georgios Vasilakis/Thomas Krawszik – GRC/GBR – (Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally2)
21 (#30) Aakif Virani/Azhar Bhatti – KEN/KEN (SKODA Fabia Rally2)
22 (#31) Piero Canobbio/Flavio Zanella – KEN/ITA (HYUNDAI NG i20).
