• The Burundi Rally marked the third leg of the 2024 ARC, with Karan successfully defending his title from last year.
• Karan is top of the table with 105 points as he chases a consecutive African title.
Image: FILE
African Rally Champion Karan Patel continued his dominant run in the 2024 African Rally Championship (ARC) with a third consecutive win, powering through the Rallye International du Burundi on Sunday.
Behind the wheel of his Skoda R5 and navigated by Khan Tauseef, Karan fended off competition from Burundi’s Valery Bukera and co-driver Mohamed Yunus, who finished second in a Subaru Impreza.
Another Burundian Subaru Impreza crew, Prime Uwikunda and Charly Musafiri, rounded out the podium.
The Burundi Rally marked the third leg of the 2024 ARC, with Karan successfully defending his title from last year.
He clocked 1:44:45 last year ahead of Bukera, who timed alongside navigator Nital Khetia in a Subaru Impreza STI.
Uganda’s Yasin Nasser, alongside navigator Ali Katumba, was third in their Ford Fiesta R2.
The Burundi leg adds to Karan's triumphs in Uganda and Zambia.
He dominated the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally in May, clinching eight of nine stages in his Skoda R5.
He had another commanding run in Zambia a month later to cement his lead in the ARC standings. The ARC series is set to traverse Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya.
Karan is top of the table with 105 points as he chases a consecutive African title.
He won his first during the season-ending rally in Tanzania.
Karan amassed 144 points, three ahead of Uganda’s Jas Mangat as Nasser finished third with 110 points.
The 33-year-old's victories from last year came at the Equator Rally (Kenya), Burundi, Mountain Gorilla Rally (Rwanda) and Sarango Rally (Zambia). He finished second in Tanzania.
Karan became the seventh Kenyan driver to win the FIA ARC title after the trailblazing Shekhar Mehta in 1981, David Horsey in 1984, Jaspreet Singh Chatthe in 2015, Don Smith in 2016, Manvir Baryan in 2017 and 2019 and Carl Tundo in 2021.
Karan, a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer, finished second overall in 2022, behind Zambian Leroy Gomes.