As the Karan Patel racing team of Kenya emerged the winner in the Tanzania held Round 4 of the FIA African Rally Championship, Ford Fiestas are proving to be the ultimate machines in ARC.
Karen Patel and Tauseef Khan from Nairobi drove to the first position in a Ford Fiesta R5.
Hot behind their exhaust pipes, were the record setting Zambians, Leroy Gomes and Urshilla Gomes also speeding in another Ford Fiesta R5.
Another Kenyan team of Hamza Anwar and Adnan Din was third, but this also used a Ford Fiesta though the R3 Model.
And Kenyan teams dominated the top listed billing alongside the Fords. Driving in the Fourth Position were Jeremiah Wahome and Victor Okundi in yet another Ford Fiesta (R3).
Tanzania’s only entry in the top five drove in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X with the National Rally Champion, Gurpal Sandhu and navigator Dave Sohoka in the cockpit.
A Subaru Impreza GVB driven by Ugandans, Yassin Nasser and Ali Katumba was Number 6 in the Tanzania Atlantic Rally.
The African Rally Championship (ARC) standing after the Tanzania Rally is as follows:
- 1. Leroy Gomes 102 points
- 2. Karan Patel 75 points
- 3. Giancarlo Davit 38 points.
As it stands Leroy has an upper hand in the African Rally Championship 2022.
Motorsports expert, Abdul Sidi writes that all Leroy needs is to be on podium in the next two rallies remaining…that is if indeed South Africa pulled out of the 2022 ARC.
“If Leroy came out second in both Rwanda and Zambia he would accumulate 150 points. If he came out third in both rallies he would accumulate 144 Points. If Karan came out first in both rallies he would move to 135 points. He would still be behind Leroy by almost 10 points.”
Abdul Sidi
With the above probabilities, according to Sidi, it is likely Leroy can take this year’s African Rally Championship as long as he takes up to third position in remaining rallies. He just needs to finish then ARC is coming back to Zambia.
So how did the drivers find the Tanzania Atlantic Rally?
Many admit it was a tough thing. Most complained of punctures, maybe the type of terrain, which was mainly mapped in upper parts of Monduli District of Arusha Region.
The Subaru Impreza cars somehow failed to impress this time. Rajpal Dhani and Shameer Yusuf, Subaru caught fire during the event.
Dharam Pandya’s Subaru Impreza was forced out of the Rally with two stages remaining.
McRea Kimathi and Mwangi Kioni were compelled to call it quits after losing control of the car in the second competitive stage of the final day.
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