Karan Patel, Carl Tundo among Kenyan drivers confirmed for 2024 WRC Safari Rally

With the 2024 WRC Safari Rally around the corner, local drivers are outlining very firm plans about how they intend to fine-tune their race contraptions in the nerve-wracking competition slated for March 28-31 at its traditional venue in Naivasha.

A sizeable number of home drivers will be keen to register impressive performances and wow the thousands of fans expected for the event.

2023 FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) champion Karan Patel will be hoping to pick up from where he left off in the continental competition to emerge the champion in the global stage.

Patel has been impressive in the last two seasons, finishing second to Zambian Leroy Gomes in the 2022 ARC. It was that year that he won the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) too.

In November 2023, he beat Jas Mangat to the title on the homestretch in the prestigious Rally of Tanzania. The feat saw him crowned the SJAK Sports Personality of December.

Patel joined a prestigious list of Kenyan drivers who got their mitts on the ARC title, including Shekhar Mehta, David Horsey, Jaspreet Chatthe, Don Smith, Manvir Baryan, and Carl Tundo.

Stepping onto the big stage will be youngster Hamza Anwar. Anwar, the son of former Nanyuki Rally winner Asad Anwar made waves as the only African participant in the prestigious Junior WRC3 category. He will be looking to bring a wealth of experience to the team.

Nairobi-based Skoda Fabia Rally2 ace and 2021 Kenya Motorsport Personality-of-the-Year Aakif Virani is leaving nothing to chance as he braces up for his WRC Safari Rally participation.

Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) speedster Andrew Muiruri will be looking for a new time record when he competes later in the month. Muiruri won the 4WD Turbo Car class category at the sixth leg of the Kenya National Autocross Championship held in Nairobi last year and he will be going for the title.

World champion Kalle Rovanpera will return to Kenya to defend the WRC Safari Rally title he won in 2022.

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The Flying Finn will add Safari Rally to his partial World Rally Championship campaign in the company of Japanese star team-mates Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta.

Eight-time World Rally champion Sebastien Ogier will miss out on the iconic event for the first time since Safari’s return to the global series in 2021.

Full entry list

1: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Belgium), Hyundai120 Rallyl Hybrid

2: Elfyn Evans/Scot tMartin (Great Britain) Toyota GR Yaris Rallyl Hybrid

3: Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (France), Ford Puma Rally! Hybrid

4: Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Estonia), Hyundai i20 Rallyl Hybrid

5: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Finland), Hyundai i20 N Rallyl Hybrid

6: Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Japan/Ireland), Toyota GR Yaris Rallyl Hybrid

7: Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Finland), Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid)

8: Gregoire Munster/Loius Louka (Luxemborg/Belgium), Ford Puma Hybrid Rally 1

9: Jourdan Serderidis/Frededric Miclotte (Greece/Belgium). Ford Puma Rallyl Hybrid

10. Oliver Solberg/Elliot Edmondson (Sweden/Great Britain), Skoda Fabia R5

11: Nicholas Ciamin/Yannick Roche (France), Hyundai i20 N

12: Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Great Britain/Sweden). Skoda Fabia RS

13. Kajetan Kajetanowicz/ MaciejSzcepaniak (Poland), Skoda Fabia RS

14. Carl Tundo/Tim Jessop (Kenya) Ford Fiesta

15.Charles Munster/Loic Dumont (Belgium/Luxemburg), Hyundai 120 N

16. Diego Dominguez/ Rogelio Panate (Paraguay/Spain)

17. Daniel Chwist/Kamil Hellier (Poland) Skoda Fabia RS

18. Karan Pate/Tauseef Khan (Kenya) Skoda Fabia

19. Samman Vohra/Alfir Khan (Kenya) Skoda Fabia Evo

20. Aalil Virani/Zahir Shah (Kenya) Skoda Fabia)

21. Miguel Diaz Aboitiz/Diego Sanjuan (Spain) Skoda Fabia Evo

22. Georgios Vasilakis/Thomas Krawszik (Greece/Great Britain, Ford Fiesa MkII

23. Hamza Anwar/Adnan Din (Kenya) Ford Fiesta Rally3