The 2016 African Rally Championship (ARC) heads to Madagascar this weekend for the final race of the season.

The three-day Madagascar International Rally starts today and climaxes on Sunday.

However, the event doesn’t promise much as the continental champion was decided in September.

Kenyan driver Don Smith is in a comfortable zone, having been confirmed the 2016 ARC winner after his closest rival Muna Singh Junior of Zambia failed to finish the V-Shell Pearly African Rally in Uganda.

Smith, navigated by Bob Kaugi, needed just to finish the V-Shell Pearl Africa rally to clinch the crown and that’s exactly what he did – finishing in ninth. Muna retired after five stages with his fuel tank reportedly leaking.

Smith came into the Pearl of Africa rally with 79 points, 22 points ahead of Singh Jr. The results meant another Kenyan driver won the African title after Jaspreet Chatthe, who took it last year. Smith is the third Kenyan to win ARC with David Horsey also winning the championship in 1984.

The Kenyan crew has featured in all the ARC events this year winning only one (Tanzania Rally) of the previous five.

Meanwhile, Ismail Shermohamed will end his 2016 campaign with the two-wheel category title. The Zambian is the first ARC two-wheel drive champion.

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