Kenyan driver Karan Patel and his co-driver Tauseef Khan have retained the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally title following Day Three stage victory in Bugesera on Sunday, October 20. Patel, who drives Skoda Fabia R5, proved yet again his worth after winning Day Three of the Rwandan Rally played in the dusty roads of Nemba and Kamabuye in Bugesera District, covering the distance of 24.5 kilometers over four laps in 12 minutes and four seconds. He finished one minute and 44.8 seconds clear of Uganda’s Joshua Muanguzi and his co-driver Hamuza Lwanga who came in second place in their Subaru Impreza N12 car. The 24th Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally ended on a rainy Sunday, culminating the three-day racing series on the streets of Kigali and Bugesera. ALSO READ: BPR Bank’s Karan Patel gears up for Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally The race was attended by leading drivers of the 2024 African Rally Championship (ARC) including Karan Patel who leads the pack as the front runner for the title. Patel’s closest challenger was Sachania Nikhil, Uganda’s Mukula Micheal and Yassin Nasser as well as Tanzania’s Nyerere Prince. On the last day, all these drivers had to go around the Nemba and Kamabuye roads where they drove in four laps. Patel was once again undisputed throughout the rally, adding Sunday’s third day victory to his previous wins in Kigali and Saturday’s stage played in Gako, Nemba, Ruhuha and Kamabuye. The Kenyan emerged overall winner as a result, clocking 1 hour, 25 minutes and 43 seconds over the 97.8 miles. He was followed by Micheal Mukula of Uganda who finished 10 minutes and 39 seconds shy. Sashania Nikhil emerged third while the fourth was Yassin Nasser from Uganda. The closest Rwandan was Christian Kanangire who, and his co-driver Régis Tuyishime, finished in fifth place with their Subaru Impreza N12 car. Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally 2024 attracted 21 drivers, 16 of them finished the race. ALSO READ: Patel closes in on Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally 2024 title Queen Kalimpinya was the only woman driving as a main driver among the six drivers who represented Rwanda in the race. The former beauty queen and her co-pilot Olivier Ngabo finished in the 10th place on the national rally championship category. The awarding ceremony for the best performing drivers was graced by Sports Minister Richard Nyiishema, Bugesera Mayor Richard Mutabazi and Rwanda Automobile Club president Christian Gakwaya. The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally 2024 is the pre-final race of the 2024 African Rally Championship (ARC) that will be played in Kenya from November 29 to December 1. The winner will be crowned champion. Patel added 35 points earned in Rwanda to his initial 105 to take home 140 points overall. Micheal Mukula climbed to second with 47, surpassing Jas Mangat and Hamza Anwar who have not competed in Rwanda.
