Uganda’s Yasin Nasser and co-driver Ali Katumba secured the 2025 African Rally Championship (ARC) title in a thrilling season finale in Morogoro, Tanzania on Sunday.
The Ugandan pair entered the final round with an eight-point lead over Kenyan contender Samman Vohra, protégé of two-time African champion Karan Patel. Driving their Ford Fiesta R2, Nasser and Katumba took a measured approach, while Vohra set the pace early, finishing Saturday’s leg in first place. The championship was left wide open heading into Sunday’s decisive stages.
Samman Vohra in a Skado Fabia RS2, dominated Rally of Burundi
Sunday’s action saw a dramatic twist when Karan Patel stormed to victory, taking maximum points and pushing Vohra into second place. Tanzania’s Ahmed Huwel rounded out the podium. Nasser’s fourth-place finish, combined with two crucial power stage points, was enough to clinch the title by a single point—135 to 134.
Speaking after the race, Nasser said: “We kept our composure throughout, though the pressure was intense. The power stage was everything for us. We stuck to our plan, and by God’s grace, it worked out.”
Karen Patel is a two-time African champion Karan Patel
The win marks a historic moment for Uganda, the first continental rally title since Charles Muhangi and Stephen Byaruhanga’s triumph in 1999. It also ends more than a decade of near-misses, including Jas Mangat’s 2013 heartbreak when he lost the championship to Zambia’s Jassy Singh.
In the class category, Kenya’s Nikhil Sachania and co-driver Deep Patel were crowned winners they have continued to that young driver are increasing competitive in African rally.
Davite Giancarlo won the ARC 3 class putting Rwanda on the map for upcoming talent to motorsport, the junior category class was won by Samman Singh Vohr (Kenya), and Master ARC winner was Ahmed Huwei (Tanzania).
The 2025 Zambia International Rally, a round of the FIA –ARC was unfortunately not held due to various challenges, the marked one of rare occasions in which Zambia did not host the event. As a result, the ARC calendar was reduced to four rounds.
