Where Seven Nations Meet in the Dust — Mountain Gorilla Rally 2026 and the Power of African Grassroots Motorsport

Overall victory went to Karan Patel and Tauseef Khan of Kenya, aboard a Skoda Fabia Rally2. The pair, who have competed together for over a decade, mastered the Bugesera gravel to claim the top step. Ahmed Huwel of Tanzania finished second overall, with Aakif Virani of Kenya third.

In the ARC3 class, Naveen Puligilla and Musa Sherif of Team Duran Racing — Puligilla hailing from Hyderabad, Sherif from Kasaragod — won 12 of the 18 stages to take class honours and finish fourth overall. Their performance underlined the growing presence of South Asian drivers in African championship rallying.

BPR Bank Rwanda served as title sponsor with a reported investment of Rwf 150 million (approximately JPY 16.5 million), alongside co-sponsor Engen Rwanda. In the ARC standings, Karan Patel leads the championship heading into the second half of the season.

■ Bugesera's Gravel — The Stage Rwanda Built

The Bugesera district lies roughly 40 kilometres southeast of Kigali, in a rolling landscape connected to the Lake Victoria watershed. The gravel surface is characteristic of East African rally roads in July: dry on top, retaining moisture below. Speeds approached 170 km/h across 18 stages and 307.52 competitive kilometres. What the stages demanded was the ability to read terrain in real time. Spectators stood on the road edges and received the full blast of dust. There are no grandstands. That is not a deficiency. It is the original form.

■ Karan Patel and Tauseef Khan — What a Decade Together Means