African Rally Championship Explained

Category:Group N
R5/Rally2
Country/Region:Africa
Inaugural2:1981
Champion Driver: Karan Patel
Manufacturer:Ford
Current Season:2022 Completed Going into 2023 African Rally Championship
Website:Official site

The African Rally Championship (ARC) is an international automobile rally championship run under the auspices of the FIA. The championship was first held in 1981 and won by Shekhar Mehta. The most successful driver in the championship's history is Zambian driver Satwant Singh with eight championships. The reigning 2023 champions are Kenyans Karan Patel and Navigator Tauseef Khan.

The championship has been held widely across the African continent, including the island of Madagascar, although few events are held in or north of the Sahara. The championship has frequently incorporated World Rally Championship events, particularly Africa's two most popular rallies, the Safari Rally in Kenya and the Ivory Coast Rally in Côte d'Ivoire. It is most popular in former British colonies.

Presently, the African rally championship events are held in Burundi, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. The event in Côte d'Ivoire was left off the 2024 calendar due to a very low cross-border entry. This is mostly due to the cost and the vast distances competitors have to travel to attend the event. Logistical challenges are also adding a huge cost to being able to participate.

Events

Champions

SeasonDriverCar
1981 Shekhar MehtaNissan
1982 Walter RöhrlOpel
1983 Alain AmbrosinoPeugeot
1984 David HorseyPeugeot
1985 Luc RequileOpel/Mitsubishi
1986 Alain AmbrosinoNissan
1987 Alain AmbrosinoNissan
1988 Satwant SinghToyota
1989 Satwant SinghVolkswagen
1990 Walter CostaPeugeot
1991 Satwant SinghToyota
1992 Aldo RivaAudi
1993 Satwant SinghToyota
1994 Abe SmitAudi
1995 Fritz FlachbergerFord
1996 Satwant SinghSubaru
1997 Satwant SinghSubaru
1998 Satwant SinghSubaru
1999 Charles MuhangiSubaru
2000 Satwant SinghSubaru
2001 Schalk BurgerSubaru
2002 John GemmelSubaru
2003 Fernando RuedaMitsubishi
2004 Muna SinghSubaru
2005 Muna SinghSubaru
2006 Patrick EmontspoolSubaru
2007 Conrad RautenbachSubaru
2008 Hideaki MiyoshiMitsubishi
2009 James WhyteSubaru
2010 James WhyteSubaru
2011 Conrad RautenbachSubaru
2012 Mohamed EssaSubaru
2013 Jassy SinghSubaru
2014 Gary ChaynesMitsubishi
2015 Jaspreet Singh ChattheMitsubishi
2016 Don SmithSubaru
2017 Manvir BaryanŠkoda
2018 Manvir BaryanŠkoda
2019 Manvir BaryanŠkoda
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Carl "Flash" TundoVolkswagen Polo
2022 Leeroy GomesFord
2023 Karan PatelFord

External links