Tanzania's Manveer Birdi has finished second in the African Rally Championship (ARC) and won the National Rally Championship (NRC) round held in Morogoro over the weekend. Birdi, driving an Asas Rally Team Skoda Fabia Evo, clocked 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 11.5 seconds. He finished 33.7 seconds behind Kenya's Karan Patel, who won the rally and secured the 2026 African championship title.
Karan Patel, driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2 alongside Tauseef Khan, completed the event in 2:02:37.8 to claim his third ARC crown. Patel had previously won the continental title in 2022 and 2023. Birdi's second-place finish made him the highest-placed Tanzanian in the fourth and final round of the 2026 ARC. The event also doubled as a round of the NRC.
Uganda's Yasin Nasser and co-driver Ally Katumba finished third overall in 2:10:28. Tanzania's Ahmed Huwel was fourth in the ARC classification after clocking 2:10:33 in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Uganda's Oscar Ntambi and Godfrey Nsereko completed the top six in the continental classification. Ntambi secured the ARC2 title, while Nsereko won the ARC4 category.
The ARC competition featured nine drivers. The wider Serengeti Rally attracted a larger domestic field for the fourth round of Tanzania's NRC. Birdi also dominated the domestic classification, finishing ahead of Huwel. Morogoro-based Kithin Marey took third place in his Mitsubishi Evo X in 2:14:56.
Gurpal Sandhu finished fourth, followed by Harinder Deere and Kartik Valambhia. The result underlined Birdi's strong form in domestic rallying this season. He had earlier won the Mkwawa Leaf Rally in Morogoro in September, clocking 1:14:51 to beat Huwel and Marey.
The Serengeti Rally was held from October 2 to 4 around Morogoro and areas managed by Tanzania Forest Services. The event covered about 250 kilometres, including 186.81 kilometres of competitive stages. Birdi further underlined his pace by recording the fastest time in the final Power Stage, stopping the clock at 5:43.7 to collect five bonus championship points.
For Tanzania, Birdi's runner-up finish provides a significant boost to the country's presence in continental rallying. His NRC victory further strengthens his standing among the country's leading drivers. The performance also highlights the growing competitiveness of Tanzanian drivers as they continue to use domestic events to gain experience against some of Africa's leading rally competitors.
Key points
- Manveer Birdi finished second in the African Rally Championship and won the National Rally Championship round in Morogoro.
- Karan Patel won the rally and secured the 2026 African championship title.
- Birdi's performance boosts Tanzania's presence in continental rallying and strengthens his standing among the country's leading drivers.
