Sachania keen to defend WRC3 title at WRC Safari Rally
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 22.02.26. | 17:21
The reigning ARC3 Champion is keen on taking lessons from last year's performance
Kenya’s Nikhil Sachania defied all odds to win the WRC 3 title at the 2025 WRC Safari Rally, before going on to make history when he was crowned the 2025 FIA Africa Rally Championship (ARC) champion in the same category.
His feat made international headlines because he is Africa’s only paraplegic rally driver.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news
And now, he is revved up to defend his title at the 2026 event set to be held in Naivasha from 12 to 15 March.
The Nairobi-based driver is almost ready to hit the dusty roads of Kenya, with his Ford Fiesta Rally3 undergoing final preparations in Nairobi.
"We are almost there," Sachania said in an interview. "The car is prepared, just a few more things before we are ready for the rally.
It is the same car we used last season, and we won the WRC3 category. We hope to push for the same this year, although it will be a bit more challenging with more competitors on board."
Sachania believes the foreign visitors have more experience than him, but is banking on local knowledge to give him the edge.
"We are in contention for the overall ARC title as well. It is a new season, and a lot can happen in rallying. Our main goal is to keep it consistent and clean."
The reigning ARC3 Champion is keen on taking lessons from last year's Safari performance, where he won the WRC 3 category, came fifth in ARC, and first in ARC3.
"Last year, we had a close chance to win the overall title, but our commitment and life situation were not in our favour. We finished the Safari event, won the WRC 3, and that is a huge motivation to defend that win," he offered.
With the support of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), Sachania is confident of replicating last year's performance.
"The chemistry between my navigator, Deep Patel, and I is good. We have been together for about seven years now. We trust each other in the car, and we will have some test drives in the coming weeks to fine-tune our skills," he continues.
The third leg of the 2026 WRC, Safari Rally, will also be the opening round of this season's ARC.
