Rally fans will miss that tight competition they expected between Kenya’s Karan Patel and Uganda's top drivers in the Pearl of Africa Rally that starts on Friday in Jinja. 

This is after the Kenyan driver withdrew from the event on Wednesday citing poor roads that would break his car (Ford Fiesta) yet he is targeting the WRC Safari rally next month from June 22 to 25.

The Kenya national rally champion is top of the log of the Africa Rally championship with 30 points, six ahead of second-placed Yasin Nasser (24) of Uganda. 

“To our partners, fans, and supporters, we regret to announce our retirement from the 2023 Pearl of Africa rally. After conducting the recce for the event, it has become evident that the road conditions are not up to the standards expected for an international event,” Patel said.

“As a team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the event, as the conditions impact the competitiveness and excitement of the racing and pose a high risk of significant damage to our car. We understand that this decision may disappoint our partners, fans, and supporters who were eagerly anticipating our participation. However, as a team, we believe that the safety and integrity of our machine must come first.”
 
His exit leaves only one foreigner Rio Smith to battle the Ugandan crews.