# 2019 African Rally Championship

The 2019 African Rally Championship was the 39th season of the African Rally Championship (ARC), the FIA regional zone rally championship for the African continent. The season began on February 21 in the Côte d'Ivoire, and ended on October 10 in Rwanda, after seven events.
Skoda Fabia driver Manvir Singh Baryan won his third consecutive title. Baryan again won three of the seven rallies, taking victory in the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire, Zambia International Rally and Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally. Baryan dominated the title, winning with 201 points compared to Zambian Ford driver Leeroy Gomes 88 points. Baryan's title extended the run of Kenyan success to five consecutive years.
Kenyan Mitsubishi driver and winner of the Safari Rally, Baldev Chager was third in the championship on 56 points, six points ahead of South African Toyota driver Hergen Fekken. Fekken won the Rally of South Africa. Baryan wrapped up the title early in August after winning the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally. The two subsequent rallies in Tanzania and Rwanda were won by local drivers who were not chasing the African title.

## Event calendar and results

There were seven rallies in the 2019 African Rally Championship. The only change from the 2018 schedule was the Safari Rally that moved from March to July:
| Round | Rally name | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Statistics | Statistics | Statistics | Statistics |
| Round | Rally name | Rank | Driver | Car | Time | Stages | Length | Starters | Finishers |
| 1 | Rallye Bandama - Côte d'Ivoire (21–23 February) | 1 | Manvir Singh Baryan | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:51:30.28 | 13 | 268.80 km | 31 | 17 |
| 1 | Rallye Bandama - Côte d'Ivoire (21–23 February) | 2 | Maxime Abondio | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | 3:08:12.04 | 13 | 268.80 km | 31 | 17 |
| 1 | Rallye Bandama - Côte d'Ivoire (21–23 February) | 3 | Bernard Piallat | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 3:09:04.67 | 13 | 268.80 km | 31 | 17 |
| 2 | Rally of South Africa (26–27 April) | 1 | Hergen Fekken | Toyota Etios R4 | 2:19:30.1 | 15 | 193.59 km | 20 | 14 |
| 2 | Rally of South Africa (26–27 April) | 2 | Manvir Singh Baryan | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:20:09.0 | 15 | 193.59 km | 20 | 14 |
| 2 | Rally of South Africa (26–27 April) | 3 | Guy Botterill | Toyota Etios R2 | 2:27:18.3 | 15 | 193.59 km | 20 | 14 |
| 3 | Gomes Zambia International Rally (7–9 June) | 1 | Manvir Singh Baryan | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:21:37.0 | 18 | 194.42 km | 24 | 15 |
| 3 | Gomes Zambia International Rally (7–9 June) | 2 | Leeroy Gomes | Ford Fiesta R5 | 2:23:27.0 | 18 | 194.42 km | 24 | 15 |
| 3 | Gomes Zambia International Rally (7–9 June) | 3 | Onkar Rai | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:24:13.0 | 18 | 194.42 km | 24 | 15 |
| 4 | Safari Rally (5–7 July) | 1 | Baldev Chager | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | 2:44:50.0 | 14 | 262.93 km | 48 | 29 |
| 4 | Safari Rally (5–7 July) | 2 | Carl Tundo | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | 2:45:23.6 | 14 | 262.93 km | 48 | 29 |
| 4 | Safari Rally (5–7 July) | 3 | Manvir Singh Baryan | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:56:23.8 | 14 | 262.93 km | 48 | 29 |
| 5 | Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally (2–4 August) | 1 | Manvir Singh Baryan | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:02:30.1 | 10 | 210.98 km | 45 | 20 |
| 5 | Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally (2–4 August) | 2 | Yasin Nasser | Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4 D | 2:16:07.8 | 10 | 210.98 km | 45 | 20 |
| 5 | Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally (2–4 August) | 3 | Arthur Blick | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | 2:16:11.7 | 10 | 210.98 km | 45 | 20 |
| 6 | Oryx Energies Rally of Tanzania (13–15 September) | 1 | Dharam Pandya | Subaru WRX STI | 2:29:00.8 | 10 | 201.60 km | 16 | 8 |
| 6 | Oryx Energies Rally of Tanzania (13–15 September) | 2 | Tufail Tufail | Subaru Impreza GC8 | 2:35:19.3 | 10 | 201.60 km | 16 | 8 |
| 6 | Oryx Energies Rally of Tanzania (13–15 September) | 3 | Mandeep Singh Dhani | Subaru Impreza STi N10 | 2:37:40.2 | 10 | 201.60 km | 16 | 8 |
| 7 | Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally (4–6 October) | 1 | Jean-Claude Gakwaya | Subaru Impreza STi N11 | 1:35:09 | 9 | 138.76 km | 10 | 6 |
| 7 | Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally (4–6 October) | 2 | Jean-Jean Giesen | Toyota Celica | 1:45:24 | 9 | 138.76 km | 10 | 6 |
| 7 | Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally (4–6 October) | 3 | Christian Remezo | Toyota Celica | 1:52:00 | 9 | 138.76 km | 10 | 6 |

## Championship standings

The 2019 African Rally Championship points are as follows:
| Pos. | Driver | Vehicle | BAN | RSA | ZAM | SAF | PoA | TAN | RMG | Total |
| 1 | Manvir Singh Baryan | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | | | 201 |
| 2 | Leeroy Gomes | Ford Fiesta R5 | | 4 | 2 | 4 | | | | 88 |
| 3 | Baldev Chager | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | | | 6 | 1 | | | | 56 |
| 4 | Hergen Fekken | Toyota Etios R4 | | 1 | | | | | | 50 |
| 4 | Carl Tundo | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | | | 5 | 2 | | | | 50 |
| 6 | Cyril Bottari | Subaru Impreza STi N12B | 2 | | | | | | | 36 |
| 7 | Onkar Rai | Škoda Fabia R5 | | | 3 | Ret | | | | 30 |
| 8 | Dharam Pandya | Subaru WRX STI | | | Ret | | | 1 | | 25 |
| 9 | Yasin Nasser | Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4 D | | | | 8 | 2 | | | 24 |
| 9 | Ismail Shermohammed | Toyota Yaris S2000 | | 5 | | | | | | 24 |
| 9 | Muna Singh Jnr | Subaru Impreza STi N16 | | | 4 | | | | | 24 |
| 12 | Altaaf Munge | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | | | | | | 2 | | 18 |
| 13 | Christakis Fitidis | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | | | | 13 | 3 | | | 17 |
| 13 | Jassy Singh | Subaru Impreza STi N14 | | | | 5 | | | | 17 |
| 13 | Tejveer Rai | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | | | 9 | 7 | | | | 17 |
| 16 | Giancarlo Davite | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | | | | 6 | | | Ret | 16 |
| 17 | Kleevan Gomes | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | | | 7 | | | | | 14 |
| 18 | Abdul Katete | Subaru Impreza | | | | Ret | 4 | | | 12 |
| 18 | Siddarth Joshi | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | | | 8 | | | | | 12 |
| 20 | Duncan Mubiru | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4 D | | | | 9 | 5 | | | 10 |
| 20 | Minesh Rathod | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | | | | 10 | | | | 10 |
| 22 | Guy Botterill | Toyota Etios R2 Toyota Etios R4 | | 3 | 10 | | | | | 8 |
| 23 | Nzioka Waita | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX | | | | 11 | | | | 7 |
| 24 | Izhar Mirza | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | | | | 14 | | | | 6 |
| 25 | Jonathan Somen | Ford Escort Mk.II | | | | 12 | | | | 5 |
| 26 | Hardev Sira | Ford Escort Mk.I | | | | 15 | | | | 1 |
Key :
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Did not finish (Ret) |
| Black | Excluded (EX) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Withdrew entry from the event (WD) |