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 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 the
Ivory Coast. 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 the Ivory Coast was left off the 2024 calendar due to 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 participation. ==Events==