Hyderabad's Jeet Jhabakh Crowned 2026 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Champion in Debut Season

Key facts

• Hyderabad racer Jeet Jhabakh won the 2026 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in his debut international season, finishing with 73 championship points, 35 points clear of the second-placed competitor, without a single retirement.
• Partnering co-driver Musa Sherif, Jhabakh became the first driver in the championship's 38-year history to win the overall title in a two-wheel-drive car, and the duo became the first all-Indian driver-co-driver pairing to win the continental championship.
• Musa Sherif also secured the 2026 APRC co-drivers' championship.
• Jhabakh's season included a category second place at the Otago Rally in New Zealand, second place overall at the South India Rally in Chennai, and first place overall at the Rally of Indonesia (Danau Toba).
• Jhabakh also won the 2026 FIA APRC4 Championship, competing in a Ford Fiesta Rally4 during overseas rounds and a Hyundai i20 N Line during the Indian round.
• Before rallying, Jhabakh was a two-time Indian national circuit racing champion, winning the Volkswagen Vento Cup in 2016 and the Volkswagen Ameo Cup in 2019, and transitioned to rallying in 2024 with a runner-up finish in INRC3.