Hamza Anwar places eighth in Italy Rally

Fast Rising Kenyan rally driver Hamza Anwar managed to pick four points from his third FIA Junior World Rally Championship (WRC) with an eight-place finish at the Rally Italia Sardegna on the weekend.

The only African incorporated in the five-series junior competition of the prestigious WRC event, Anwar, navigated by his long-time co-driver Adnan Din is currently placed eighth overall in his category.

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Anwar has picked 18 points in the last three rallies, four from the season-opening snow and ice of Rally Sweden where he placed fifth. In Croatia, home to some blisteringly-quick asphalt roads the Kenyan missed a podium finish by a spot and picked his highest score so far, ten points.

On the weekend in Italy, William Creighton tightened his hold on the FIA Junior WRC series lead by taking a dominant victory as the Kenyan came home eighth to take his total points tally to 18 ahead of his home leg, the Safari Rally.

While Anwar will be part of the 34-driver competition in Naivasha from 22 to 26 June, he will not score points for the junior category as the Safari is not part of the junior series.

The 24-year-old made his debut in Europe when he tackled his first ever snow rally in Sweden in January.

His WRC debut was, however, at Safari Rally in 2021, steering a Fiesta Rally3 to finish second in class but retired in the 2022 race won by Maxine Wahome with Jeremy Wahome coming in second while McRae Kimathi completed a Kenyan podium in the WRC3 category.

On the overall class standings, the Kenyan is ahead of Grégoire Munster, a Belgian rally driver driving with a license from Luxemburg who has only picked points in Sweden. Creighton’s triumph this weekend, the second of his campaign, means he continues to lead the championship with two rounds remaining in Estonia and Greece.