Anwar wins rallying award of the year

Three-time Kenya National Rally champion Azar Anwar, was on Sunday named the Motor Sports Personality of the Year award.

The award comes just one season after the 54 year old veteran driver spent 2007 out of rallying for lack of sponsorship.

The OiLibya Petroleum company driver who was navigated by both Julius Ngigi and Imran Khan was honoured with the coveted title in a special awards gala hosted by the Kenya Motor Sports Foundation (KMSF) at the exclusive Karen Country Lodge.

Azar, who finished third in the KCB Kenya National Rally Championship behind Baldev Chager and Lee Rose, appealed more to the judges than his rivals mainly due to his persistence, class and steadiness to remain afloat despite driving an old Mitsubishi Evo6 car. The latest Mitsubishi Evo15 is already out in the market.

Anwar succeeds his fierce rival Chager, formerly of Triton, who won last season KNRC first time ever.

Anwar chalked up a total of 390 points in the championship battle. But what caught the attention of the judges is how he managed to keep the old car in the title hunt against modern machine.

“I am lost for words-really. It is amazing I must admit. It give me new inspiration and hunger to even win more and more,” Azar said.

Azar has also continued to nurture younger drivers in his Rally Training Programme together with veteran drivers and navigators.

Surprisingly, Charles Hinga- who is his student- won the Tanveer Alam Memorial Trophy for the most improved driver.

Hinga was on course to win the Championship but stumbled on the latter stages after setting the platform with the Safari rally diadem.

Alam polished rally drivers who was killed in a car crash. Anwar’ is, incidentally, the only driver in Kenya to clinch a combination of the KNRC and Group N titles three times.