Kalle shines as Kenya’s Hamza thrills in Rally of Estonia
Kenyan rally driver Hamza Anwar, navigated by Kenya-born American Alex Kihurani, compete in the Rally Estonia in Tartu on July 21, 2023.
What you need to know:
- With championship leader William Creighton enduring a troubled weekend, the series will be decided at September’s EKO Acropolis Rally Greece where double points are on offer.
- Ahead of the weekend, there was a slim chance that Creighton could take home the title with one round to spare. However, a broken steering arm ruled the Irishman out of contention on Friday.
Defending world champion Finn Kalle Rovanpera won the World Rally Championship (WRC) Estonia Sunday to extend his lead on the table standings.
The Toyota Yaris Gazoo Racing Team driver opened a 55-point lead after easily winning the four-day event 52.7 seconds clear of second placed Thierry Neuville of Belgium in a Hyundai i20 Hybrid.
Kenyan youngster Hamza Anwar co-driven by Alex Kahurani finished 33rd overall and a commendable fifth in the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) in a Ford Fiesta Rally 3 to fly the national flag high once again at the highest level of competition.
Anwar entered five junior WRC rallies this season and has already done Sweden, Croatia, Portugal and Italy rallies. He concludes the season in Greece in September.
The 2022 Africa junior champion is sponsored by Kenya Airways and Safaricom as part of the talent development project of the WRC Safari Rally and the FIA.
McRae Kimathi and Mwangi Kioni competed in the same programme last year.
Rovanpera’s dominant success moved him another step closer to claiming back-to-back world titles, and it came hot on the heels of his second place finish in the WRC Safari Rally Kenya last month.
Hamza, who is eighth in the JWRC with 18 points, put behind his bad experience in the WRC Safari Rally where he retired from mechanical problems.
“The stages have blind crests where you really have to listen and trust the notes. There are technical sections but a completely different driving style to Safari. The speed is very high but also very technical in places. The car feels good and I am comfortable in the car,” said Anwar, son of celebrated driver Asad Anwar.
Anwar, 25, has maintained a 100 percent clean sheet of finishes after his debut in Sweden, Croatia, Portugal and Sardinia.
Meanwhile, the FIA Junior WRC title battle will be decided in Greece following the victory of part-timer Gregoire Munster in Estonia.
Munster from Luxembourg’ triumphed by just 8.1sec over Laurent Pellier of France after four intense days of competition on Estonia’s superfast gravel roads.
With championship leader William Creighton enduring a troubled weekend, the series will be decided at September’s EKO Acropolis Rally Greece where double points are on offer.
Ahead of the weekend, there was a slim chance that Creighton could take home the title with one round to spare. However, a broken steering arm ruled the Irishman out of contention on Friday.
