Hamza switches to WRC Three category in Safari Rally battle

Kenya’s youngster Hamza Anwar has switched to WRC Two and will not defend the WRC Three category, which he won last year when the Safari Rally starts tomorrow.

Anwar upgrade from Rally 3 to Rally2 and is overly excited that he’ll finally score his first WRC2 points on African soil.

The 26-year-old-Anwar, who ran a full season of Junior WRC in 2023 after clinching the African Rally Championship (ARC) Junior title said he's ready for big things this year.

And he’s putting his experience, which he gained while competing abroad in the initial stages of his career to drive against some of the most experienced drivers in the rally.

"We'll give our best here and ready to do well in the new category though we expect stiff opposition from those have similar ambitions and ready to upstage us," he told Standard Sports.

He’ll team up with Adnan Din in a Ford Fiesta and their joy is that their participation in the WRC Two Category will count towards the ARC points.

“We are happy to take part in the WRC Two category where we are determined to earn points towards the Africa Rally Championships,” said Anwar.

In his Junior WRC full campaign in 2023, Hamza took part in the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, Rally Estonia WRC, Rally Italia Sardegna, WRC Croatia Rally, and the all-snow WRC Rally  Sweden, an experience that inspired him to compete against some of the most experienced global drivers from different parts of the world.

Anwar said taking part in the WRC Safari Rally should provide him with the opportunity to improve his ratings in ARC and Kenya National Rally Championships.

“The plan for Safari is to attack the course but we also have to consider plans for ARC and perhaps the KNRC. It’s going to be an interesting one, with the big dogs coming to play, a big battle awaits,” he said.

“I have plans to upgrade to a Rally 2 car and I’m overly excited about it. I have been in Rally 3 for four years now, but it gets to a point in a career when you feel there is a need for fresh impetus, so I need an upgrade,” he had said before his ultimate decision to move upwards.

Reflecting on his 2025 Safari prospects, Anwar said: “You know the butterflies are still there, but we are preparing well, we are watching our own boards, going through notes from previous years, where there are a couple of changes and reversed stages in this rally of 2025. So, we are preparing as much as we can to put a maximum attack on Safari.”

He hopes to finish the rally.