ARC Pearl Rally junior winner Hamza Anwar happy with improvements

Kenya’s 2023 Junior WRC contender Hamza Anwar believes his current good form in rallying is a sign of better things to come.

The son to veteran Kenyan driver, Asad Anwar, won the junior category in the FIA Africa Rally Championship (ARC) Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally that culminated at the weekend in Jinja, incidentally on his maiden outing in the Ford Fiesta R5.

Hamza, nephew to Safari Rally legend Azar Anwar, savored an amazing start to the season in Uganda, where he finished third overall behind winner and compatriot Karan Patel (Skoda Fabia R5) and Uganda’s very own Jas Mangat (Hyundai i20 Rally2).

“It’s been a hot weekend and a difficult rally, surprisingly, I didn’t finish here in 2022. So, my aim was just to get the car to end and I’m very happy about my improvements and maturity. You know, I’m starting to finish rallies, which is a good sign,” Hamza said.

Asked about the upgrade from a Group N contraption to a Rally3 and eventually R5, which is a step below the WRC car, Hamza continued: “Definitely, it’s been a steep learning curve jumping out of the mentality of the Evolution X that I have been pushing forever so long. But amazing, I’m very thankful to my dad, of course for giving me the opportunity, also a big a big thank you to GoPro Safaricom, Africa Eco Services, Kenya Airways for all the support.”

Hamza is defending the ARC Junior title that he has held over the last two seasons.

Last year, fast-rising Hamza-christened “Problem Child” by Uganda fans, ran a full season of the Junior WRC and a partial campaign in WRC3.

“It’s a steep learning curve. The Rally2 world is very different, the braking, everything, so we were getting used to the car and I didn’t have a pre-event test that would help me a little bit, unfortunately, because it was a last minute decision to drive the Fiesta after GoPro confirmed their sponsorship,” added Hamza. 

And asked to explain what the podium finish in the season-opener means in an event that attracted over 30 entrants and in a car that he had never sat in before, Hamza expounded: “It means a lot, it's nice to come third and it just tells us we are almost there. What’s remaining is a little bit of polishing up, here and there and we are going to beat the big boys.  So, baby steps for now, I’m not going to rush myself. I’m going to familiarize myself with the car and God knows how long it will take for me to be up there.”