Issa Amwari has been promoted to Premier Class following a career-best season which saw him finish joint seventh with Ian Duncan on the 2019 KCB Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) drivers’ log.
Former KNRC Division 3 and S Class Drivers Champion Karan Patel returns to Premier with Coast Pekee lead driver Izhar Mirza being relegated to Division One.
Defending Group N Champion Jasmeet Chana has retained his place in the elite Premier Class which has the likes of Flash Tundo, champion Baldev Chager, Onkar Rai, Eric Bengi, Duncan and Manvir Baryan.
Champion Ammar “Bushy” Haq remains in Division 1 and so is his Mombasa Motor Club (MMC) stablemate Sohanjeet Singh Puee who retained the S Class Championship last season.
Youngster McRae Kimathi who posted a career best fifth on KCB Meru Rally has moved up from Division 3 to Division 1. Outgoing Division 3 Champion Geoff Mayes will now compete in Division 2 with the likes of Jonathan Somen, Raaji Bharij, Geoff Mayes, James Kirimi, Mombasa’s Naushad Kara Lota and Evans Kavisi among others. Kirimi, a former S Class Champion, savoured a career best fourth on his Meru turf last year navigated by Michael Gitobu.
Issa, one of the fastest rising black indigenous driver, was all smiles after promotion and this is what he has to say: “First we want to thank God for a fantastic year in 2019 and great results throughout the tough season. At the moment we are fully rebuilding our car and getting ready for this year (InshaAllah) nothing yet decided by our sponsors. Hopefully all will be well.
Last year we drove at 50% of our ability, hopefully this year we can go up to 70% and see what it will bring!! Premier Class will be a good challenge for us but we do not doubt our ability and skills to be contenders this year, after being out of rallying for more than four years and coming back and with times we were posting through out the year speak loud about our ability as a team!! This year being a WRC, it’ll be a big honor to do the event as a team!!! Bring on 2020!!! As usual we will be sitting with Job Njiru.
Winning Division Two was a first for the team to win a division or championship, we are looking forward to build on that going forward.”