Nairobi — After enduring the grueling Kenya National Rally Championship category of the WRC Safari Rally in a credible 10th overall position, Issa Amwari aka "Admin" expects to start this weekend's Nanyuki round in fine form.
Amwari is optimistic the work his mechanics have carried out in his rally car after the energy-sapping Safari experience will pay dividends when the series lands inside the picturesque Laikipia County terrain.
"Its always a great pleasure rallying in Nanyuki where the organizers (Nanyuki Rally Group) put together great roads on scenic private ranch terrain," quipped Amwari, adding: "Nanyuki is always fun to drive, given its closed roads facet on private roads. We finished 6th there in 2019 and we will be aiming for a better performance."
Amwari will be piloting a MozzatBet Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 10 navigated by his longtime partner Job Njiru.
"It is always a good experience through tackling different conditions in every round. We had a good encounter with Naivasha Fesh Fesh sections with loose volcanic ash soil. Nanyuki will be a different ball game and as is the norm, we will drive sensibly fast, attack the smooth stretches and take it easy when conditions get tougher."
Amwari noted that his Nakuru based mechanics have also improved his car a lot and fine-tuned its settings to suit high altitude driving.
"High altitude stages present crews with a complex engineering challenge as they try to limit engine power loss caused by thinner air," he said, adding that his team are on top of the game.
He will be returning to Nanyuki for the first time since 2019 when he came sixth overall in the Evo 10 car he'll pilot on Saturday.
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Amwari kick-started his rallying career in 2010 behind the wheel of a Subaru hatchback and upgraded to an Evolution 9 in 2013 before racking up a career best fifth on Nakuru Rally 2014.
In 2016, Amwari acquired his current Evolution X machine and three years later went one better by chalking up another career best 4th on the Eldoret 2019 event .
Amwari entered seven events in 2019 and. finished four in the top 10 -ninth in Kilifi, 6th in Nanyuki and 8th in Nakuru.
"I think we will be strong also if things run smoothly in Nanyuki. We still have a lot of work to do in the run up to the event but our expectations for this event are definitely a lot higher than 2019 given the support we have received from our sponsors MozzatBet. We will employ a game plan after Friday's reconnaissance."
The KNRC6 Nanyuki Rally will start and end at Greystones which is also the venue for the Service Park and Rally Headquarters.
Scrutineering and reconnaissance shall take place on September 2 paving way from action on September 3.
Three stages (Mlima Hema, Ole-Naishu and Greystones) will be repeated twice for a total competitive mileage of 153.04km and liaison distance of 62.16km.
Clerk of the Course Bimal Patel says the designated spectator viewing point will be centered on Greystones. The repeat run of Greystones will indeed serve as the event's Power Stage where the fastest drivers will earn bonus points for the Championship.
