Kenyan rally driver Hamza Anwar had to exit the iconic WRC Safari Rally Kenya following an incident involving a water splash during Saturday’s early morning speed tests in a disappointing turn of events.
The Rally Stars team’s chief mechanic, Adil Khan, confirmed that Hamza would not be able to rejoin the rally for Sunday’s final leg due to the unavailability of a spare engine to repair the damage.
The incident occurred when Hamza’s Ford Fiesta Rally3, prepared by M-Sport Poland, encountered excessive water at a river crossing, resulting in a hole in the engine. Adil stated, “Hamza is definitely out of the Safari because we do not have a spare engine to replace the damaged one. McRae (Kimathi) will definitely continue on Sunday after we have sorted out a steering issue.”
While Kimathi also faced steering problems and couldn’t complete the three-stage morning loop, he is set to rejoin the rally on Super Rally for tomorrow’s run.
Reflecting on the stages, Kimathi shared, “The first stage at Soysambu was good for us. We were taking it cautiously as we didn’t want to break a lot of things in the car. Unfortunately, we had issues on the second stage at Elementeita, where our steering rack broke. Our team is trying to ensure it doesn’t happen again tomorrow. It’s a small issue, and I am sure that it will be fixed well in time.”
Jeremiah Wahome, the sole remaining Rally Star driver, restarted the second loop for the Safaricom/KQ-sponsored team. Wahome commented, “The first loop was quite okay for me. We knew today’s stages would be quite tough, and our plan was just to gauge it as we go. Unfortunately, we saw a lot of rally cars on the side. It was a good loop, and Sleeping Warrior wasn’t too bad, although it was muddy due to overnight rains.”
In another water splash scare, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans experienced a brief cut-out of his GR Yaris Rally1 during the morning’s first stage, costing him a third place to Hyundai’s Lappi.
The car stalled momentarily and emitted steam from the engine after the water crossing, but Evans was able to get going again shortly after, albeit losing over 40 seconds. He later regained the third position after Lappi retired during the repeat run of the Soysambu test.
Saturday, known as the longest and most challenging leg of the rally, lived up to its reputation, particularly with the demanding opening Soysambu test.
As the event progresses, Sébastien Ogier continues to maintain his lead, holding a 28.5-second advantage over Kalle Rovanpera after 11 stages.
