Outgoing Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) Division Two champion 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 drivers log.

Former KNRC Division Three 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 Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo, champion Baldev Chager, Onkar Rai, Eric Bengi, Duncan and Manvir Baryan.

Champion Ammar “Bushy” Haq remains in Division One 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 Meru Rally, has moved up from Division Three to Division One. 

Outgoing Division Three champion Geoff Mayes will now compete in Division Two 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 drivers, was all smiles after promotion, saying: “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. Nothing yet decided by our sponsors.”

He added: “Hopefully all will be well. Last year, we drove at 50 per cent of our ability, hopefully this year we can go up to 70 per cent 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 after being out of rallying for more than four years and coming back and with times we were posting throughout the year speak loud about our ability.” 

                  -GIBO ZACHARY