Shot in the arm for Amwari as Mozzart Bet sponsors his WRC Safari bid

Premier Class driver Issa Amwari heads for the World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari a confident driver after landing sponsorship with leading gaming firm Mozzart Bet.

The WRC Safari is set to officially rev off on Thursday 23 June 2022 with the ceremonial start at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) Nairobi, before action moves to the Kasarani Super Special Stage.

Driving a Mitsubishi Lance Evo X and navigated by Job Njiru, Amwari is among the 34 drivers confirmed to participate in the 2022 edition of the prestigious Rally.

Speaking after the launch of the sponsorship at Parklands Sports Club on Thursday, Amwari relayed his gratitude to Mozzart Bet for fueling his dreams and giving him the platform to take part in the race dubbed the ultimate test of man and machine.

“I want to thank God for the opportunity we have gotten to work with Mozzart Bet. It is an amazing company and I could not have been more pleased to partner with them for the 2022 WRC Safari Rally and beyond. This sponsorship means everything to me.

This is a platform to showcase our talent as a team and as a country. They say in racing, to win, you must first finish and bring the car home. So, my target is to put my mind and focus in finishing first before looking at any other thing,” Amwari offered.

Mozzart Bet’s marketing manager Frank Okoth lauded the partnership while wishing the crew well.

“This is the first ever time we are sponsoring a rally driver. We are glad as Mozzart Bet to partner with Amwari. Our aim was to work with our local drivers as we discovered that most of them always have challenges when it comes to sponsorship. We have high hopes in Amwari and we hope that he will finish the race,” Okoth said.

He continued, “We have spent over Ksh 100 Million in various other CSR activities that include digging boreholes aroud various counties and also donating crucial medical equipment to hospitals especially at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are also the shirt sponsors of FKFPL giants Kakamega Homeboyz. Our commitment has always been in improving Kenyan communities and all our actions are aligned towards this."

This years’ shakedown returns to the 5.41km stretch in Ntulele. It will run on Wednesday 22 June from 10:01am. 

Action proper starts on Thursday 26 June 26 with the ceremonial flag off followed by the 4.84km Kasarani Super Special Stage (SSS). Drivers will go head- to-head at Kasarani in the stage that serves as the first competitive

Crews will then drive down to ‘Parc Ferme’ in Naivasha well in time for day two to four of action. The rally is set for Loldia, Kedong, Soysambu, Sleeping warrior, Elementatita and Hell’s Gate Power Stage.

The Soysambu route will be 12km longer than it usually is, making it a total of 29.32km. It will have one the biggest spectator stages and parking close to the highway allowing rally fans the chance to walk in and out safely without any inconvenience.

According to FIA regulations, the last stage of the day, the Wolfe Power stage, is where additional championship points are available to the fastest five crews through the stage regardless of where they actually finished in the rally.

Unlike the normal special stage, which is timing to tenths of a second, the timing of Power Stage is to the thousandth of a second.