RWANDA’s Olivier Costa has entered this weekend’s Zambia International Rally as he tries to move closer to a podium finish in the 2009 FIA African Rally Championship.

Costa, who will be navigated by Sylvia Vindevogel in a Subaru Impreza N11 series heads into the three-day event on the back of a fourth spot finish in the KCB Pearly of Africa Uganda rally back in May.

Uganda’s Riyaz Kurji was declared winner of the race to become the first posthumous winner of a round of the African Rally Championship (ARC) after he lost his life in a fatal accident.

It is however still unclear whether national champion Davite Giancarlo will compete.

The Zambia International Rally is the penultimate tier of this season’s five-event FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) series after the Kobil Rally of Tanzania, KCB Safari Rally Kenya and KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.

Going into the penultimate race of the season, Costa is fourth on 9.5 points while Zimbabwe’s Jammie Whyte with 24 points leads the continental chart.

Uganda’s Emmanuel Katto is second on 15 points, two more than Zambia’s Muna Singh in third position.

Besides usual suspects - Whyte, Singh, Katto, Costa and Zambia’s Mohammed Essa, other drivers expected to grace the three-day event include; Paul Monge, Ashish Patel, Ken Mukosa, Imran Ticklay, Joseph Felemenga, Jimmy Dons and Dani Beaini.

Ends