10 October 2016
Round One of the UAE Rotax MAX Challenge saw challenging conditions and plenty of excitement in a rain-affected day on Friday.
In the MAX category Scuderia driver Jakob Robinson, looking to build on his dominant performance at the Rotax Invitational 2016 last week, faced strong competition from Pasqual Pook who had chosen to sit out last week's event. It was Pook who set the pace in the early Qualifying rounds, putting in a lap almost two tenths of a second faster than Robinson. Sodi Middle East driver Jan Richtermeier followed up last weekend's solid performance by putting his kart third on the grid. Action began from the outset of the Heat race when Pook's kart suffered a technical failure on the formation lap. This left Robinson, Richtermeier and Daman Speed Academy driver Amna Al Qubaisi to push for victory. The young Emirati driver enjoyed a great start, jumping straight into 3rd place behind the battling Robinson and Richtermeier. These three were inseparable throughout with Robinson managing to edge the win by just 0.1 second from Richtermeier. Al Qubaisi, less than 0.5 second behind Robinson at the chequered flag, was demoted to sixth following a 10 second bodywork penalty.
In starting from the back, Pook looked to be the man to watch in the Pre-Final, and so it proved as he scythed through the field to 4th place on Lap 1 from the back of the grid. On Lap 3 he passed both Al Qubaisi and Robinson and set off in pursuit of Richtermeier who had snatched the lead away from Robinson on the previous lap. Richtermeier was able to defend until lap 6 when the pressure told and Pook sneaked through into a lead he would never relinquish. Robinson opportunistically followed Pook past Richtermeier on the same lap and successfully held 2nd place to the flag. Al Qubaisi recovered well after her penalty but could not get past Andrew Hunt who finished in 4th.
A rain-affected Final saw the results turned on their heads after the race was abandoned on Lap 3 due to torrential rain. Pook, with plenty of wet experience from his racing in Europe, safely negotiated Turn 1 while Robinson and Richtermeier both fell to the back of the field after spins. Their recovery was cut short by the race stoppage which prevented them from adding significantly to their expected points hauls. While her major rivals tripped up, Al Qubaisi kept a cool head through the opening corners and finished the shortened race right on Pook's tail. In fact, Pook could have been in real trouble if the race had continued. Amidst the melee, Gianluca Elmosi calmly steered his kart to the third step on the podium while Daivik Vishu won the novice award for a fine effort in the challenging conditions, finishing just off the podium in 4th.
Taymour Kermanshahchi looks to be the benchmark in DD2 this season as a healthy number of competitors took to the track at Round 1. He set a blistering pace in Qualifying, 0.8 second faster than anyone else. It was a different story behind him, however, as 0.3 second covered the next 5 Masters drivers - Kyle Blockley narrowly heading Anthony Hogg, Kevin Day, Hussain Umid Ali and Sean Murphy on one-lap pace. Kermanshahchi controlled the Heat race with a measured drive that saw him finish 4 seconds clear of Blockley who, in contrast, was made to work extremely hard for his 2nd place ahead of Umid Ali and Day, with Hogg recovering from a poor first lap to beat Murphy and Jose Borges to 5th.
It was more of the same from Kermanshahchi in the Pre-Final as he drove serenely to a dominant win. Behind him, though, the intense battle in DD2 Masters whetted appetites for the season ahead. Umid Ali made a solid start, passing Day on Lap 1 and Blockley on Lap 3 to reach 2nd place - a position he refused to relinquish despite huge pressure. Day followed Blockley until Lap 6 when he was able to get his nose ahead, with Hogg seizing the opportunity to follow Day through and Blockley unable to make a counter move stick before the chequered flag fell.
Adverse weather robbed us of an opportunity to see these goliaths of the track compete in the Final. The Senior Officials prolonged their decision to discontinue the racing, but with darkness settling in and no end to the rain in sight, they reluctantly made the call to abandon. This was met with understanding and disappointment in equal measure from the drivers as no championship points would be awarded for the missed race. The podium would be determined by the results of the Pre Final which saw Kermanshahchi in 1st with Umid Ali 2nd and Day in 3rd. Umid Ali topped the DD2 Master podium with Day in 2nd and Hogg 3rd. Blockley was arguably the most disappointed as his strong performances resulted in no silverware on the day but he looks set to challenge team mate, Day, and the other Masters at every opportunity. He will undoubtedly look to make an impact at Rounds 2 and 3 at Al Forsan International Sports Resort next month.
It was outrageously close in Junior MAX Qualifying if you discount the scintillating performance of Scuderia's Lucas Petersson. Without him, the top 10 were covered by just 0.3 second. However, Petersson sent shock waves around the paddock a lap time of 57.29s - more than 0.4 second quicker than anyone else. That advantage did not translate to the racing, however, with the Heat race being won by Liam Crystal after an immense 4th lap which saw him jump 3 positions to take the lead and the eventual race win. Shihab Al Habsi fought through from the back to finish in 2nd place ahead of Lachlan Robinson and Petersson, the four being separated by 0.7 second.
Al Habsi made his mark on proceedings in the Pre-Final, seizing the lead on Lap 3 and heading home a train of inseparable karts. Petersson, great value for his part in a race-long battle with team mate, Lachlan Robinson, would cross the line in 2nd place with Robinson 3rd ahead of Crystal, Tai Zulberti and Connor Donovan. Unfortunately for Petersson, his 2nd place became 10th after a post-race 10 second penalty was applied for a bodywork infringement.
Unpredictability went up a notch as the heavens opened at the start of the Final. With many drivers inexperienced in such conditions, Zulberti emphatically announced his arrival at this year's championship with a master class of wet weather driving. With precision and finesse, Zulberti immaculately guided his kart through the nine lap Final, crossing the line with a huge winning margin of 27 seconds! Alex Connor impressed with his consistency on the way to a well-deserved 2nd place while Matteo Brisacq recovered from a poor first lap to finish 3rd, completing an impressive showing from the Energy Dubai Team. Eliot Jones beat Al Habsi to 4th place but was disappointed with a spin on Lap 8 while running a strong 3rd which put pay to his podium aspirations.
Mini MAX saw some of the closest and cleanest racing of the day with the younger racers giving each other deserved respect on track. Theo Kekati set the early pace, laying down the fastest lap in Qualifying, but it was Ziggy Kermanshahchi who sneaked the win in the Heat race. Kekati was back on top in an insanely close Pre-Final, finishing just 0.07 second ahead of Kermanshahchi with all-but-one of the racers involved in the fight at the line.
The Mini MAX Final wasn't as badly affected by the rain as the other classes, with only parts of the track being damp following a short downpour in the Micro MAX Final. Jamie Day started from the back of the grid due to a technical penalty picked up in the Pre-Final but made his experience count, making his way to the front in the first few laps. It was then a five-kart battle between Day, Kekati, Kermanshahchi, Nadim Khneisser and Khaled Saab. Kermanshahchi hit the front on lap 3 but saw Day steam past on Lap 4 and hold the advantage until Lap 7 when Kermanshahchi again moved ahead. One lap later, Kekati saw a chance to move past Day and took it, the squabble allowing Kermanshahchi to gain a few valuable kart lengths out front. Khneisser and Saab were also right in the mix and had a front-row seat as Day re-passed Kekati with a little over 1 lap to go. Kermanshahchi, benefitting from the exchanges behind him, had done enough to cruise to victory while Day turned his attention to defending 2nd place. With just a handful of corners to go and resisting the challenge from behind, Kekati managed to squeeze his nose alongside Day who found his corner speed compromised by his defensive trajectory. The two emerged side-by-side coming onto the back straight with Day's exit speed suffering and Khneisser taking advantage of this to move into third. Saab crossed the line right behind Day in 5th but saw Jakub Fitzsimmons leapfrog him on the classification after a bodywork infringement resulted in a 10 second penalty being applied. First blood to Kermanshahchi but this class has all the hallmarks of a season-long struggle for supremacy.
Finn Farrell-Morton is quickly establishing himself as the driver to beat in the Micro MAX category and drove superbly in a Final which had to be stopped and restarted after a heavy downpour. Having qualified fastest, Farrell-Morton took victories in both Heat and Pre-Final despite strong performances from Diaraf Keinde, Georgie Zouein, Oscar McElroy, Fahad Al Khaled and Keanu Al Azhari.
After the restart on a soaking wet track, Farrell-Morton took control as a number of lead contenders suffered spins after pushing the limits a little too far in treacherous conditions. Kuwaiti driver, Al Khaled, found himself in 2nd place by the end of Lap 3 by simply keeping his kart on track while Zouein, McElroy and Keinde all remained in contention despite mishaps at the restart.
Al Khaled's accuracy was rewarded on Lap 4 as he sailed past Farrell-Morton who gave way to the low-grip conditions, losing a handful of seconds as he pirouetted briefly off the track. Within a lap, the positions changed back again as Al Khaled this time lost control and, with it, the race lead as he rejoined in 2nd place. With no more mistakes from the front pair, Farrell-Morton eased to victory ahead of Al Khaled.
Meanwhile, Harry Hannam was putting in a terrific wet-weather performance. The novice driver belied his years and experience to move through the field, securing 3rd place on Lap 5 and holding it to the flag as he mixed patience with precision in front of a plethora of supporters and a jubilant father whose claims of a Formula 1 future now look well-placed.
Despite the tricky conditions, post-race smiles were unanimous as drivers recounted tales of bravery and daring to the assembled throngs.
The Bambinos got their first experience of driving in the rain when a very light shower hit their third Time Trial session. Daman Speed Academy driver, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, topped the first two Time Trials of the day which put him top of the overall points tally. Bertie Gibbons was a close 2nd after putting in solid performances in all three Time Trials while Emma Titica was pleased to share the 3rd place trophy with her brother, Lennard.
Al Forsan International Sports Resort plays host to the UAE Rotax MAX Challenge on 11th November 2016 as the series moves to the heart of the nation's capital for Round Two.
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