05 December 2019
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(Al Ain, 4 December 2019) It is only fitting that in the aftermath of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last Sunday, the next motor racing event in the United Arab Emirates is Round 4 of the UAE Rotax MAX Challenge at Al Ain Raceway run under the auspices of Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
The pinnacle of the sport makes way to UAE's premier karting series on back-to-back weekends in the wake of UAE National Day.
Over the years, the UAE Rotax MAX Challenge series has helped produce the likes of Indycar driver Ed Jones, as well as Tom Bale, Rashid Al Dhaheri, Jamie Day, Alex Connor, Keanu Al Azhari and the Al Qubaisi sisters - all drivers that are excelling on the world stage and set to shine even brighter in years to come.
Round 4 takes place on the F1-configuration of the Al Ain Raceway karting complex and will feature 45 official sessions over the course of two days, including Qualifying, Heats, Pre-Finals and Finals for Micro MAX, Mini Max, Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2 and DD2 Masters.
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In the Micro MAX Class, Benjamin Wade is the kid to beat and leads the championship by 50 points, which increased thanks to victory in the Final last time out.
He is likely be chased hard by Adam Al Azhari and Seb Murray. Any of the trio are capable of winning on their day with plenty more potential coming from the likes of Oman-based Shivali Sinha.
Harry Hannam has been the standout driver in this year's Mini MAX class and will be hard to beat after finding a rich vein of form last month when he was simply unbeatable. Of his rivals, Bertie Gibbons is the most likely to challenge but will need to find an extra gear to come to terms with the championship leader.
This year's Junior MAX class is arguably the most competitive in the series with Georgie Zouein leading the standings after three rounds, but he has a posse of drivers eager and capable of making life difficult at the front.
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Last time out a mere second covered the top four as they streamed over the finish line, almost side-by-side. Among them Kamal Agha, Alexander Renner and Kayne Cherian.
The trio is likely to stalk Zouein all weekend, with the likes of Zack Scoular also in the mix after showing impressive pace at the previous race.
To make it even more unpredictable, throw into the mix Keanu Al Azhari - son of multiple UAE racing champion Karim Al Azhari - who will be back in action on home soil after campaigning in Europe. He will be looking to upset the form book on his return.
RMC Grand Finals hero Lachlan Robinson remains the benchmark in the Senior MAX class and will have a target on his back this weekend in Al Ain. In the wake of his stellar performance, in Naples, Robinson backed that up with shrewd driving to claim maximum points in the Final last time out.
It was the narrowest of victories, suggesting his rivals are starting to get the measure of the pacesetter. Reigning Junior MAX Champion Khaled Saab is finding his feet as a rookie in Senior MAX and ran Robinson desperately close last month in their memorable battle for the lead, with Theo Kekati also very much in the reckoning.
The three are expected to be at it again this time out and the stage is set for a riveting contest between the trio.
Kyle Kumaran has taken ownership of the DD2 class, dominating last time and leading the championship by 27 points coming into Round 4. It is a clear case of 'catch me if you can' as he taunts the likes of Constantin Reisch, Marcus Lee Marker and Nadim Khneisser who chased his dust during Round 3.
Notably, DD2 rookie Khnessier - who skipped MAX Senior - is improving with every outing but will need to dig deep to match Kumaran whose form is also upwardly mobile.
In the DD2 Master, veteran Anthony Hogg was made to work hard for his win last month as he fended off a concerted challenge from Dario Rubio and Gianluca Elmosi. Watch for the same gang slugging it out for top honours this weekend.
Speaking ahead of the weekend of action at Al Ain Raceway, Championship Director Guy Sheffield said, "We are using the F1-configuration which has two long straights, some flowing corners and a tricky, off-camber hairpin. Slipstreaming will be the name of the game as this particular circuit configuration will reward brains as much as brawn, but a good helping of both will be crucial for a good result.
"The end of this weekend marks the halfway point of this year's championship and the point standings are now revealing exactly who are the drivers to beat. At the same time, the challengers know what is expected of them if they are to join the top-of-the-table flight so we could be in for some fireworks."
Teams and drivers are expected to start testing at the venue on Thursday with Qualifying beginning at 09:35 on Friday. The first of three Heat races, per class, is scheduled to begin at 10:55. Track action is expected to go until 17:00.
Saturday begins with a Warm-up for all classes, followed by Pre-Finals before lunch. The first Final will start at 13:05 and ending around 18:00 after the Senior MAX Final.
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