06 November 2017
Team UAE's youngest driver Keanu Al Azhari made the biggest impact during the first day of free practice for the Rotax MAX Challenge 2017 Grand Finals which takes place at the Kartdromo Internacional do Algarve from 5 to 11 November 2017.
After a morning session which allowed drivers to run in their engines and tweak setups, the afternoon session saw the early pace being set as well as benchmark times across the classes.
Dubai schoolboy Al Azhari, one of the youngest in the Micro MAX field of 36 drivers, impressed with his mature and controlled temperament, which when coupled to his smooth driving and speed was enough to see him emerge fastest on the day with a best time of 1:09.550, 0.160 of a second faster than his closest rival - the top 24 drivers covered by a second indicating how close the contest will be this week...
Keanu is the son of multiple UAE motorsport champion Karim Al Azhari who was on hand to watch his son in action. Needless to say his was one of the biggest smiles in the paddock at the end of the day.
The several of the other Team UAE drivers were in the top twenty of their respective classes, while the others used the opportunity to get acclimatised to the event, while dialing themselves in as there is still another day of practice to fine tune and become familiar with the challenging track.
Team UAE manager Guy Sheffield summed up day one of track action: "We were all very proud of Keanu, the youngest lad in our team made the biggest impression. He is also one of the youngest in a very competitive Micro MAX field."
"Our other drivers were out there trying to find the sweet spot and will use tomorrow (Tuesday) to further tweak their packages for qualifying. I am confident we will see a number of Team UAE drivers in the top ten when it matters."
Keanu Al Azhari in Portugal during the first practice day.
Keanu Al Azhari with father Karim Al Azhari
Background
Rotax MAX Challenge 2017 Grand Finals
Eleven drivers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are based in the seaside town of Portimao, in Portugal, for the Rotax MAX Grand Finals which takes place at the Kartdromo Inetrnacional do Algarve from 5 to 11 November 2017.
The team consists of the UAE's best Rotax MAX drivers from the 2016/2017 season, among them several champions, who will come up against the best drivers in the world in this series of karting.
The group join 360 drivers, from 60 nations, competing in this prestigious karting event to determine who will be this year's Rotax MAX world champions.
Team UAE consists of Emirati racer Amna Al Qubaisi in the MAX category, father and son Kevin and Jamie Day in the DD2 Masters and Mini MAX respectively, brothers Jakob and Lachlan Robinson in DD2 and Junior MAX, DD2 Masters Tony Hogg and Kyle Blockley, Lucas Petersson in DD2, Liam Crystal in Junior MAX, Theo Kekati in Mini MAX and Keanu Al Azhari, son of multiple UAE racing champion Karim Al Azhari, in the Micro MAX class.
Travelling with Team UAE is Omani DD2 driver Abdullah Al Rawahi as well as Bahraini champion Khaled Al Saei in the MAX Class.
The first Rotax MAX Grand Finals were held in 2000 in Puerto Rico and since then has become a regular fixture on the international karting calendar. Dubai based Sean Babington won the DD2 title in 2014 as part of Team UAE.
Useful links:
Official UAE Rotax Max Challenge Facebook Page for updates>>>
