19 December 2019
(Al Ain, 8 December 2019) Al Ain Raceway hosted Round 4 of the UAE Rotax MAX Challenge 2019-20 on Friday and Saturday under the auspices of Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Emirates Motor Sport Federation. The weekend was packed with some of the most dramatic and intense racing from the country's top kart racers, with incidents aplenty and some great individual performances meaning that the crowds were treated to a thrilling spectacle while some of the results had to be decided off track with intervention from the Race Stewards.
JUNIOR MAX
Arguably the most competitive class in terms of the number of potential winners with extraordinary raw pace is Junior MAX. This category is also often the most contentious, and Round 4 was no exception with the field cautioned more than once by the Race Director for their over-exuberance.
Kamal Agha was in the ascendancy on Friday, completing a clean sweep by claiming the top times in Qualifying and Superpole and following that up with three solid victories in the Heats.
Keeping him honest were the likes of William Wade, Zak Scoular, Georgie Zouein, Keanu Al Azhari, Alexander Renner, Kayne Cherian and Anshul Gandhi - as usual a very tight and competitive field with little to separate them.
Unfortunately for Agha things changed dramatically in the Pre-Final after a faulty throttle cable on the final lap cost him a certain victory. His untimely retirement meant that Gandhi would inherit the win after a sterling drive through the field, leading home Wade, Renner, Al Azhari, Scoular, Cherian and Zouein although both Wade and Renner would subsequently be penalised for their part in several incidents.
After a dramatic Final full of action and incident, Wade and Renner crossed the finish line first and second but would be deprived of their respective podium spots after receiving further penalties. This paved the way for Agha, whose resilient drive from the back of the field under intense pressure from Zouein, was duly rewarded with the outright win. Al Azhari completed the podium with Scoular a close fourth.
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DD2 and DD2 MASTER
High-flying DD2 Championship leader Kyle Kumaran had proved virtually unbeatable in the early part of the season but a handful of his rivals were about to demonstrate that his pace and performance were within reach. Constantin Reisch was first to lay down the gauntlet by setting the fastest time in Qualifying, only for Kumaran to edge the Superpole contest by just 0.015 of a second which set the platform for a clean sweep of wins in the Heat races, although not without Reisch, Anthony Hogg, Marcus Marker and Nadim Khneisser all piling on pressure.
Hogg was particularly impressive as his 'Masters' status saw him mixing it with his younger counterparts while staying clear of main rival Dario Rubio, until a collision with Marker in the last Heat saw him lose ground in the points. Maurizio Colombo and visiting Latvian driver Emils Kerimovs were also extremely competitive and would feature strongly on Finals day.
After an outstanding Pre-Final where Kumaran struggled to hold off Khneisser, Reisch and Hogg [in that order], with half a second covering all four of them, the prospect of the 25km Final looked mouth-watering. And so it proved with high speed overtakes and fine margins once again on show. But Kumaran remained resolute despite the impressive Khneisser pulling alongside as they crossed the finish line, the eventual winning margin a mere 0.055 of a second with both Reisch and Hogg on their tails in third and fourth places.
It was a riveting Final for the DD2 Masters, with the dominant Hogg even hassling teenager Kumaran for the overall lead at one point, as he took a dominant class victory, crossing the line ahead of Rubio and Kerimovs.
It was a memorable and thrilling finale, only to be marred when four of the front-runners - Kumaran, Khneisser, Rubio and Kerimovs - were penalised after the race for technical infringements which were agonisingly beyond their control.
This handed Reisch maximum points with Marker promoted to third behind Hogg after starting from the back. Colombo inherited the runner up spot in DD2 Masters with visiting Turkish racer, Mehmet Yaman, third.
MAX
Khaled Saab had an impressive start to the weekend as he powered to victory in all three Senior MAX Heats after claiming top spot in a tight Superpole contest.
Championship leader Lachlan Robinson struggled to find the sweetspot despite topping the times in Qualifying while Theo Kekati had a forgettable first day after tangling with Robinson in Heat 1 and going off track in Heat 3, both of which compromised his points total. Mehrbod Shameli and Jacopo Mazza were both amongst the front-runners with Iya Seys also in contention after the action on day one.
An entertaining Pre-Final saw Saab continue to control proceedings with a lights-to-flag victory while Kekati enjoyed a much improved performance to take second with Shameli in close contention and Mazza a further three seconds adrift. Robinson's efforts were curtailed after a technical infringement saw him excluded from the results, leaving him with a mountain to climb in the Final.
The metronomic Saab led Kekati from the start of the 18 lap Final while Robinson scythed his way from the back of the grid to third place in the opening laps to tag onto the pair with Shameli in close pursuit and Mazza just about staying in touch. Saab's pace was relentless but Kekati was equal to it and the duo began to ease away as the race passed the halfway point.
With under 2 laps remaining Kekati pounced to take the lead with a surprised Saab slotting into 2nd place. Saab tried to return the favour exactly one lap later but was just a little too far back and, while narrowly avoiding contact with Kekati, compromised his own momentum which suddenly brought Robinson and Shameli into play with half a lap remaining.
In a dramatic few corners Robinson pushed his way past Saab who lost more ground as Shameli followed through and, as the trio headed into the final turn, a lunge from Saab nudged Shameli wide and allowed Mazza to gain a place. Kekati completed a fine victory but Robinson and Saab were both penalised for their last lap exertions which promoted Mazza into second place and the relieved Shameli to third.
Speaking after the weekend of action-packed racing, Al Ain Raceway Championship Director Guy Sheffield said, "It was a challenging weekend for officials and drivers at Al Ain Raceway. As the Championship evolves it is clear the fields are getting closer with very little to separate the top drivers in all classes. More than one driver is capable of challenging for victory in any given class, and in some there are several contenders for top spot.
"Thus no surprise that the racing was super intense, very close and with that comes mistakes, penalties and inevitable controversy. We saw our fair share of that over the weekend but we also saw some amazing performances, particularly from our younger contingent with both Mini MAX and particularly Micro MAX treating us to some incredibly close and fair racing."
"While the 2019 leg of the UAE Rotax MAX Challenge is now over it was very pleasing to see the emergence of some new title challengers this weekend which will really spice things up as we head into the second half of the season. Drivers now have 7 weeks to prepare for Round 5 which marks the start of the Championship run-in and there is still plenty of work ahead for drivers to either consolidate or catch up."
Round 5 of the UAE Rotax MAX Championship takes place at Yas Marina Circuit, venue of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, on 24 and 25 January, 2020.
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