Review of Team UAE at the 2019 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals in Naples

11 November 2019

Review of Team UAE at the 2019 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals in Naples

2019 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals, Circuito Internazionale di Napoli - 19 to 24 October

Report: Review of Team UAE at the 2019 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals in Naples

(Abu Dhabi, UAE. 4 November 2019) The 20th edition of the Rotax MAX Grand Finals took place during the last week of October at Circuito Internationale di Napoli, in Sarno, Italy.

Team UAE rewarded their 2018/19 Champions by granting them a ticket to the coveted event that many liken to the Olympics of Karting. Descending on the venue were the world's best Rotax MAX karting drivers, 360 of them from over 60 countries, to do battle over a week to determine the best of the best in Micro MAX, Mini MAX, Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2 and DD2 Masters.

What went down at Sarno - a track that has witnessed the likes of Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton during their junior years - during that week would fill volumes as every driver and his entourage would be severely tested, with joy and disappointment as emotional neighbours during the week of Qualifying Races, Pre-Finals and ultimately the Grand Final on Saturday, 26th October.

Accompanying the team was Guy Sheffield, Al Ain Raceway Club Director and on Team Manager duties in Naples, who

kept an eye on all drivers while on standby should any Team UAE drivers be required to visit the Stewards as the team representative.

Despite the busy week for Sheffield, he still found the time to monitor the Team UAE drivers and shared his thoughts in the aftermath of the event:

"Our outstanding performer was, without doubt, Senior MAX driver Lachlan 'Lochie' Robinson who was massively impressive all week. In previous years he might have lost his head when battling for the lead, but he never put a foot wrong this time out and to finish within a second of the eventual Champion after starting 15th is remarkable.

"He did an amazing job, he was sensational this week and credit to his mechanic Alex Hayward and the entire team who rallied around him and supported him throughout. Lochie delivered one of the best performances I have witnessed at the Grand Finals by a Team UAE driver. With the top 5 covered by under a second, this was one of the toughest and most high-quality races we have witnessed.

"Going into the Grand Finals we felt we had a good chance with our younger lads. Adam Al Azhari in the Micro MAX got off to a bad start and spent the week recovering. He drove spectacularly in the Pre Final, gaining 20 positions to finish 12^th and gave a gutsy performance in the Final to maintain that position.

"Harry Hannam was also a victim of too many incidents in the Mini MAX class and paid the price, having to come from too deep in the field in the Qualifying Races to deliver on his full potential. He too had a top-five finish in him but fate had other plans and after an incident-packed final he brought it home 30th.

"The Junior MAX category is a very tough one and we have always struggled to make it into any of the previous finals. Thus Georgie Zouein and Khaled Saab, both with international experience, had their work cut-out.

"Again our drivers were compromised by not hitting the sweet spot in Qualifying and thus playing catch up in the Heat races. Ultimately, Khaled failed to make it into the Final but Georgie showed incredible composure and skill in the Pre Final, making up 16 places to finish 5^th, a result that saw him qualify for the Grand Final against all odds.

"Unfortunately in the Final on Saturday, Georgie got caught up in a melee during the race and ended the day 34^th but, nonetheless, reaching the Final was an impressive achievement against a field of such quality.

"Also plagued by a below-par DD2 Qualifying performance was Jakob Robinson who was forced to play catch-up through a quality field that were doing him no favours. In the end, making the Final was too much of a tall order and Jakob bowed out of his 3^rd Grand Finals early than hoped. It was good to see him supporting the rest of the team with a smile on his face even after his disappointment.

"Kyle Kumaran got off to a slow but solid start, the Dubai based schoolboy getting stronger with every outing as he got familiar with a kart (Birel) he never raced with and on a track he had never visited.

"For a driver with only three years of karting under his belt he made a good impression to qualify through to the Final and finish 18th, despite going onto the grass on lap one as the field hurtled into Turn 1. He kept his head but rejoined at the wrong end of the field before making an impressive recovery. Again, in such high-profile company, this result has to go down as a success.

"The DD2 Masters (minimum age entry 31) was again a very tough battlefield with some of the finest drivers in action. Team UAE's veterans were always going to be up against the relative 'young guns' and as a result qualifying as one of the 36 drivers for the Final, from the 72 entries, was the goal for the trio.

"Neither Tony Hogg or Hussain Umid Ali had smooth Qualifying Races which did them no favours, while Umid Ali admitted lack of fitness and preparation hampered his week in Italy.

"Hogg got close but not close enough to make it into the Final, while Gianluca Elmosi was sorely missed when he was forced to withdraw from the Grand Finals after one day and return home to Abu Dhabi for personal reasons.

"As for the event it was slick and well organised across the board as Rotax and their team continue to maintain a high standard for international karting which has become the template for other series at the grassroots of the sport.

"All in all a good week with a number of solid performances, but one that really stood out – within a second of victory. It is important to return home proud of our participation at this level. But we must look forwards to maximising our preparation and opportunities for next year when our future UAE Champions will again have the privilege of representing the country on this grand stage.

"I would like to thank Rotax, and in particular Al Ain Raceway’s Board of Directors and Abu Dhabi Sports Council, among those who make this participation possible. Without these key bodies, Team UAE would not have the opportunity to compete and shine on the karting world stage, as we have done regularly over the past 15 years." concluded Sheffield.