25 September 2015
With the proud support of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the UAE Rotax Invitational 2015 took place for the 3rd year running at Al Ain Raceway International Karting Circuit on Friday 25th September.
This annual curtain-raiser to the UAE National Karting Championship saw a record attendance in excess of 60 drivers competing in the various age-classes as they look to fine-tune their packages ahead of Round 1 of the UAE Rotax MAX Challenge on 9th October.
The fast, flowing layout of Al Ain Raceway's "Grand Finals" circuit once again provided an awesome spectacle and threw up some outstanding results for Arabic drivers, providing a real reason for optimism for this racing campaign.
With some brand new drivers joining the fold of last season's crop of racers, the 8-11 year-old Micro MAX category entertained in each session. The Final saw a first-corner squabble which compromised the results of a few of the pre-race favourites but saw Omani racer Mohammed Al Habsi emerge as the race leader. Abu Dhabi Racing protege, Ali Al Shamsi, closed him down relentlessly and exerted real pressure on the final lap but Mohammed was able to hang on by a scarcely-believable 0.06 second! Behind them, Finn Farrell-Morton earned his first-ever podium finish by crossing the line ahead of Kuwaiti driver, Fahad Al Khaled, and two impressive debutants - Luis Velasco and Archie Sampson. All four drivers were separated by just 0.6 second!
The Mini MAX class (10-13 years) kept the crowd on their feet throughout the day with some sensationally close racing. Any one of nine competitors showed the necessary speed to take the victory but it was Shihab Al Habsi keeping it in the family with a famous win for the Scuderia Team. Jamie Day narrowly held off Lachlan Robinson for 2nd place while Hamda Al Qubaisi continued her impressive end to last season with a confident drive through to 4th place for her Abu Dhabi Racing Team.
With 16 competitors, the Junior MAX class was the largest of the day. Reigning Champion, Taymour Kermanshahchi, endured a difficult start to proceedings when he was forced to retire from Qualifying with a technical problem. However, his experience paid off as he rose through the field in both the Pre-Final and Final to take the race win. Enzo Fontanella enjoyed a hugely impressive day, keeping Taymour within touching distance with a strong 2nd place finish, while Khalid Al Wahaibi managed to hold off teammate Lucas Petersson and claim the final podium spot.
Pasqual Pook was dominant in the MAX category, leading off from Pole Position in the Final to claim an emphatic victory. Behind him, a titanic battle ensued as Abu Dhabi Racing's Ahmed Al Khamisi tried to wrestle a podium position away from Sodi Middle East teammates Abigail Birch, Jan Richtermeier and Fraser Rose. As the race neared its conclusion, Ahmed began to drop away and would ultimately have to settle for 5th place but, just ahead, the racing was about to reach fever pitch. Abigail would manage to secure 2nd place after a composed final lap while Fraser moved to the dusty inside on the approach to the penultimate corner to defend his 3rd place. Undeterred, Jan kept his composure and was able to complete a feisty move by driving completely around the outside to take the place and, with it, his first ever podium finish.
The action-packed day was concluded in style by Emanuele Pagani in the premier DD2 (shifter) category. The Italian driver laid down a clear marker to his rivals with a clean sweep of wins and fastest laps. Hamad Al Wahaibi was also making his intentions clear with a tremendous drive to 2nd place overall which was an equally impressive 1st in the 31yr+ DD2 Master category. Only 0.9 second covered the next 4 drivers across the line as Patrick Jarjour held off Oliver George, Anthony Hogg and Kevin Day ahead of what promises to be an enthralling season.
With some great individual and team performances, the UAE Rotax Invitational 2015 has really whetted the appetite ahead of the eagerly-anticipated Championship opener - UAE Rotax MAX Challenge Round 1, which takes place at Al Ain Raceway on 9th October 2015.
