The final round of the 2010/2011 DAMC Karting Championship took place at Dubai Kartdrome on Friday (18 March) and it delivered one of the best days of racing of the entire season. Clerk of the course Sean Stevens told drivers, at the end of the day’s racing, that it was one of the best race meetings he has officiated at. Racing was of the highest order and proved to be a fitting season finale.
Max Seniors: Knopjes takes title as Al Rawahi comes of age
Omani teenager Sanad Al Rawahi has proven to be the revelation of the past karting season and he ended the season at the Kartdrome in fine fashion by winning the heat, pre-final and final in the hotly contested Rotax Max class. He delivered a mature performance, never putting a foot wrong all day on his way to the triple victories.
Maurits Knopjes finished second on all three occasions, behind Rawahi, but did enough to be crowned the 2010/2011 DAMC Rotax Max champion. One got the impression that the Dubai based Dutchman had his eye on the bigger prize all day long and was content to play second fiddle with the knowledge that he would be taking home the big trophy that means the most.
Third in the championship title fight was Ali Al Najjar who showed that consistency and gritty determination can be rewarded.
Max Masters: Delight for Walsh and heartache for Fuller
Paul Walsh clinched the Max Masters – for drivers over 35 years of age – on the day as he got the better of closest challenger Andrew Fuller. Walsh scored two third places in the pre-final and final to win the “old timers” category” by a slim four points as Fuller, last year’s champion, struggled all day with sixth place and fourth place in the pre-final and final respectively.
On the day Arnaud Bouf proved unbeatable, taking all three wins in the process ahead of Paul Woodfield who scored a hat trick of second place finishes in the class.
DD2: Sheikh Nahyan wins his first karting title
The DAMC DD2 Class has grown over the past few years and this season Sheikh Khalid Al Nahyan has emerged as one of the strongest drivers in the category and winning his first title is a just reward for a hard fought season. After building a strong points lead during the earlier rounds, Sheikh Nahyan needed merely to finish to claim his first karting title. Two third places in the pre-final and final were enough to see him crowned 2010/2011 champion.
On the day there was no one to touch Mohammed Al Dhaheri who was in a dominant mood, taking commanding victories in the heat, pre-final, the final and notched up the fastest lap of the afternoon to make it a perfect day for the Emirati driver.
Ashraf Raza challenged bravely all afternoon but gear shifter problems hindered his progress and he was runner-up in the pre-final and final.
Max Juniors: Al Rawahi leaves it late to take the title
Reigning junior champion Piers Pakenham-Walsh needed to win both Max Junior races to stand a chance of retaining the title. He did just that on the final day at the Kartdrome but Abdullah Al Rawahi did enough to win his first DAMC karting championship.
The young Omani, like his brother in the seniors class, has been the “find” of the year in the junior class and his first title a just reward for a hard fought season with Pakenham-Walsh who too has matured into a tough and fast campaigner. There was little to separate the two rivals all year and in the end Al Rawahi took the title by a mere two points.
Although the junior fields tended to be small this year, the quality was evident and the likes of Ameer Hassan, Patrick Hannah, Nikita Miliakov and Cyrus Engineer all run within half a second of the pace setters.
Cadet Class: Bale claims fourth title
Tom Bale absolutely dominated the Cadet Class to take the 2010/2011 DAMC title. The diminutive schoolboy has now racked up four karting titles and this year won eleven out of eleven races on route to the championship.
On the final day he won all three races to stamp his authority on the category.
His closest challenger was Taymour Kermanshahehi who finished second in both races on the final day and also runner-up in the final championship standings ahead of Finn Healy whose consistency saw him take third place for the year.
2010/2011 DAMC Karting Championship (top three in each class)
DAMC Cadet Class
1. Thomas Bale
2. Taymour Kermanshahchi
3. Finn Healy
DAMC Max Juniors
1. Abdullah Al Rawahi
2. Piers Pakenham-Walsh
3. Ameer Hassan
DAMC DD2 Class
1. Sheikh Khalid Al Nehayan
2. Patrick Jarjour
3. Mohammed Hamad Al Dhaheri
DAMC Max Seniors
1. Maurits Knopjes
2. Sanad Al Rawahi
3. Ali Al Najjar
DAMC Max Masters
1. Paul Walsh
2. Andrew Fuller
3. Perry Marcel Spruit |
