Dubai: The dust has hardly settled at Dubai Autodrome in the wake of last weekend’s Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai, but preparations are underway for the biggest karting event of the year across the road at the Kartdrome.

Drivers competing in this weekend’s UAE Rotax Max Challenge and SWS Sprint Series double-header will descend on the venue for two days of action.

The 2013-2014 UAE Rotax Max Challenge (RMC) is enjoying a bumper year with record numbers of drivers across all categories and the first two races of the new year — Rounds 7 and 8 overall — take place on Friday and Saturday.

The RMC features UAE championships for Max, Max Masters, DD2, DD2 Master, Junior Max, Mini Max, Micro Max and Bambino, with more than 80 drivers expected to be on the grid at the Kartdrome.

The top drivers in the series will qualify to compete in the Rotax Max World Finals at the end of the year.

Also on the bill are races counting to the global 2014 SWS Sprint Series, with 30 drivers on the grid for the SWS RX7 Sprint races and 14 drivers entered to contest the Junior LR4 races on Friday. The race day format for both categories includes practice and qualifying followed by two sprint races.

Both series count for points in the international Sodi-W-Series, where the top points scorers will progress to the Sodi-W-Series World Finals.

Kartdrome manager Ryan Trutch said: “We are always proud to host these double-headers at the Kartdrome as it brings together all the top young talent, who always deliver two days of superb racing. Al Ain Raceway have firmly established the Rotax Max Challenge as the premier karting series in the UAE and, along with our very own SWS Series, grassroots motorsport is thriving — all under the auspices of the ATCUAE.”

Practice on Friday starts at 10.30am, followed by qualifying at 11.15am and the first race at 12.40pm. The first of the five finals is due to get underway at 4.10pm, with a similar timetable taking place on Saturday. There will be a total of 19 races each day.

Entry for spectators is free throughout both days, offering easy access to viewing points, teams and drivers.