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After setting the fastest time in qualifying practice, 16-year-old Danish driver Cato Poulsen went on to be crowned champion and earn the right to test a Dallara Formula 3 car in Valencia. Image Credit: Courtesy: Organiser

Dubai: Cato Poulsen of Denmark was crowned the new champion at the end of the 13th and final round of the Formula Gulf Championship held at Dubai Autodrome last weekend.

Heading a three-way battle for top honours, the win gave the Danish driver a total of 309 points leaving Omar Gazzaz of Saudi Arabia and Italian driver Giulio Peroni to tussle for second and third place. Gazzaz took the second place with a tally of 163 points, while his Italian opponent followed one point behind with 162.

As a result of his championship win, Poulsen has been invited by Campos Racing to test a Dallara Formula 3 car in Valencia and be trained on their GP2 simulator, while Gazzaz has been invited to be a VIP guest of Gulf Oil International at the 2016 24 Heures Du Mans to be held in June.

After setting the fastest time in qualifying practice at 1:23.126, 16-year-old Poulsen started Round 13 from pole position next to Campos Racing’s 17-year-old Gulhuseyn (Quka) Abdullayev, who is scheduled to have his first race in EuroFormula Open at Estoril next week.

GulfSport Racing’s competition driving school and single-seater championship has now coached 47 professional drivers from 21 countries in the UAE, and plans to expand its racing operations into the United Kingdom this summer.