Portimao: Three drivers representing the UAE dominated the Rotax Max Grand Finals in Portugal from November 4-11.
Keanu Al Azhari crossed the line first in the Micro Max class, while Jamie Day and Theo Kekati finished second and fourth respectively in the Mini Max category.
Nine-year-old Al Azhari started from the front and took an early lead, but by the half-way mark he had dropped a couple of places. He kept his cool and fought back to the front where he stayed until the chequered flag.
After the race he was judged to have jumped the start and was handed a 10 second penalty which turned his victory into an 11th-place finish.
In the Mini Max category Jamie Day started from second but was engulfed by the pack, while Kekati made a superb start to reach fourth from seventh inside the first lap.
Kekati was soon in second and set about catching the leader as Day picked his way back to the front.
What followed was a four-way battle for first with the lead changing every lap.
In the end Frenchman Marcus Armand clung on to take victory, with Day tucked into his slipstream for second, ahead of Australian James Wharton and Kekati, with less than a second covering the top four as they crossed the line nose to tail.
The Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals is an annual event attracting karters from around the world aged eight to 50 — 360 drivers from 59 nations attended this year.
