Al Ain: The 2013/14 UAE Rotax MAX Challenge has been flourishing, and each year the organisers are putting the best efforts to provide the karters an experience to cherish with.
With the previous season just ended, the Automobile and Touring Club (ATCUAE) in a meeting has already planned the calendar for the next edition.
The interesting aspect though is taking the series to Oman. The newly renovated circuit in the heart of Muscat will become the fifth venue to hold a round of the Rotax MAX Challenge, along with the popular Yas Marina and Al Forsan circuits in Abu Dhabi. The familiar tracks of Al Ain Raceway and Dubai Autodrome again make up the bulk of the season.
“This is a great opportunity for the drivers. This will give them another dimension and to try out a new circuit in a new country,” Guy Sheffield, General Manager of Al Ain Raceway told XPRESS.
Oman has done a good job and its great news for them. No one knew and they had to travel to Al Ain if they were to showcase their skills. Before that there were issues of getting the equipment from the border but this year the ATCUAE has come forward to sort those issues.
That meant Yas Marina Circuit where two races were hosted the previous year will have just one. “The calendar is really difficult. They have a busy calendar round the year with lot of events. So it was difficult,” he said.
But he noted the organisers were not looking at adding more GCC countries at the moment. “This is a UAE based series so we would be focusing on keeping it in the country. Oman is in the process of reviving their karting and we wanted to offer our best possible help and get them started.
“We also have some good drivers coming from Oman who were keen to race here since they did not have a circuit there. So it’s good for them as well.
Talking about the growth of the series he said: “The Rotax Challenge has been really successful and has grown. It’s been a lot of hardwork from everyone involved and A few years ago we had something like just 10 cars and today we have around 70 cars spread across many classes.
“This year we had record attendance of 67 cars in five classes. We have reached a stable level,” he said.
“We are in a great situation especvially by announcing our canlender so early in the ear. We just have finished our previous season. We are very satisfied and as series promotors it’s a big challenge so you are happy when its successful.
There has been not much presence in the junior circuits but that’s because the drivers have either moved to the senior level and with the max junior and micro max being introduced tey have more options to choose from.”
Even international drivers made their presence during the series which according to Sheffied is a big plus.
“We also have a good presence of international drivers which is very good for the Local drivers. They get to understand what to aspire for. Especially,” he added.
Al Ain Raceway Chairman Khaled Bin Shaiban said: “Motorsport in the UAE has flourished over the last five years, and karting in particular is going from strength to strength.
“Five years ago there were only 15 drivers racing in only eight races between Al Ain Raceway and Dubai. Now there are over 70 drivers competing over 12 rounds on five different circuits. We would like to welcome the Oman Automobile Association to our series and we are positive that they will host a first class event for us.”
Al Ain Raceway Managing Director, Antonio Kekati, added that “the Rotax MAX Challenge is a dominating presence in global karting, and the idea of a single-make engine in the UAE has allowed the sport to grow in this way.” He went on to praise the standard of driving, saying that the UAE now has drivers who are at “world class” level.
Sulieman Al Rawahi, speaking on behalf of the Oman Automobile Association, believes that the addition of the Oman Kart Track to the calendar will be of huge benefit to both the UAE and Oman. “We are neighbours, the UAE and Oman, and neighbours work together. Motorsport in Oman is very popular and now we are seeing more and more Omani drivers taking up karting. We are all on the same side and we feel very proud to have been included in the calendar for next season. To now have five circuits is a fantastic showcase for both countries.”
The 2013/14 Rotax MAX Challenge season begins on October 4 at Al Ain Raceway and concludes in the garden city on the April 12. The inaugural Oman race will be held on March 21 at the Oman Kart Track.
2013-14 calendar
October 4: Al Ain Raceway
October 25: Dubai Autodrome
October 26: Dubai Autodrome
November 22: Al Ain Raceway
December 13: Al Ain Raceway
December 14: Al Ain Raceway
January 17, 2014: Dubai Autodrome
January 18: Dubai Autodrome
February 7: Al Forsan International Sports Resort
February 28: Yas Marina Circuit
March 21: Oman Kart Track
April 11-12: Al Ain Raceway (one round spread over 2 days)
