A look at the biggest stories in UAE motorsport as Amna Al Qubaisi makes history at the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Final in Portugal.
Young Amna Al Qubaisi makes karting history
Abu Dhabi schoolgirl Amna Al Qubaisi will make history this week as she becomes the first Team UAE female driver to take part in the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals, which is taking place in the Algarve holiday town of Portimao, in Portugal.
A Daman Speed Academy driver, Al Qubaisi is a member of a strong UAE contingent, which will take on Rotax MAX champions from more than 50 countries at the finals. Al Qubaisi received a wild card from the organisers in recognition of her efforts and success in the UAE Rotax MAX Challenge championship.
Nearly 290 drivers will be action in Portimao this week, competing for one of the most prestigious titles in international karting. The heats will be held between Tuesday and Friday, while the pre-finals and grand finals are scheduled for Saturday.
Last year, the UAE-based Sean Babington took the DD2 World championship title at the Grand Finals, but he is absent from the championships this year, unable to defend his title due to personal reasons. Luke Varley, the 2009 MAX World Champion and team manager at Abu Dhabi Racing’s Daman Speed Academy, has taken Babington’s place in the squad.
“It is an honour and privilege for our team to be part of the Rotax Grand Finals with such a strong line-up of drivers,” said Guy Sheffield, the Team UAE manager. “Our team gets stronger each year, and at this 16th edition of the event we are confident of an impressive showing by the drivers who will fly the UAE flag this weekend.”
Team UAE driver line-up:
Junior Max: Amna Al Qubaisi (Leading Junior MAX Emirati National)
Junior Max: Taymour Kermanshahchi (UAE Junior MAX Champion)
Max: Tom Bale (UAE MAX Champion)
Max: Patrick Hannah (UAE MAX Runner-Up)
DD2: Piers Pakenham-Walsh (UAE DD2 Champion)
DD2: Luke Varley 2009 MAX World Champion, Abu Dhabi Racing)
DD2 Master: Jonathan Mowatt (UAE DD2 Master Champion)
DD2 Master: Tony Hogg (UAE DD2 Master Runner-Up)
DD2 Master — Hussain Umid Ali (Oman DD2 Master Champion)
Al Mutawaa looking to finish on a high at Rally GB
Abu Dhabi Racing’s junior driver Mohammed Al Mutawaa is looking forward to the challenges of a “tricky” Wales Rally GB, the final stop of the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar this year, following a morale-boosting finish in Catalunya.
Al Mutawaa, 22, has climbed to No 7 in the Junior World Rally Championship standings after finishing fourth at the RallyRACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada, his best finish of the season. The 12 points from Catalunya have taken his tally to 28 and he is now only four points No6 Jean-Rene Perry and the Emirati has an opportunity to climb further in Wales.
“I’ve never taken part in Rally GB so I am studying the stages through video clips,” Al Mutawaa said. “I know that it will be tricky with muddy and slippery stages, but I hope I will be able to build a better idea of the conditions after recceing the stages.”
Thanks to Al Mutawaa, and co-driver Stephen McAuley, the UAE have also moved up the rankings in the Nation’s Cup with 15 points from Catalunya, the third-highest take from the penultimate stop on calendar. The UAE are No6 in the rankings now with 35 points, with Switzerland (42 points) and Finland (51 points) in their sights.
“I have gained a huge amount of experience this season,” said Al Mutawaa. “I have learnt a lot when it comes to the pace notes, which has really helped during the high speed events like Rally Poland and Rally Finland.
“I’m a little bit sad because the season is coming to an end and I would like to thank Sheikh Khalid bin Faisal Al Qassimi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Racing for this incredible opportunity. I am so grateful for his trust and continued support, it has been a dream come true.”
Ashkanani eyes a double with Al Nabooda Racing
Zaid Ashkanani, the 2013-14 Porsche GT3 Cup drivers’ championship winner, has set his sights on clinching both the individual and team honours for Al Nabooda Racing in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East this season, alongside teammate Jeffrey Schmidt.
Ashkanani finished runners-up last season behind Al Nabooda Racing’s Clemens Schmid, who has since moved on, and he is excited to be racing for a team that has dominated the championships, finishing runners-up last season after winning the team championship in the previous two seasons.
“I’m really excited to have joined Al Nabooda Racing, the best team in the Middle East,” Ashkanani said. “It’s another step forward in my career as a professional racing driver. I’ve had some good battles with them before and now I’m looking forward to racing with them.
“For the last two years I have always worked alone because I didn’t have a team mate for support, and to talk through the races. So it will be very helpful to have someone as experienced as Jeffrey with me this season.
“He worked with us as a coach last year and we talked a lot together. I can learn a lot from him because he’s really experienced in the Porsche GT3 Cup car.
“We’re both winners and we would both love to take the drivers’ title this season. But the main focus is on bringing the team title back to Al Nabooda Racing for the third time in four years and we’ll work together to achieve that.”
The 2015-16 Porsche GT3 Cup season gets underway in Bahrain on November 20-21 and then moves on to the Reem International Circuit in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, the Dubai Autodrome (two rounds) before returning to Bahrain for the last of the six race weekends on March 4-5.
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