MOTORSPORT – TEAM Bahrain are set to hit the track in the Mena Nations Cup Karting Championship 2024, taking place all this week until Saturday at Lusail Go Karting Circuit in Doha.
Nine of the kingdom’s most talented karters are amongst a field of over 150 drivers of various nationalities competing in the event.
They are representing 16 nations from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in various age groups, and will be battling it out in three events, including the Rotax MAX Challenge, the R390 Elite Sprint, and the R390 Elite Endurance.
The Rotax MAX Challenge will feature six categories, including the Micro MAX (ages eight-11), Mini MAX (10-13), Junior MAX (12-15), Senior Max (14+), DD2 (15+), and DD2 Masters (31+).
The R390 Sprint and R390 Endurance are open to karters aged 15 and above.
Flying the kingdom’s flag in the Micro MAX class is Tariq Soofi, while Shaikh Ahmed bin Saqer Al Khalifa is racing in the Mini MAX. Bahrain have a trio of talented youngsters in the Junior MAX division with Khaled Najjar, Rashed Helal, and Nasser Nass, while in the Senior MAX Rakan Alfayez and Musaad Albassam are competing.
Abdulla Sajjad is racing in the DD2 category, rounding out the roster in the Rotax MAX Challenge.
In the R390 Elite Sprint category, Rashid Almuammari is representing Bahrain, while in the R390 Elite Endurance, Helal and Almuammari make up the Bahrain One tandem.
The Bahrainis will be going up against talents from Algeria, Morocco, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Lebanon, Oman, Egypt, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Jordan, Iran, Mauritania, and Syria.
Following the draw of karts yesterday and other pre-event formalities, action gets underway today with practices, which continue until tomorrow. On Friday, qualifying and the heats will be held, setting the stage for the pre-finals and finals on Saturday.
This year’s MENA Nations Cup Karting Championship is being organised and hosted by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation. It is being held for the second consecutive year, and it follows the tremendous success of its inaugural edition in 2023.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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