FRIDAY PRE-FINALS
T
eam UAE’s young drivers - Keanu Al
Azhari and Jamie Day - continued their
impressive performances on Friday to
claim front row starts for the Finals of their
respective classes, with Kyle Blockley and
Abdullah Al Rawahi making it through to the
Finals of their respective classes.
Al Azhari has been one of the pace
setters in the Micro MAX class all week in
Portugal. In the Pre-Final he was again at
the head of a very competitive field of young
drivers from around the globe. He made
a typically strong start and took command
of the race early on with local hero Adrian
Malheiro following in his slipstream.
The pair proceeded to pull away from
their pursuers as they extended the gap
with every lap. Late in the race Malheiro
managed to get by Al Azhari, who simply
tucked in behind the Portuguese driver as
they crossed the finish line nose to tail, the
pair would start the Final on Saturday from
the best pace on the grid - the front row.
Al Azhari, son of multiple UAE motor
racing champion Karim Al Azhari, was
the revelation of this edition of the Grand
Finals. He made his way through the UAE
based junior rental kart series and made
his mark on the UAE Rotax MAX national
championship in the past year. Now the
diminutive Dubai schoolboy has maximised
his foray onto the world stage.
Day was also at the forefront of the
tightly fought Mini MAX class, the UAE
champion emerging as the driver to beat in
the field of 36 youngsters contesting for the
biggest prize in Rotax MAX karting.