RIYADH: Yazan Hamadah clinched the title of the 1st round of Zain Castrol Karting Championship, organized by the Saudi Automobile Federation in collaboration with Creative Tracks, which was held on Wednesday on Zain Al Reem International Circuit in Riyadh for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
The primary goal of this tournament was the discovery of new talents in motorsport, which was achieved through the 1st round as three armature racers took the first three places and podium finishes.
More than 20 racers participated in this race. The initial qualification stages each of 20 laps took place earlier. The qualification stages were very tough and difficult but many talents emerged. Top 10 best drivers were selected at this stage to participate in the race.
Drivers were given 25 laps on board high performance 20 hp Sodi karts. From the very beginning of race, it was obvious that the competition was between the promising champion Yazan Hamadah and the emerging champion Suleiman Alsohail. The neck-to-neck struggle between both racers continued until the final laps where they switched positions many times. In the twentieth lap Hamada got full control of the race and proved himself as the first champion of the 1st round of this exciting tournament.
“It was the most difficult race I have ever been to through my local and international races, my competitor Alsohail was good and strong but through deep focus on the race I managed to win and get my first title in this tournament,” Hamadah said. Saleh Alsalei, secretary general of the Saudi Automobile Federation, and representatives of the sponsoring companies, crowned the first three winners.
The 2nd round of this tournament, which will also be held at Zain Al Reem International Circuit, will take place in the second week of February, which is expected to witness an increased number of 40 drivers participating.
A lot of motor-sport action is currently taking place in the Middle East enabled by the many racing circuit such as Bahrain Racing Circuit, Losail circuit in Doha, the Dubai Autodrome, the state-of-the-art Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, which marked the beginning of a new and professional motorsport era in the Middle East and Gulf region, and the young but very successful and action-packed Al Reem Circuit in Saudi Arabia. The Zain Reem international race circuit on Makkah Road in Riyadh, which is apparently managed by some of the most dedicated motor-sport enthusiasts and motor-sport experts in the Middle East region, played host to rounds of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge in the first week of January.
