FRED Clark, Harry Hannam and Gracie Rose Grantham won their respective categories following tight finishes in a thrilling fifth round of the 2019-2020 Bahrain Rotax Mojo Max Challenge (BRMMC), hosted by Bahrain International Karting Circuit along the 1.414km Commission Internationale de Karting track at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
Bahrain’s leading Rotax kart owners put on an exciting show with three of the five competitions decided by less than a second.
Fahad Alkhaled and Lewis Smith were the meeting’s other winners, winning their races in more comfortable fashion.
Fred won the Senior Max Masters class after a tense battle with Osama Azzouka. In the beginning, it was Osama on pole and he also enjoyed a slim advantage for much of their 15-lap final.
But on the very last lap, Osama conceded first place to Fred, who went on to claim the chequered flag in 14 minutes, 16.075 seconds, just 0.621 seconds ahead of Osama. Roberto Giannotti was third, 6.676s adrift.
Harry was the winner in the Mini Max class. He had a brilliant start in the nine-lap final, going from fifth on the grid to second on the very first lap. He then took the lead on lap three and stayed in front the rest of the way to win in 9:01.853.
It wasn’t a clear drive to the finish, however, as Harry had to stave off the challenge of pole-sitter Luca Kane Houghton.
Closest
Only 0.066s separated the pair in the end, making for the closest finish of the round. Tye Mejia finished third, 5.145s behind.
In the Micro Max category, Gracie emerged victorious, but not without a hard fight with Khalid Alnajjar.
The talented young pair were engaged in a see-saw battle over the last five laps of their nine-lap final.
Gracie was able to do enough to secure the chequered flag in 9:36.282, while Khalid was the runner-up, just 0.346s behind. Rashid Alkhalifa completed the podium, 4.992s back.
Fahad triumphed in the Senior Max category. He started from second on the grid and dropped to third on lap two, but was able to regain his place before taking over in front on lap eight after pole-sitter and early race leader Najashi Rashdan was forced to retire.
Fahad raced to victory in 13:56.320. Rashed Almuammari was second, 1.505s behind, and Mohammed Mattar third,BIC 3.639s from first place.
In the Junior Max class, winner Lewis gained the lead on lap two after starting from second place on the grid. He never looked back from there, cruising to a strong finish in the 15-lap final in 13:57.806.
Lewis was 6.423s ahead of runner-up Abdullah Aldossery while Fahad Almuqla was third, 16.285s off the pace.
Topping their respective championship standings are Fahad, Osama, Lewis, Shanthosh Kumar in the Mini Max class, and Gracie Rose.
Only two rounds remain in the BRMMC, which is being held under the umbrella of Bahrain Karting Sprint Championship.
The sixth and penultimate meeting is scheduled for March 7, while the season finale is set for April 4.
For more information on the BKSC, contact the BIKC on telephone +973-1745-1745, e-mail karting@bic.com.bh, or visit www.bahraingp.com or instagram.com/bahrain_karting.
Also, follow Bahrain International Circuit’s official social media accounts on Facebook (facebook.com/OfficialBahrainInternationalCircuit), Twitter (twitter.com/BAH_Int_Circuit), Instagram (instagram.com/bah_int_circuit) and YouTube (youtube.com/bahrainbic) for regular updates.