Dhaheri wins World Junior Karting C’ship in Italy

Young Emirati karting star Rashid Al Dhaheri continued his new racing season with a fantastic win at the prestigious World Series Karting Euro Series.

The victory adds to his impressive results this season, where Rashid has already won three of the four World Series Karting competitions in 2021 making him the boy to beat in the OK-Junior category.

Flying the Red-White-Black Parolin colours, Rashid (No 342) once more demonstrated his winning abilities as he rose to the challenge in a field of 80 drivers representing over 40 nationalities. The competition was fierce as OK-Junior category talent lined up at the opener of this important international karting event.

While the elimination heats were run in ideal conditions, pouring rain during the final stages of the race highlighted the driving skills of the finalists.

Rashid started the Pre-final from P8, steadily passed his rivals, and won, which placed him on the front row for the big final.

The 17-lap final opened, with Rashid setting off from the disadvantaged outside P2 position which pushed him back to P5 immediately after the start. But with steely determination and excellent driving skills on a wet track, Rashid fought hard to finish 1st, improving upon his own lap times on several occasions.

Throughout the thrilling laps, Rashid displayed great maturity in his driving style and raced with confidence under the rain with full control of his kart and the engine’s radiator system.

Lap upon lap, the No342 of the young Emirati steadily held the front position repeatedly beating his own lap times, with all sectors in “purple” showcasing fastest lap sectors and fastest laps throughout the final.

Rashid crossed the finish line with a comfortable gap of 5.611 seconds to his closest competitor.

After the UAE flag was hoisted and the National Anthem played during the podium ceremony, Rashid said, “There are many excellent memories on this track, especially my win last year in the Winter Cup, so I am delighted to win again on such an iconic track.

“This is a fantastic result and it is greatly due to the strong efforts and support of the entire team. We were able to complete a great rain set up, ready on time and also the engine helped me to have a strong foundation for me to work hard in achieving my best. I would like to thank the whole team for their great efforts.”

Marco Parolin, Parolin Motorsport Racing Team Principal, said: “We are extremely satisfied with Rashid’s performance this race. It was not easy for him as he had come back from a three-week break, but he immediately showed a strong pace in the dry conditions. Despite some contacts in the heats he managed to secure a good starting position for the Pre-final.

“With rainy conditions, he immediately found a great feeling with the package and maximised the results by winning both, the Pre-final and the final. This race was a great motivation boost for our next challenges.”

The World Series Karting Euro Series race took place on the innovative FIA approved 1,200 metres Lonato Karting Raceway, nicknamed the ‘Centre of the Karting Universe’ due to the many famous competitions it hosts.

Rashid is now leading the European Championship and will be back on track in two weeks in North Italy again.

WAM