Al Daheri wins Cadet Championship in style
Nine-year-old Emirati comes from back of grid to seal honours
Abu Dhabi schoolboy, Rashid Al Daheri ended the 2016-17 UAE IAME Cadet Championship in style by dominating the final day of the season at RAK Track in Ras Al Khaimah at the weekend to claim his second title of the year after January’s Dubai ‘O’ Plate championship.
The nine-year-old Emirati claimed pole on a slippery track, posting a best time which was half a second quicker than the next best in the cadet class (8-12 years).
However, due to irregularities in his pace during the formation lap he was relegated to the last row of the grid. Despite this Al Daheri fought from behind to win the race by over four seconds.
He went onto win the pre-final and final with an eight second lead in both races to claim maximum points to seal the championship.
“I’m really happy to take this title home with me,” he said. “Winning the race and the championship at the same time is a very good feeling. Thanks to RAK Track for organising a great series, to my family, my sponsors and to my team for the support.”
Al Daheri’s team manager Fausto Ippoliti said: “It was not an easy race day for Rashid — he was among the youngest drivers in the field and he started on the slippery outside of the track, each time but he managed it well to take a deserved victory.
“The kart setup was tricky with the constantly changing weather conditions. I am glad we found the setup to match his driving style allowing him to showcase his skills and claim the victory. He stayed focused from lap one to the chequered flag and ended a great season of racing on a high.”
While the UAE season has now come to a close, Al Daheri will be racing in Europe again this year in various high-level junior championships. He will participate in 15 races over the next couple of weeks with Italian team BabyRace, with his next outing scheduled to be at the first round of the 2017 Italian Championship, at Lonato, on April 30.