Podium finish for Dhaheri in WSK series championship

abu dhabi: Young Emirati karting star Rashid Al Dhaheri continued a strong season with podium finish, as he ascended the steps to be rewarded with second place in a tough competition at South Garda Karting.

The race forms part of the WSK Super Master Series (SMS) and part of Rashid’s defence of the world-class karting title he won last season.

There was record participation of 362 drivers representing 47 different countries all across the four categories at the South Garda racing weekend from Feb.20-23.

Rashid raced in the Mini category flying Parolin colours, in the Qualifying heats Rashid finished fifth, then in the Eliminatory heats Rashid came in first place three times out of five. The young champion finished third in Prefinal A, following a close-run battle where he was in the lead for most of the race and just got pipped on the last lap.

The starting grid for the final placed Rashid on the third row, giving the youngster a significant task to overcome to make a mark.

Once more, Rashid demonstrated his fighting spirit as he achieved a considerable feat.

By the start of the first lap Rashid quickly made his move to third place and by the end of the first lap he had already advanced to first position.

The youngster held firm ahead for the first four laps, then was overtaken on lap five. The battle was on. Rashid was in hot pursuit throughout the race and kept the pack chasing behind him at bay. Considering the challenges in qualifiers and he ats, rash id had quite remarkably made the best of his starting position and was even challenging for first throughout the final.

By the closing laps he was pushing hard and defended his second position well, all the while pushing the front.

Crossing the line in second, it was a job well done, as Rashid achieved a podium finish to keep himself in play for the defence of hiswsksu per master series title.

Interviewed after the final, Rashid said: “To race out here on the South Garda track in a world-class competition is an excellent challenge to cope with and the tough race demonstrates the high-performance level of this championship.”