One of the brightest young talents in UAE motorsport has made another entry into the record books by becoming the first Emirati girl to win the Rotax Max Challenge series, finishing at the top of the Senior Max category by a massive 173 points.
Amna Al Qubaisi, 16, confirmed her place in history at the Al Ain International Speedway last week, finishing second in the final round of the championship. The Abu Dhabi schoolgirl would have preferred to finish on top of the podium in the final race, but a three-cart incident on the first lap, as she started from fourth, dented her chances.
Still, the Daman Speed Academy driver finished with 1,071 points for the season, way ahead of her closest challenger, Jakob Robinson.
“It was a tough weekend,” said Amna, who has earned a ticket to November’s Grand World Finals of the Rotax Max Challenge in Portugal. “I started the final in fourth and then there was an incident with two other karts and I moved ahead to second and was always within the fastest times to the leader.
“I would have loved to win this last race but winning the championship feels awesome. It is great to be the first Emirati girl to win this championship and go to the World Finals in Portugal in November. I hope to do well there.
“I want to thank my team, Daman Speed Academy, Abu Dhabi Racing, my mechanic Tom and of course my parents for this wonderful title.”
Amna is the elder daughter of Khalid Al Qubaisi, the founder of Daman Speed Academy and managing director of Abu Dhabi Racing.
“It was really amazing to see at the end of the season a UAE champion, a girl champion,” said Al Qubaisi, who is a driver himself and competes in endurance racing. “We have to be proud of what we have done in these past few years developing these kids and having them race at a very high level.
“Today our other two drivers, Hamda [Junior category] and Ali Al Shamsi [Mini category], were in top form until mechanical issues ended their campaign. But that is the nature of racing. They will come back stronger the next season for sure.
“But now it is time to celebrate Amna’s title.”
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