Rashid Al Dhaheri to continue racing in Europe in 2018

The Emirati youngster will be part of the Tony Kart Racing Team and compete in multiple series.

Rashid Al Dhaheri sits on his Tony Kart Racing Team kart as mechanics work on it. Handout image

Rashid Al Dhaheri is to continue his karting development in Europe this year as he looks to build on an encouraging 2017 season.

The nine-year-old Emirati driver will race for the Tony Kart Racing Team in multiple championships and events.

Those include WSK, the Italian Championship and selected ROK Championship events, and also races in the UK and France.

He is due to begin testing with the team shortly as preparations for the racing action builds up.

In 2017 among a busy campaign he won twice in the ROK Cup series, and also finished on the podium in a number of races in the Italian karting championship.

Rashid's father Ali said in a news statement: "This is a fantastic development for Rashid and shows that Rashid’s dedication and hard work is paying off.

"Tony Kart is one of the biggest names in karting with great infrastructure and a track record of producing great drivers.

"It is a step up for our boy and it will be an honour for Rashid to race in their colours and representing the UAE on the international karting scene at the highest levels."

The Tony Kart Racing Team is also closely associated with the Ferrari Formula One team through their partnership with the Ferrari Drivers Academy (FDA) development programme.