When Sebastian Vettel stood with tears in his eyes and a Formula One championship to his name, much like the majority of his sport's most prominent drivers, he owed a lot to his earlier career in professional karting.
From Ayrton Senna to Lewis Hamilton, F1 is full of examples of where karting can lead. And with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix proving such a success, the pressure is on for the Emirates to produce an F1 driver of its own.
Those involved in developing the sport in this country will be buoyed then by the news that four UAE-based drivers have travelled to southern Italy to compete in this weekend's Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals - the largest professional karting event on the sport's calendar.
Mohammed al Dhaheri, the only Emirati of the quartet, raced his first kart in September of 2009. Fourteen months later he arrives at La Conca International Circuit as winner of the UAE Karting Championship. He won eight of the season's 10 races.
With 252 drivers from 61 countries making the trip, the competition will be stiff. Al Dhaheri, 23, who calls Al Ain Raceway home, says he would have it no other way. "Karting is a perfect stepping stone into GP2 or Formula Renault, so I want to race in Europe against the best in the world," he said. "Of course I want to win, but I have to be realistic. That is why I have set a more tangible target: I want to finish in the top 10."
Al Dhaheri's campaign starts with two days of free practice, before Friday's qualifying session. The 72 drivers in the premium class are then whittled down to 34 by way of three heats on Saturday. Sunday sees a pre-final session to determine grid positions before the main event.
"I want to make my country proud," al Dhaheri said.
He is joined by the UAE-based drivers Edward Jones, Maurits Knopjes and Arnaud Bouf.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
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