Rahali sets the pace at Mena Karting Championship

There was intense competition during the qualifying session for the Mena Karting Championship Nations Cup 2023 at the Lusail International Circuit’s karting track yesterday. Algeria’s Kamil Rahali topped the Senior Max (ages 14+) qualification in a time of 47.963 seconds, while Zian Elhommossany of Egypt was fastest in the Junior Max (ages 12-15) in a time of 48.548 seconds.
In the Mini Max (ages 10-13), United Arab Emirates’ Faris Haroun narrowly edged out compatriot Darek Rivera to top the qualifying. Morocco’s Nahil El Gahoudi set the pace in the Micro Max (ages eight-11) category.
The final races across all six categories starting with Micro Max (14 laps), Mini Max (15 laps), Junior Max (18 laps), Max (18 laps), DD2 and DD2 Masters (18 laps) will begin at 2.15pm today. The awards ceremony is slated to begin at 5:30pm.
As many as 165 drivers from 15 countries including hosts Qatar, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, and United Arab Emirates are taking part in the event. The Qatar team is represented by 23 drivers.
Executive Director of the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) Amro al-Hamad was pleased with the large turnout of the drivers. “The number of countries participating in this year’s edition of the championship is more than the previous edition, which was held in Oman. The QMMF has provided top class facilities to the countries participating in the event, whether in terms of registering contestants, or accommodation and transportation,” he said.
Al-Hamad said that the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Mena Karting Championship will also be held in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Fatima al-Qaidi, Director of Marketing and Communications at Lusail International Circuit, expressed her happiness with the distinctive atmosphere of the championship. She said: “We are proud of the presence of 23 Qatari contestants in a large tournament that includes contestants from different countries and therefore we consider it a good opportunity for our contestants to compete with different age groups in North Africa and the Middle East.”
The entrance to the racing extravaganza is free and open to the general public at the Lusail Karting Track, where limited seating is also available.
Spectators planning to commute to the venue using personal vehicles must park at General Admission Parking and utilize the free shuttle service to reach the karting track. Additionally, spectators can use the taxi service to be dropped off at the dedicated drop-off/pick-up point.