Sports | Monday 31 October, 2016 5:50 am |

Hundreds of UAE students, teachers and parents converged at the Dubai Kartdrome on Saturday to register for the new season of the Emirates Schools Karting Championship (ESKC),with student drivers receiving a complimentary test drive on the outdoor circuit.

 

Back by popular demand, the ESKC returns to the UAE motorsport calendar for its second season.  The Dubai Kartdrome also announced official dates for 2016-2017 as well as new updates in the regulations to make the series accessible to more students.

 

The ESKC was founded in 2015 under the patronage of Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), Vice-President of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and Chairman of the Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs (ACTAC), with the intent of providing a platform for students across the Emirates to participate in competitive kart racing.  

 

The ATCUAE backed series aims to encourage students to adopt new skill sets which will help them later in life, while at the same time to enjoy the competitive fun of karting.  In the process of forming and operating a school team, students will learn important skills such as team work, strategy and organization.

 

Due to the popularity of season one, the ESKC has also garnered support from the FIA Grant Programme for the upcoming season.  This will be welcome news for participating students and parents as the entry fees for the championship rounds will now be half of the normal rate.

 

Another big update is the introduction of the ESKC Junior category, open to students from ages 7 to 12.  The ESKC Junior Championship will consist of four sprint rounds.

 

The ESKC Senior category for students 13-18 years old, will follow a similar format to season one which will include four endurance rounds.

 

After receiving feedback from the debut season, ESKC Race Director David Bright spent the summer months reviewing and improving the regulations to make the series even more exciting and welcoming for drivers of all skill levels.

 

“With the new regulation enhancements and the introduction of the ESKC Junior category, we are expecting more teams and closer racing for season two,” said Bright.

 

The new changes have already appealed to many students, and the Dubai Kartdrome counted 61 Senior class and 105 Junior class participants on Saturday.  So far there are 22 teams registered in the championship which will run from November until March.

 

Bright added, “I was totally overwhelmed by the magnitude of students and parents who turned up today.   It was encouraging to see so many kids, even as young as seven years old come out.   It confirms that implementing the Junior ESKC category was a good step forward in making this series a permanent fixture on UAE schools’ extracurricular calendar.”