Jess Arabian Ranches wins second ESKC Senior title at Dubai Kartdrome 19.03.2017: Swiss International Scientific School of Dubai sweeps ESKC Junior podium photo caption: ESKC Senior Champions Podium at

Swiss International Scientific School of Dubai sweeps ESKC Junior podium




photo caption:    ESKC Senior Champions Podium at Dubai Kartdrome



Championships were decided on the fourth and final round of the Emirates Schools Karting Championship (ESKC) on Saturday (18 March 2017) at Dubai Kartdrome.




ESKC Senior Championship and Nomad Cup



On the morning of the last race of the season, Eliot Jones, Max Tryggvason, Harry Tryggvason and Sam Burtonwood of Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) Arabian Ranches had enough points to finish third on the ESKC Senior podium, but they didn’t want to settle for anything less than first. 



The defending champs won the final round and successfully defended their title, wrapping up the ESKC Senior Championship for a second season in a row.

photo caption 3:     Start of ESKC Senior final race at Dubai Kartdrome



JESS Arabian Ranches struggled early on as two other teams, Ghost Racing Team and Dubai English Speaking College (DESC) Team 7 both qualified higher on the grid.  Sameer Mohideen, Sayed Taifur, Samuel Garbutt, and Mateo Moussaoui of Ghost Racing started the day well, earning pole position with a blazing lap time of 1:10.992, the only team to dip below the 1.11 mark.



Fifteen student team karts launched into action for the final 90 minute endurance race, which included four mandatory pit stops for driver changes.  Precise teamwork and a bit of luck with rival penalties soon had JESS Arabian Ranches out in front and building a gap.



“Once we got our lead, we just kept pulling away, away, and away until victory,” said Max Tryggvason.



Eliot Jones drove the final stint for JESS Arabian Ranches, making sure there were no challenges to the lead.  Three laps before the end of the race he produced a stunning 1:10.037 lap time, the fastest of the day, and went on to take the chequered flag by 58.628 seconds over their nearest rival, Repton School.  Ghost Racing trailed in for third.



When the final championship points were tallied up for the four rounds of the 2016-2017 Season, JESS Arabian Ranches had secured a second ESKC Senior title on 169 points.  Matthew Elliot, Harrison Mitchell and Denis Bahar of Repton School claimed second place on 145 points, while Kyle Jensen, Jaden Taylor and Henry Jenkins and DESC Team 4 nabbed the final spot of the podium with 132 points.



On defending the ESKC Senior crown Harry Tryggvason of JESS Arabian Ranches said: “It’s a great feeling, love it and we hope to do it again.”



With two championship titles to its name, JESS Arabian Ranches is just getting started.  Sam Burtonwood said: “We have some plans with this same team to do a couple twelve hour races and twenty four hour races.”



In the Nomad category of ESKC Senior, with teams composed of kart racers of different schools, Ghost Racing Team started the day with two other teams, P1 Racing and VDR Racing, ahead of it in the championship standings. 



However, a sensational qualifying session and a respectable third place finish in the race elevated the team into first place in the championship with 123 points, successfully defending their Nomad Cup title from last season.



At 121 points Rashid Al Awadhi, Ethan Watt, Kyle Kumaran and Hugo Gid of P1 Racing were only two points down on the Nomad winners and took home second place trophies.  VDR Racing, with Jordy Van Dort, Albina Gabdrashtova and Goffredo Orlandi Contucci, secured third on 119 points.





photo caption:    ESKC Junior Champions Podium at Dubai Kartdrome




ESKC Junior Championship and Nomad Cup



At the end of the final Junior round, three different teams stood on the podium but only one school, Swiss International Scientific School of Dubai (SISD), claimed all of the honours. 



The Swiss school teams set the bar high and no other team could take up the challenge, with each of the SISD teams claiming a victory in all four races on the day.  Keanu Al Azhari and Adam Al Azhari of SISD Team 1 spearheaded their success, winning two races and securing the inaugural ESKC Junior Championship.



Early on it was SISD Team 3 who gained the advantage, with Enzo Al Azhari taking victory over his brother Keanu by 1.536 seconds.  SISD Team 1 retaliated in Race Two, with Adam Al Azhari getting a narrow 0.213 seconds win over Paul Seefeld of SISD Team 3.



SISD Team 2 got in the mix and Constantin Reisch powered across the finish line a full 20.287 seconds in front his nearest competitor, Paul Seefeld.  Race Four belonged to the eventual champs, SISD Team 1; Keanu Al Azhari atoned for his early setback, fighting for the lead and then holding on for victory, just 0.447 seconds ahead of Enzo Al Azhari of SISD Team 3.



After four rounds of championship points were calculated, Keanu Al Azhari and Adam Al Azhari of SISD Team 1 took home the ESKC Junior championship trophy with 162 points.   Enzo Al Azhari and Paul Seefeld of SISD Team 3 claimed second place on 152 points, while Constantin Reisch and Dara Stankova of SISD Team 2 secured third with 140 points.



Reisch didn’t get the win but he certainly confirmed that he is the quickest ESKC Junior on the grid, having clocked in the fastest lap in each of the four rounds.



In the Nomad category of ESKC Junior, Theo Gid and James Bernard of JT Racing amassed 105 total points and nabbed the championship by a single point over Kayne Cherian, Joshua McGregor, Vladik Dashkovsky and Elie Nassar of Dragsters DXB.  Horizon PP, with drivers Tom Bett, Daniel Buerk, Harry Ward and William Greaves were well adrift on 72 points, but it was enough to capture third.





- Lindsay Johnston, Total Communications Dubai - also photos