Nigel Edwards
Nigel Edwards is the acting Clerk of the Course this week for the ROTAX MAX Grand Finals at the Al Ain Raceway here in the United Arab Emirates. Nigel hails from Nottingham, England where he is the COC at the P.F. International kart track. Of all his duties, Nigel is adamant that safety is, and always will be the number one priority.
One of the aspects that makes Nigel well suited to his job is that he has a very strong background in racing. He raced both karts and cars for 21 years and was the 1981 Middle East Kart Champion while running for the DAP team.
Excuse Me, Coming Through!
At first glance, the Al Ain Raceway appeared to be one that would provide many areas for passing opportunities. As action began in the heat races we were not disappointed as we were treated to some of the best on-track action ever seen at a Grand Final. While a poor finish for a driver in a heat race can me mentally soothed by saying, “I’ll get them in the next race,” there are no more chances for glory after the finals. As such, this is the time for showing how well one can move through the pack.
In the MAX class, a non-finish in the pre-final for the UK’s Ben Cooper put the talented driver to the back of the pack for the final. This was a tough blow to someone that was one of the pre-race favorites. However, Ben showed what he was made of in the final by charging from 34th all the way up to 10th! This was the biggest move of the day by anyone. Well-done Ben!
The Junior MAX class also saw a lot of passing. And top honors goes to a pair of teammates from Japan, Ryuya Fujie and Kazuki Hiramine. Fujie’s dramatic run from 17th on the grid took him all the way to second and a podium finish. Hiramine started further back in 27th but sliced his way through the competition all the way to 5th. It was an impressive performance by the two juniors. Could we see a win coming soon for Japan?
After completing only two laps in the pre-final, Slovenian DD2 driver Luk Jurkovic found himself starting 32nd in the final. In the finals Luk took advantage of every opportunity presented to him and, in the end, had moved all the way through the field to finish 12th. Honorable mention in the DD2 class goes to South Africa’s Kyle Lawrence who started 25th and moved up to Ninth at the finish. It is interesting to note that Kyle credits Luk for some of the passes he made. “Luk actually passed me early on. I just stayed on his bumper and when he went through a gap I just followed!” Perhaps the two should team up every race!
Perfect Score
Canadian Pier-Luc Ouellette never got a chance to pass anybody, and that’s perfectly fine with him. In the most dominating performance ever seen at the ROTAX MAX Grand Finals, the talented driver from Quebec was the fastest every time he took to the track. This is the first time anyone has been at the top of the results list from the first warm up to the end of the final.
The International Experience
Part of the fun of the Grand Finals is the cultural exchange between countries. At no other race are more countries represented, more languages spoken and more flags flown. For those that were making their first trip to the Grand Finals, this was an experience they will never forget. Just as in the Olympics, many friendships are made by people from different parts of the globe. At the end of the week it’s not uncommon to see competitors from different countries exchanging team t-shirts as they wish each other well and look forward to meeting again next year.