Morocco bag overall title at Mena Karting Championship

Morocco clinched the Mena Karting Championship Nations Cup at the Lusail International Circuit’s (LIC) karting track on Saturday, with hosts Qatar finishing a creditable third. The United Arab Emirates took the runner-up spot.
The three-day championship – organised by the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) – concluded on Saturday with 165 drivers from 15 countries testing each other’s driving skills in six different race categories and age groups, bringing together a diverse set of talent from the Mena region .
Morocco had two winners on the final day which helped them bag the overall title. Nahil El Gahoudi won in the Micro Max category (8-11 years), while Nodir Kabbage emerged triumphant in the DD2 Masters (31+ years). Qatar drivers made a clean sweep in the RD1 Elite Sprint with Khalid al-Maraghi winning comprehensively ahead of compatriots Ahmad Kakhroo and Omar Aswat. The biggest cheer of the day, though, was reserved for Palestine’s Tamem Mustafa, who finished third in the Micro Max category.
UAE had success in the two events with Faris Haroun winning the Mini Max (10-13 years) title ahead of countryman Derek Rivera, while Georges Nassar topped the Senior Max (14+ years) category, where Qatar’s Bader al-Sulaiti finished third.
The Junior Max (12-15 years) title was won by Zain ElHommossany of Egypt with Tameem Hassiba of Qatar finishing third. In the DD2 (15+ years), Matthias Njeim of Lebanon emerged victorious.
The podium winners were awarded trophies in a vibrant closing ceremony. Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Latif al-Mannai, President of QMMF and LIC, Amro al-Hamad, Executive Director of QMMF and CEO of LIC, along with Valerio Lachizi, Secretary-General for Sport at the FIA, presented the awards.
Al-Mannai said: “We are honoured to host exceptional talent from the Middle East and North Africa at LIC’s karting track. The Mena Karting Championship Nations Cup empowers drivers in the region and provides a stage for them to display their outstanding skills. I extend my gratitude to all participating countries and talented drivers. I would also like to thank FIA President Mohamed Ben Sulayem for his efforts to empower the youth and develop talent through this championship.”
FIA President Mohamed Ben Sulayem, who could not make it to the closing ceremony, lauded QMMF for organising the event and hoped to attend the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Mena Karting Championship, which will also be held in Qatar.
Sulayem said: “The fourth edition of the MENA Karting Championship Nations Cup has been a resounding success. A huge congratulations to Morocco for winning the Mena Nations Cup and to the rest of the winners and to all participants from across the region. It is wonderful to see this event, which I founded in 2020, continue to grow. Events like these are aligned with the FIA’s new Karting strategy and are essential to our goal of doubling motorsport participation worldwide. We must also thank QMMF, its President Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Latif al-Mannai and the CEO of the Lusail International Circuit Amro al-Hamad for their support and I look forward to attending next year.”

Results
The 2023 Nations Cup: 1. Morocco; 2. UAE; 3. Qatar
Micro Max category (8-11 years): 1. Nahil El Gahoudi (Morocco); 2. Atiqa Mir (UAE); 3. Tamem Mustafa (Palestine)
Mini Max (10-13 years): 1. Faris Haroun (UAE): 2; Derek Rivera (UAE); 3. Kamil Benchekrouni (Morocco)
Junior Max (12-15 years): 1. Zain ElHommossany (Egypt); 2. Sanad al-Hamawi (Jordan); Tameem Hassiba (Qatar)
Senior Max (14+ years: 1. Georges Nassar (UAE); 2. Kamil Rahali (Algeria); 3. Bader al-Sulaiti (Qatar)
DD2 (15+ years): 1. Matthias Njeim (Lebanon); 2. Christopher Njeim (Lebanon); 3. Abdullah al-Rawahi (Oman)
DD2 Masters (31+ years): 1. Nodir Kabbage (Morocco); 2. Roger Feghali (Lebanon): 3. Foesal al-Yafei (Qatar)
RD1 Elite Sprint: 1. Khalid al-Maraghi (Qatar); 2. Ahmad Kakhroo (Qatar); Omar Aswat (Qatar)