Reichard Wins First Ever Middle East Karting Championship

press release

Austria’s Kevin Reichard has taken the honours for a well-deserved win at the third and final round of the Middle East Karting Cup in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to take the Championship title.

It was a comfortable victory for the 17-year-old Intrepid Force Rotax driver at the Ghibli Raceway, after he clocked the best time in qualifying before winning both heat races and cruising to victory in the pre-final and final.

The young pilot from Vienna made it a clean sweep of the newly introduced series, sealing the title by securing the opening round in December in Egypt, then the second event in Dubai in February and finally the championship decider last weekend. For the IFR driver, it was a great opportunity to compete outside of Europe once again and a most satisfying experience having the results he did.

“It was a pleasure for me to have raced in the UAE and I really enjoyed the entire experience. The events were fantastic with a lot of effort put into the series by the organisers to make it quite professional. They had very impressive driver parades with lots of beautiful girls, welcome parties where they invited the biggest stars from the UAE, plus a gala dinner and amazing press conferences afterwards.

At the second round of the series, the son of the Prince of Dubai was my biggest competitor on his home circuit at the Autodrome, where I managed to set the new track record in Senior Max and won both finals. I’d love to return next year to defend my title, but I am unsure as yet if I’ll have the time because I will focus on Formula Renault 2.0.

The weather was fantastic during every event, so we could do a lot of testing with the Intrepid chassis’ which was the main reason for going to the Middle East. Being able to better prepare for the Euro Challenge in winter was a bonus, but of course, I never expected to win all the finals as I did. My goal was just to stay fit and do as much testing as possible, so it’s nice to win a championship like this.

At this stage, I really have to thank my mechanic Steve Chapman who is excellent. We first worked together last year at the Rotax Grand Finals and came 5th, so this is our second successful event. I also want to thank my dad who supports me and gave me the opportunity to make my way in Motorsport. Last but not least, I need to thank my coach Michael, who is with me at every race to assist, as he’s an experienced and amazing driver himself.”

The MEKC prizes include an invitation to Abu Dhabi for a special presentation and press conference promoting the championship in early May. There’s also an automatic entry for the Bridgestone Kart Cup Final in Lonato, Italy next October.

Reichard will now rejoin the Salzburg-based IFR Team in preparation for the second round of the European Rotax Championship to be held in Germany at the end of May.

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