Shahan Ali Mohsin wins in Asia Max Karting Championship Round 3

- Stages a superb recovery despite a tough start to the weekend including a major collision.

01 May 2016 (Elite Speedway, Malaysia): Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin brought glory to the nation by finishing first in Round 3 of the Asian Karting Championship held here today.

It was not an easy victory for the 11-year old, as he had to combat several odds including a major crash which left him with a sore neck and a damaged kart on Saturday. However, having gotten a chance to fight another day, the reigning India National Micro Max Karting Champion bounced back in heroic style to finish at the top of the podium at the end of Sunday.

“It was one of the most challenging weekends in my career – not only in terms of the race, but emotionally and physically as well and I am really glad our efforts paid off at the end”, commented an ecstatic Shahan.

It´s something that can compensate for every bit of hardship and the learning is immense from weekends like these when it is not all straightforward”, he added.

Shahan, driving for the Top Kart Asia team, showcased his intent for the weekend right from the outset, topping the timesheets in both practice sessions. He then went on to clinch pole position (#1) spot in qualifying, with the top five drivers covered by just four-tenths of a second in terms of lap times.

Two heat races, followed by pre-final and final was what remained of the weekend, but it wasn’t destined to be easy sailing for the Indian in a tight grid of drivers from Malaysia, Singpore, Thailand and China.

In the first heat race, Shahan was pushed off the circuit by a rival which lost him several places. Given the tight competition especially among the top five, he was unable to make much headway thereafter and had to settle for fourth place.

The second heat turned out to be much worse, as he was once again squeezed off by another over-aggressive rival. In a bid to recover, he was subsequently hit on his right rear corner, the impact dislodging his chain and resulting in an instant retirement from the race after just two laps.

A tough Sunday was ahead, with Shahan starting from the rear half of the grid for the pre-finals. An aggressive and tactful approach was required if he had to make requisite progress to get back to the front of the grid and stand a chance in the finals.

Nailing the rolling start perfectly, Shahan was a treat to watch as he scythed through the pack in early laps and eventually finished third in the pre-finals after a tough battle. Despite enduring some physical discomfort due to the crash the previous day, he was determined to see out the competition.

Tensions were running high as the green flag waved for the final time, signalling the start of the race – Shahan lost a position in the opening melee but managed to recover quickly and took the lead of the race on lap 7.

However, it was just a beginning of a race long battle with Amer Harris, and the spectators lost count of the number of times the duo exchanged positions.

Shahan though held his nerve and despite being second at the start of the final lap, managed to overhaul his rival and hold on to first place by just 0.097 seconds – less than a blink of an eye!

It was an incredible treat for all present. Shahan also posted the fastest lap in both pre-finals and the finals.  

Thanks to his performance in Round 3, Shahan now leads the overall Asia Max Championship in the Micro Max category.

In addition to his campaign in Asia, Shahan will continue to compete in the JK Tyre Rotax Max National Karting Championship in India, where he will defend his Micro Max Championship title.