DUBAI: FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem says the new FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup, which gets underway today, is reducing financial and technological barriers associated with karting to increase accessibility and widen global participation. The highly anticipated World Cup event makes its debut on Nov. 14 with junior and senior categories of emerging drivers taking to Asia’s largest karting venue at the LYL International Circuit in Malaysia. The three-day competition in Kuala Lumpur has brought together 107 drivers from 50 nationalities worldwide to compete in identical, standardized karts provided by OTK Group. The line-up includes 15 girls, the largest number ever to enter an FIA Karting competition. Two drivers from the UAE are competing in the milestone event: Aaryan Singh in the Junior category and Zain Elhommosany, fresh from his recent victory at the MENA Karting Championship Nations Cup in Qatar, in the Senior section. Driver development is a core focus of the competition, with FIA workshops having taken place prior to the start of racing centering on driver safety, nutrition, anti-doping, media training and increasing knowledge of the FIA International Karting Ranking system. These workshops ensure drivers have the opportunity to develop both on and off the track.