UAE’s teenage karting star Omar Ghannoum sets sights after statement victories

DUBAI: A teenage UAE racing star is making a mark at global level as he seeks to achieve his lifelong ambition of competing in the glitz-and-glamor world of Formula One.

Currently pitting his wits against some of the world’s best karting drivers, 17-year-old Omar Ghannoum won the recent third round of the Rotax European Championship, which took place in Belgium.

Ghannoum produced a potentially career-defining performance in Genk to finish ahead of closest challengers Macauley Bishop and Lewis Goff, who took second and third spots on the podium respectively.

It was a hugely impressive display by Ghannoum, and a crucial next step on a journey to what he hopes will be the upper echelons of global racing.

“It was the best moment of my life crossing the finish line in first place, and it is a huge confidence boost going into the next steps of my motorsport career,” the teenager explained.

His victory in Belgium followed another eye-catching win in April when Ghannoum emerged triumphant at the UAE National Rotax Senior Championship, held on the Al-Ain Raceway International Kart Circuit.

What made that particular success all the more impressive was the fact he came out on top in the largest, and most competitive, field in Middle East karting history, with over 75 racers battling it out for glory, subsequently securing his spot at the Rotax Grand Finals, scheduled for Bahrain later this year.

“That win fit perfectly into my journey as I had put in so much work to improve mentally and physically, and obviously on track too,” he said.

“I used the race as a warm-up for getting used to the most difficult karting grid in the world, which I will have to navigate at the Grand Finals in Bahrain.”

Ghannoum is currently thriving