Shahan Ali Mohsin impressive at Rotax Final in Italy

Sarno (Italy), 27 October 2019: Shahan Ali Mohsin once again impressed with his performance in the 2019 Rotax Grand Final in Sarno, Italy, last Sunday but missed the final by a whisker, with two retirements hurting him. Representing India, the youngster from Agra raced in the Senior category, at the world stage after winning the 2019 Indian National Karting Championship.

The week-long competition had 76 racers from around the globe competing in the Senior category, where Shahan qualified in the Top-10 and became the first Indian to do so in a Rotax Grand Final. Racing for Dan Holland Racing from England, Shahan qualified 10th overall in his #317 kart after finishing sixth in his group.

Heat 1 saw Shahan running well before a contact with another kart resulted in an axle bend, forcing him to retire from the race. However, it was a mighty comeback in Heat 2, where he finished fourth after running at second for a few laps, the best for an Indian in the Rotax Grand  Finals again. The Indian was only 0.043 of a second behind the third-placed finisher.

It was a close fight again in Heat 3 where he was seventh, only 0.100s behind the sixth-placed driver. His fantastic run though came to a sad end in Pre-Final by the tiniest of margins. He was well on-course to make it into the Final, where the Top-36 make the cut from the 72 finalists.

Couple of contacts damaged his steering column and tie rod which forced him to retire on Lap 11. He missed the Final by just two points in the end, with the two retirements making the difference. It was mighty close but luck wasn’t with him. He was well received by his fellow competitors though.

“I felt a lot of emotions as I carried the Indian flag, which is always a matter of pride for me when I represent India. Taking part in the Rotax Max Grand Finals, which is recognised as Olympics of Karting on a weekend where everyone is celebrating Diwali put me on a high,” said Shahan. “It was another superb experience and every time I feel better prepared for the future.

“One drawback is not competing the full year but the urge to excel is even bigger in Finals when you have so many experienced racers together eyeing for the world No.1 tag. Racing with the best drivers of the world is always full of excitement and it was also a great chance for learning for me.

“I’ll say, of all the Finals I have attended, this year it was different as I felt prepared right from the word `go’. The conditions were superb as the usual adjustment took time. We managed to improve every session and also set a benchmark for other Indians with best results in qualifying and heats.

“The only downer is the two retirements, especially in the Pre-Final which hampered my chance in the Final as I was set to make it in with the points in the two Heats. Anyways, it was a full weekend and now it is all about preparing for 2020 for another year of racing.”

“I would like to thank Mr Akbar Ebrahim and Meco Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to race in this event and thanks a lot to my team Dan Holland Racing, UK for the technical support,” Shahan concluded.