Muscat – It was exactly the start Shonal Kunimal wished for as the young Muscat-based go-karting racer climbed the podium in the opening race of the 2022-2023 Bahrain Rotax Max Challenge (BRMC) at the Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC) in Sakhir.

The 11-year-old, a regular face in the regional karting circuit over the past six years, winning many titles in the regional races, came second in the Mini Max category in the first round at the world-class grassroots motorsport facility of Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) at the weekend.

The Mini Max class featured five other drivers – Nasser Nass, Shaikh Ahmed bin Saqer al Khalifa, Isa Almoayed, Yousif Alghaith and Ali Almoayed besides Shonal.

The Indian School Ghubra student was second in qualifying and was involved in a close contest with Nas-ser, with the lead being exchanged in the 12-lap sprint. Nasser, however, edged past Shonal a couple of corners before the chequered flag and went on to win the race on a 1.414km circuit in 8 minutes 55.963 seconds. Shonal had to settle for second, finishing 0.153 seconds behind, while Shaikh Ahmed completed the podium in third 0.230s back.

The BRMC will feature eight rounds in its 2022-2023 season. Rounds two and three are set to be held on 9 and 10 December, while the fourth and fifth round will take place on 13 and 14 January, 2023. Rounds six and seven will be held on 10 and 11 February, setting the stage for the season-finale on March 17th of 2023.

The second-place finish in Bahrain will serve Shonal well and give a boost to his preparations ahead of his participation in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) Nations Cup, which will be held at the Muscat Speed-way from 13-17 December.

A total of 20 nations are expected to take part in the MENA Nations Cup. Shonal has fond memories of the last edition, also held in Oman, as he had bagged a podium at the event in Micro Max category.

After his latest podium finish, Shonal said, “It was exciting and a good start for the new season in Bahrain with my team manager Khalifa Waheed al Yaqoobi, along with my mechanics, Raven Abalos and Charith Nadee Perrera. I look forward to a successful season in Bahrain and will eye for the overall crown.”

At the BRMC, the karters represent some of the top karting teams in the Gulf, including Birel ART Bahrain, Praga Middle East Racing, Forza Bahrain Racing, NorthStar Racing and Accelerate Motorsport.