An 11-year-old Portuguese racer was among the eight winners at the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals, which were held at the Algarve International Kartdrome in Portimão between November 19 and 26.
Nearly 400 racers from 60 countries took part in the competition, which was held for the fifth time in Portugal and the fourth time in the Algarve.
The event started on November 19 and pulled around 2,000 people – from racers to team members and staff – to the Algarve.
Racers competed in eight classes: E20 Junior, E20 Senior, Micro Max, Mini Max, Junior Max, Senior Max, DD2 and DD2 Masters.
Photo: ROTAX KART
Portugal’s 11-year-old racing prodigy Martim Marques was among the winners, taking the first position in the Micro Max class.
His feat was celebrated by Ni Amorim, president of the Portuguese Federation of Motorsports and Karting (FPAK).
“This has been a fantastic year for Portuguese racers and what Martim achieved here today is notable and deserves all the praise,” Amorim said.
“Portuguese karting should be congratulated, as well as everyone who helps and supports Martim’s career and the careers of all other racers,” he added.
Photo: ROTAX KART
Here are the winners for each class:
E20 Junior: Joel Bergstroem (Sweden)
E20 Senior: Jesper Sjoeberg (Sweden)
Micro Max: Martim Marques (Portugal)
Mini Max: Christopher El Feghali (Lebanon)
Junior Max: Scott Marsh (UK)
Senior Max: Callum Bradshaw (UK)
DD2: Mark Kimber (UK)
DD2 Masters: Kristaps Gasparovics (Latvia)
The Nations Cup went to Team UK, followed in second by Team France and in third by Team Netherlands.
The event is said to have generated around 20,000 overnight stays and around €4 million for the local economy, according to the Algarve International Racetrack.
