Atef Al Barwani and Oliver Walton returned to action after a brief lay-off to claim the senior and junior titles respectively in the final round of the 2015 SWS Sprint Series at the Kartdrome.
Al Barwani had done enough in earlier rounds to ensure he topped the standings in the SWS Sprint Series Senior, claiming his fifth title which makes him the UAE’s all time leading winner in the category.
Speaking after the win, Al Barwani said: “Doing it for the fifth time in a row is something very, very difficult so I’m very blessed and pleased to be the only Emirati to have this title.
“All UAE SWS Sprint drivers are the best to drive against and are all true champions in their own rights. It’s been a tough contest but a great pleasure to be part of this series,” he added.
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Walton was also back in action for the first time this winter. His early season results in the SWS Junior class had him top of the championship table from the outset, where he remained until the chequered flag waved to bring this season to an end.
On the final night, Piers Pakenham-Walsh set the pace in qualifying in a session where the top 10 drivers were separated by only a second, setting the tone for the close contest across the field of 25 drivers.
Pakenham-Walsh powered to Race 1 victory chased by Rami Azzam and Anjum Sheikh in second and third respectively. Azzam was untouchable in Race 2 winning comfortably, by over seven seconds, with Umid Ali in second and Al Barwani third.
Al Barwani thus claimed the UAE SWS Sprint Series Senior title, with Azzam runner-up.
In the SWS Sprint Masters category, Merhi Ziad took top honours ahead of Adrian Jones in second and Alexandros Annivas third.
SWS Sprint Series Round 16 Report & Results https://t.co/1NzU2JFOEw
— Dubai Kartdrome (@DubaiKartdrome) December 15, 2015
Earlier in the evening Alex Connor qualified on pole, fastest of the 21 SWS Juniors, and powered to victory after a race long duel with Kamal Agha and Walton.
In Race 2, Agha made a break to take a comfortable victory by over five seconds over Walton, who did enough to hold off third placed Shields. Walton ended the season as UAE SWS Sprint Junior champion, with Al Naggar runner-up.
The 2015 SWS Sprint champions will receive an automatic entry to the SWS Grand Finals in France next year, with several wild card drivers from the UAE also likely to make the trip.
