Knopjes stays ahead of the pack to victory

Maurits Knopjes is no stranger to the victory lane at the Dubai Kartdrome, but few wins will be as sweet as his triumph on Friday in the DD2 class which saw him in one of his best races ever to snatch victory and with it the 2011-2012 DAMC DD2 title. His day did not start well as he struggled with a variety of problems which kept him out of the top three in the first two heats which were won by Oliver George. But things started to go right for the Dubai-based Dutchman in Heat 3 where he finished second to Mohammad Al Daheri. The scene was set for a scintillating finale with nothing to separate the pace setters. George seized the initiative and took the early lead with Knopjes and Al Daheri chasing while Arnaud Bouf had the best seats in the house in fourth. In one of the best duels seen so far this year at the Kartdrome, Knopjes managed to overcome George with a top notch opportunist move, and grab the lead. Behind the battling leaders Al Daheri seized the moment and also made his move on George to claim second place. Knopjes said afterwards, "This was really a sweet win. We had so many problems during the course of the day. "But it came good in the final where I was able to stick with the leader and make a move that counted when it mattered. "I am very happy with this win which also gives me the DAMC championship title." The Al Rawahi brothers from Oman, Abdullah and Sanad, are also no strangers to the top step of the podium at the Dubai Kartdrome. This time around they both overcame string fields to win the Max Juniors and Max Seniors Finals respectively.