Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

FOR four years, 16-year-old Mario Mair has had his sights set on winning the Jamaica Karting Association's (JKA) top award - the Abe Ziadie Memorial Trophy - which goes to the most outstanding driver of the season.

It is a dream that has been eluding the teenager and, this year, he plans to pull out all the stops to achieve his goal. At last Sunday's race meet, Mair wasted no time; he dominated the Rotax Masters Class, putting himself in a challenging position for the title which was won by Peter 'PJ' Moodie last year.

A student of Quality Academics, the teenager won all three races in his class.

"It was not all that easy, but I stuck to my plans and went out there and did my best. I was very patient and made sure I did not give up any free space," Mair told Automotives.

Class champion

He won the class championship last year and, according to him, the success came as a result of the many things he learnt from his coach, Mark Evans, and also the driving tips he got from his brother, Matthew Mair, who is now one of the top karters on the Miami circuit.

"I tried these tips and they worked," boasted Mair.

Other drivers who shared in the limelight last Sunday were Jonathan Law, who won two races in the 80 cc Class, and Red Bull athlete, Colin Daley Jr, stamped his authority in the Rotax Mini-Max Class.

Justin Wong stunned his critics by taking the chequered flag twice in the competitive Rotax Junior Class. The other event in that class was won by Matthew Williams. Joel Jackson dominated the Shifter Class.

Karters to watch

Apart from the winners, the sport welcomed back young Tiffany Rae, who now races in the Rotax Junior Class. She took a break two years ago to focus on her dancing career. She is equipped with a Best Kart Chase, which is a product of the AMV Italian Karts.

Among the karters to watch this season are Fraser McConnell, of Tru-Juice fame. He has been busy at the track, with his driving coach Peter Rae. Justin Sirgany has been very impressive and could be the man to upset the apple-cart, with his cool, calm and collected persona.

Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer
Matthew Williams demonstrates how fast his go-kart is, speeding away from Thomas Issa during a practice session at last Sunday's race meet, held at the Palisadoes International Raceway in Kingston.