myUAE Times: Dubai Merdeka Race: Hamiz Wins!

SPECIAL REPORT: REDZA JAMIL We started with the short briefing just after 9.30pm all eager to go. Karts were assigned, adrenalin pumping into our veins.

As the engines start we sat in our karts in the pit lane waiting. Sweat starting to trickle in our racing suits as the marshal waves us to go. The qualifying session is on!

We had five flying laps each and some literally went flying - over the kerbs of course.

As we finished this session we lined up before the grid waiting, wondering - who's in pole position?

As it turned out it was Hamiz, with yours truly being second fastest. Third fastest was Razmyn from Abu Dhabi.

Now we're lining up for Race One - the sprint race. 8 laps. From a standstill the race was flagged. Go! Go! Go!

Around the first corner the order was Hamiz, Razmyn and Redza. All three kept the pace and the short race came to an end in that order.

The drivers get a well deserved 5 minute break. On a hot night like this we really needed it.

Now the main race. Reverse grid. This will be interesting. Race favourite Hamiz starts from the back of the grid. Can he overtake twenty other karts to take this win?

The flag goes down again. Away we go! There's only one way to describe the first three corners - MAYHEM.

Spins, collisions, karts five abreast into the corners! How on earth is the guy at the back who knows he's faster than the guy in front going to get through? Interestingly by the end of the first lap, Hamiz had made his way to the front! So ask him how he did it. Not far behind him is the man in the flaming racing suit, Razmyn. He sticks to Hamiz but just couldn't catch up. Maybe a mistake with the backmarkers would help him in his cause.

This race is now very interesting. Lots of overtaking. More private battles. More spins. Inevitably, a kart, trying to avoid a spun racer stopped on the racing line, smacks into the tyre barrier and gets stuck. Disaster! It took twenty seconds for the marshals to get him free. There goes his podium. In the end, kart number 18 which was involved in that incident made it's way up the field into a top ten position.

The race was filled with incidents. A driver had to change karts before the main race only to discover after the first lap that the replacement kart is even worse! He begins the second lap in his third kart of the evening but did well to finish in 11th place.

The front three positions eventually didn't change much from the first race. By halfway the positions were clear. The top three remained all the way to the chequered flag.

All the action was in the midfield. More spins, more collisions - karts leaving the track, sand and pebbles on the racing line! Midfield positions changing!

All the action had to come to an end. 14 laps was all the enthusiastic Malaysians got.

The race finished with some new faces in the top ten although the top two were familiar.

The young Malaysian with his iPod playing in his ear through the night swept it all.

Hamiz won the race with a time of 18 mins 32.748 secs.

Second was Razmyn again, 5 seconds behind.

Third came Busri, 34 seconds behind the winner, up three positions from the sprint race

Fourth - M. Raspi who managed tenth in the race before.

Fifth came Bakar, 50 seconds behind the winner. Bakar was 11th in Race One.

6th came Redza. Only 3 seconds behind.

7th position was Thiru, who came in a strong fourth in Race One.

8th went to Muliadi who was 7th earlier.

9th position was Hairun, up 3 positions.

10th came Mohammad, up 5 positions.

The top three in The Sprint Race got a pewter trophy each, specially imported from Malaysia, 5th to 10th positions in the main race got great prizes and the top five in the main race walked away with cool crystal trophies. All 21 drivers walked away with a gift from our sponsor Kellogg's.

Somehow 14 laps felt too quick. Especially when you got stuck under a tyre barrier for twenty seconds. And in case you're wondering, yes, my shoulder still hurts.

Congratulations to our fastest qualifier, sprint race & main race winner - Hamiz.

Special thanks to:

Encik Fadhli Adilah from Abu Dhabi
Puan Kolin Jamil from Kellogg's
Cik Faridah from Bernama
Capt Busri & Mrs Capt Marinee

Thank you to the people who came from afar (Abu Dhabi & such), supporters, friends, family members, photographers and everybody involved. Thank you for making it happen.

It was a great success and I think it's fair to say that everybody had fun. Let's do it again. The question is, can you wait one year?