FAQ

The Middle East Karting Cup aims to develop local karting champions, thereby enabling motorsport to take off in the Middle East. This is particularly important given that few national karting championships in the Middle East region are strong in terms of numbers except for Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain and to some extent the UAE. A regional event like the Middle East Karting Cup helps the sport build momentum in terms of public interest and creates more competition among drivers. From here, the level of competition increases even further as local racers really begin to take on the international motorsport scene.

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Whom is the championship organized under?

The Middle East Karting Cup is an FIA-sanctioned motor sport championship and therefore answers to the FIA and its authorized member, the Automobile & Touring Club of Egypt (ATCE). Accordingly, the championship rules and regulations follow CIK-FIA standards in terms of the following:

The tracks: They must be certified (homologated), and the only two in the Middle East that meet this criteria are the two venues for this series, namely the Autodrome in Dubai and Ghibli Raceway in Sharm El Sheikh.
The equipment: It also must be homologated, including the race engines, tires, chassis, oils, and so on.
The drivers: They must each hold a valid Grade C international license.

The MEKC follows the official standards for the sport set by the CIK-FIA and is setting the example.

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When can a driver register for the championship?

We follow the sporting regulations with regard to date of entry, Round #1 has been completed in Sharm at Ghibli Raceway, entries for round #2 are open. 28 drives competed at that round, with many more registering for the championship, organisors are expecting numbers to exceed 40 drivers with participation from over 9 countries.

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Will other tracks be able to join the championship in future years?

Yes absolutely, other tracks will be able to join the Middle East Karting Cup in future years. The critical requirement is that any track to be incorporated into the championship must have a Grade C license or higher. Ghibli Raceway & the Dubai Autodrome will always host a round of future championships, however we are expecting new tracks to be built in the coming few years in Saudi Arabia (which has stated interest to host a round of the championship), Oman, Iran, and in the UAE Al Ein, Umm A Qwain and Abu Dhabi (2 tracks) are all due to have CIK homologated tracks within the year.

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How long have you been developing the Middle East Karting Cup?

We’ve done focused planning for the Middle East Karting Cup since March 2006.

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Tires are an important competition element in motor sports,
what is your strategy on this critical element?

We invited the world leading tire manufacturer and supplier of Formula One to join in the Middle East Karting Cup, Bridgestone of Japan.
Our strategy is to ensure that we follow international standards, as per CIK-FIA direction, while controlling costs to ensure the accessibility of the competition to young drivers.
We have chosen a medium race compound, which can be discussed in further detail by Mr. Peter Lohri, Motorsport Director of Bridgestone Corporation.

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With regard to engines, why did you choose the Rotax MAX engine?

By 2007, all 100cc engines in CIK races are out, with only TAG engines allowed.
We are in line with CIK thinking and have chosen the leading TAG engine: the FR125 Rotax MAX engine.

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What is your choice of oil?

This is to be confirmed in the near future.

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What is the requirement for the chassis?

Open, with a minimum 2003 homologation or newer.

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What is the structure of the race?

The Middle East Karting Cup series runs from January to July 2007 over 3 rounds: Opening round in Sharm El Sheikh, 2nd round in Dubai and the Final in Sharm El Sheikh. Drivers choose one of three categories, which are Juniors (13 – 16 years of age), Seniors (17+), and Masters (32+).
There’s also a celebrity charity race to accompany the final round of the series.

The 2008 schedule goes like this:
Round # 1 COMPLETED
Date : 16 - 19 January 2008
Location : Ghibli Raceway Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Round #2:
Date : 27 Feb - 1 March 2008
Location : Kartdrome - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Round #3:
Date : 16 - 19 April, 2008
Location : Ghibli Raceway Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

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Who issues the drivers’ licenses needed for the Middle East Karting Cup?

The official Automobile & Touring Club of the country of the driver will issue the required international Grade C license.
For example, in THE UAE a driver would need to get their license through the Automobile & Touring Club of UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.

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For the winners of the Middle East Karting Cup, what opportunity will this provide them to move up the motorsport ladder, for instance to become national champion?

The main thing of course is to win the Middle East Karting Cup itself, which will be a challenge given the amazing caliber of interested racers so far. As part of their prize for winning this series, the Middle East Karting Cup champion will be sponsored for a race in the Bridgestone Karting Cup and in the Euro Challenge (details are on the championship website). This could lead successful drivers onward to Formula Renault which, in turn, could lead them towards the ultimate step in motor sports, Formula One. The level of excellence will already be high for the Middle East Karting Cup, however, and to proceed from there to excel in the next levels to Formula One obviously requires continued world-class racing expertise. This is exactly why we’re encouraging everyone to become aware of the Middle East Karting Cup, because it truly has the potential to inspire the future champions of world Motorsport!

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What would be the cost of kart rental and what would be the rental conditions?

Karts are on offer for rental from CRG & Energy Corse starting from €650 for the round.

Conditions of hire:

Engines, accessories + chassis have to be returned in cleaned condition after the races. Drivers will be charged for damaged parts which are not covered by warranty.
When you return the toolbox, we will charge you for each tool missing $10 handling fee, but maximum $150 for the whole tool boxes.
Used chains, brake pads, sprockets must be replaced by the respective driver

Options:

Individual Mechanical assistance:

€1,600 per round

European Mechanic inclusive of flight + accommodation + daily perdiums.

Limited Mechanical Assistance:

€400 per round

Shared between 2 other drivers

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Do you provide a hosting for drivers or would help with accommodation or hotels reservation

Yes, we are able to provide a full hosting package in two different levels, Economic package & Luxury Package. Please check the tourism packages available on the website. You may contact the championship coordinator for booking your travel package.

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How I do shipment for my kart to your track location?

Shipment will be via a DHL in each country, Championship organizers have a corporate agreement with DHL for providing the logistic services for MEKC. You may contact the championship coordinator for booking your equipment logistics.

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Do you sale or provide a rented karts for drivers whom are not able to do shipment for their karts?

Yes, we are able to provide full karts for sale or rent, or even Engines or chassis

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Do you sale or rent race equipments? Spare parts /Tiers /helmets?

Yes we are able to provide a full race equipments for drivers since we are agents for most of well known producers of karting equipments and spare parts like ROTAX engines, Bridgestone Tires and VEMER helmets.

It is compulsory for each driver to purchase / order 3 front tires and 3 rear tires for each MEKC event. All tires must be paid in full with inscription/entry. The price for tires (3 front and 3 rear) will be $330.00 (dollar U.S). Sets of 4 tires will cost $220. The tires will be shipped by Bridgestone to each MEKC event. The tires will be placed in a tire-pool, raffled and handed out.

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Are you providing a mechanic assistance for drivers whom are not coming with their mechanics?

Actually we will be able to provide a mechanic assist for rented karts, any mechanic assist of owners drivers will be upon previous reservation and availability within the registration and will be confirmed.

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What is weather condition and temperature during race rounds?

Relatively mild weather for Sharm El Sheilkh in January and slightly hotter in Dubai for 2nd round is expected. Check weather.com for exact expected temperatures.

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What is the opening and closing date for registration for each round?

Race 1 Sharm El Sheikh COMPLETED
Race 2 Dubai Open 07.01.08 - Closing 17.02.08
Race 3 Sharm El Sheikh Open 18.02.08 - Closing 06.04.08

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Should I register for each round separately or I can register for all rounds?

Both options are available. You can register for each round separately or register for all championship rounds once.

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What if lost joining one round or more? Do I still have chance to join other rounds?

Yes, any driver will always have the chance to join the championship even he lose the chance to join one round or more, but the chance for winning the final championship will be for drivers who are going to collect more points overall the race rounds.

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Which sports and technical regulations will be followed for the championship?

FIA-CIK sports and technical regulations for year 2007 will be followed for all championship rounds, all drivers are able to download and review the sports and technical regulation from the official website of the championship www.mekc.org

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How we can do the registration personally or online?

Personally through the championship coordinator.

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How many person are allowed for each team?

Only ONE driver per kart and ONE mechanic is allowed in “Servicing Park” and only with provided passes.

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For any further questions, please contact

Ahmed Ali

Cairo telephone: Cairo facsimile: Cellphone : e-mail:	+20-2- 2414 4440 / 2414 4442 +20-2- 2414 4448 +20-12- 161 8022 info@mekc.org

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