Belgian teenager Michelangelo Amendola won both the races on Friday in the eighth edition of the FIA-approved MRF Challenge international series at the Dubai Autodrome.
The 17-year-old displayed rare character to win both races from difficult positions. In the first race that he started form pole, dropped to third after a wheel-spin as the lights went off before taking a win. And in the next race, he made places from sixth on the reverse grid to take the chequered flag despite stalling his car at Turn-1 in the very first lap.
The race was marked by a Safety Car period following a collision between Aussie Dylan Young and Indian-American Yuven Sunderamoorthy in the first lap.
“I am happy to win both races today. In the morning, I lost places at the start due to a wheel-spin as I did not let go of the clutch, and then had to fight my way into the lead. In the second race, I started sixth on the reverse grid, stalled my car after someone made contact from behind at Turn-1 in the first lap. Luckily, I managed to start the car and then made places to win,” said a delighted Amendola.
India’s Chetan Korada finished ninth and last after a spin in the eighth lap even as he was putting in consistent laps. But In the second race he finished seventh.
The results: Race-1 (10 laps): 1. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium); 2. Joshua Mason (Great Britain); 3. Dylan Young (Australia). Race-2: 1. Amendola; 2. Mason; 3. Manaf Hijjawi (Jordan).
Qualifying (top 4): 1. Amendola (01:58.409); 2. Mason (01:58.499); 3. Young (01:58.518); 4. Largim Ali (Denmark) (01:58.527).
