Since Monday the 2nd of December, Cole Hewetson and Gianna Pascoal have been going toe-to-toe with karting champions from around the world. Round 6 of Champions of the Future was set at the Al Forsan International kart Circuit – a stones throw away from the Yas Marina Circuit where F1 will be revving up for the last race of the season this Sunday. Gianna and Cole put in good times until Wednesday when Cole was unable to compete due to a medical emergency.

A decent start to the morning had both drivers in the OKN category finish the first practice session in the Top 10. Gianna ending the first session in P2 with a time of 57.250 laying down her intentions to become champion and Cole with an impressive lap 11 run which saw him clock a 57.519. Gianna clocked a 57.278 during FP2 and Cole improved to 56.765 but it was not enough to secure them another top 10 finish as more drivers found pace.

Qualifying was equally treacherous for our drivers. With minor adjustments for comfort done on the karts both rose to the occasion clocking times 2 seconds faster. This encouraging improvement meant they could keep within touching distance of the front pack with the top 20 only separated by 5 tenths. The best qualifying time for Gianna was a 55.649 in the last heat to secure her P19. Cole on the other hand went out fast with a best time of 55.888 recorded in the first heat.

The last day of the competition saw an F1 presence with Susan Wolff making an appearance on track before the start of the OKN finals. Cole was missing in action due to a spider bite. The arachnid motorsportous haterer foiled Coles last chance to become champion. He instead spent the last day of racing dealing with the infection and was unable to start. Gianna started P19 for the final behind a very impressive field from over 20 different countries. The race saw some dramatic moments with Gianna pulling a double overtake during the final laps. Her best time was a 55.934 and she managed a decent P17 finish to end her week of racing.