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LAST RACE WEEKEND OF THE SEASON AND FOR A LONG TIME...
April 5 and 6: my season and my UAE karting career come to an end this weekend at Al Ain Raceway. A two-day all-out doubleheader with nothing left to lose.
March 15: a great day of racing that brought me so close to my first P1. I earned a hard-fought P2 in the final after winning Qualy, P2 in the Heat, and winning the Pre-Final. I did achieve the track record at Al Ain Raceway!
March 2025: heading to Al Ain Raceway for afternoon racing and a rare Finals under the lights! Round 7, hunting for my first P1 of the season.
February 23: back to my home track, Al Forsan International, with a one-day race and the desire for a P1 this time! I secured an aggressive P2 in the Final by passing in the first lap and holding on. A decent day on a technical, brusing track.
February 8 and 9: this was an incredible weekend in several ways! Two days, two 2nd place finishes but two very different race days.
February 2025: the highlight of my karting season every year is Yas Marina Circuit! I am excited to race again on the F1 track, and make up for the penalty in 2024 that cost me a spot on the podium. I then go back to the track I enjoyed as a beginning racer: Al Forsan International Resort.
January 18 and 19: back in Dubai, after winter break, family, and intense practices. Aiming for P1 in the Pre-Finals and Finals after an up-and-down qualy and heats on day 1. A tough Pre-Final, but a timely penalty in the Final vaulted me onto the podium again in P3
December 7 and 8: a weekend in Oman that started with a blown engine, that saw me battle from last on the grid to top 5 positions three times, ended with an epic battle for P2.
December 2024: A few weeks of rest and practice before crossing the border to Muscat Oman for Round 3
November 3: A solid weekend of driving at the more technical Dubai track. I battled in qualy and the three races, scoring another P2.
November 2024: Rotax Round 2 coming up in Dubai, home of the famous O Plate race and Brand Racing! Pushing harder than ever for a win this time!
October 12-13: A weekend of highlights and blink of an eye time differences. Two 2nd place podium finishes in Al Ain, with my first P1 just 0.054 seconds out of reach.
October 2024: I am approaching this season with more experience, more strength, more smarts, and more confidence! Two rounds at Al Ain Raceway on October 12th and 13th.
September 29th: I battled all day for a P2 in round 1 of the Rotax Ranking Event in Al Ain. The winner of the series earns a ticket to Le Mans in 2025!
Keep up with my season on the updated 2024-25 Racing Season page. I'll post more images and videos over the next few weeks and months. Previous seasons' details are captured on the other Racing Season pages.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me since I started in 2019. Check out all of their names and some links on the Honor Roll page.
Driving #417, Noah Tamasker wrapped up his first season with Brand Racing, completing his 5th full season of karting in the Rotax MAX UAE series with several podium finishes. The summer offered little rest with club races and his first European race at Le Mans (France) in July 2024 ! He'll continue racing with Brand for his 6th season starting in September. Brand is a stable of champion drivers, based in Dubai.
Though he has always loved cars and karted for fun as much as possible, he took it to the next level in 2019 by joining the Abu Dhabi-based CRG racing team under the watch of former professional racer Nacho Girona.
Noah will jump back into his 2-speed DD2 kart for 2024/25 after wrapping up two seasons as a Senior in 2022/23. He started off as a Mini in 2019/20 and moved up to Junior in 2020/21. He'll hit speeds of more than 130kmh/81mph, racing as the sole American against an international roster of drivers. His dedication to improvement on-track and off has already paid off.
Interview with the Racer
Why are you so passionate about karting?
I am passionate about karting because of how high intensity it is, how much it makes me focus on the sport, and how it makes me constantly stay in top physical shape. While I’m karting, I am able to disconnect from the rest of the world and anything that may be going on around me. I’m able to drive without worry and enjoy myself while also driving hard at my full capability.
Did karting help you cope during the COVID-19 Pandemic?
When the COVID-19 pandemic first swept the UAE, all karting tracks were closed down for 2 months. However, while all other sports that involved close contact were closed down, karting was one of the first activities to reopen. In June of 2020, I was still doing distance learning at home and was never able to go out for physical activities. That's when karting came to my rescue. After karting tracks opened in mid-June, I was able to drive weekly and get out of the house to do something I love.
How will you use karting as a global ambassador?
Karting is something that can open up the world to me. I am American with Indian and Sri Lankan parents. After moving to the United Arab Emirates, I discovered karting. Even though it started out as a fun activity to do, it soon became my chosen sport. I started my karting journey around the UAE but soon started going around the world to race. During almost every trip I’ve taken out of the country, I’ve visited the local karting tracks to get a feel for international karting. I have driven on tracks from Thailand to London and will continue to expand my international experiences.
How has karting improved your physical wellbeing?
When I first started karting, I wasn’t in top physical shape. Even though I did wrestling before I started racing, I was never truly motivated to get in my best physical shape. That was all until I started racing. I started working out at home a lot, especially during the first half of 2020 during quarantine. Once the gyms started opening up, I began going 3-4 times a week to expand my physical growth. Up to this day working out and staying in good shape is one of my top priorities that I always make sure to take care of.
What does a race week look like?
Race week is a time of preparation before the tough weekend ahead. In school I spend my time completing all assignments to make sure I don’t have any work needing completion over the weekend. I also exercise muscles I’ll need to be at their peak throughout the whole weekend like my upper body and neck. However, while these all help, the most important thing I do is getting into race mode. Race mode means gaining top focus and tuning out anything else that isn’t important. This means that I sacrifice hanging out with friends on weekends and focus on the weekend ahead.
What do you plan to do with racing?
For some, karting might just be a part time hobby to do for fun. But I want to use karting as a building block to begin a career in racing. My dream is to become an F1 driver or driver of any motorsport. I have the passion and motivation to work hard enough to get into higher classes of motorsport. I have only just begun my journey through racing and believe that I can continue to improve and achieve.
How will you take your story and inspire other kids?
Karting is a sport that bettered me as a person. It has improved everything about me and I think other kids should experience it for themselves. Even if it isn’t karting, I want to inspire kids in the UAE to apply themselves in sports. It can teach them great skills in life and even turn into careers as they get older.
Has karting helped you off-track?
Karting hasn’t just improved my racing skills, it also helped me off track. Racing turned me into a leader. I carry the responsibility that I have in karting and use it to lead others. Karting also has taught me the importance of patience. Success doesn’t happen overnight which is why you need to work hard everyday until you achieve your goal. I learned this through karting but I also apply it in school. My performance in school has improved because I’ve started working at my best possible rate to give thorough work.