Portimão:Five Bahraini karters are competing in the 2026 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals, which is being held from November 7 to 14 at Kartódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal. The event features a wide array of participants from over 60 countries.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Team Bahrain is supported by Bahrain International Circuit and the Bahrain Motor Federation. The team includes Enzo Younes in the Micro MAX class, Faisal Alnajjar in Mini MAX, Shaikh Ahmed bin Saqer Al Khalifa in Junior MAX, Demir Abali in Senior MAX, and Rakan Alfayez in DD2 MAX. These competitors have earned their spots through impressive performances in the 2025/2026 Bahrain Rotax MAX Challenge.
Younes, Shaikh Ahmed bin Saqer, Abali, and Alfayez emerged victorious in their respective categories, while Alnajjar secured a second-place finish in his category. The competition features a total of five classes that Team Bahrain is participating in, alongside the DD2 Masters category and three electric karting classes E10 Mini, E20 Senior, and E20 Masters.
The event commenced with a welcome gathering and drivers' presentation on November 7, and continued with the kart allocation draw on November 8. Practice sessions are set to start on November 9, with five non-qualifying sessions taking place over two days. Qualifying practice is scheduled for November 11, with qualifying heats on November 12 and 13, leading up to the pre-finals, and the finals slated for November 14.
Portugal is hosting this year's event after the 2025 edition was held at Bahrain International Karting Circuit in Sakhir. Bahrain has previously hosted the championship in 2021 and 2023.