RIYADH: Ten amateur racers took to the track in Dirab on Saturday evening, sharing a long-term ambition: to make the leap from karting to international circuits.
The event marked the inaugural race of Saudi GT’s Rookie Racing Series, an initiative designed to broaden access to motorsport by giving newcomers and hobbyists an opportunity to develop their skills and gain competitive experience. But the race proved to not only polish skills, but the community around it.
For Abdulaziz Abo Al-Naja, the competitive racer behind the initiative, creating that opportunity is personal. Having entered the sport relatively late and navigated much of his own racing journey without financial backing, he hopes to make the path easier for those following in his footsteps.
Abo Al-Naja first discovered motorsport through online simulator racing in 2023. After taking on a summer job and investing his earnings in a racing simulator, he began karting in mid-2024, aged 19. “I always had the urge to drive and drive fast, and when I got my racing simulator, it was like I found what I wanted to spend all my time on,” he said.
Seeing his simulator lap times approach those of professional drivers prompted him to consider what he could achieve on a real circuit.
