KOCHI: Shonal Kunimal, a six-year-old Kerala boy based in Oman, is perhaps among the very few who love the traffic on the roads in the state. Whenever he is here, while riding pillion on his father’s motorcycle, he urges his father Shojai to throttle up. But back in the Gulf, behind the wheels of his karting car, he loves the silky racing tracks and wants to set them ablaze every time. He is currently riding a wave of success in the ongoing UAE Rotax Max Challenge national kart racing championship this season.
Shonal learned to steer a car only two years ago, but he is now gunning for the top spot in the Under-8 category of the prestigious karting championships. Born to IT consultant Shojai, from Vellimadukunnu in Kozhikode, and Palestinian doctor Nabrees Qandeel, Shonal is the youngest driver in the Bambino class of the eight-leg event, held across the UAE and Oman.
Shonal has taken the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and finished second in Dubai and Al Ain.The first-grade student of the Indian School, Al Ghubra, Muscat, wants to make it big in the field of racing, with Formula One being his ultimate dream.
“Shonal was always fascinated by cars. When we took him to a karting track, the authorities said he was too short to drive,” said Shojai. Shojai bought his son a kart and soon started taking him to races where he caught the attention of Oman Automobile Association senior mechanic Sonny Ericson Lozano, who asked Shonal to pursue racing seriously.