From October 8 to 14, 2018, the annual World Finals IAME X30 was held at the Le Mans karting circuit, located adjacent to the main circuit. This event featured more than 450 participants in various classes, all with IAME X30 engines. Participation in this event is reserved for the best karters, who must earn their place by winning championships in their home country. Rowan Grinwis, co-sponsored by DHG, was one of those competing in the Super Shifter field.

During practice, Rowan’s times were good enough for a top-10 finish. However, during qualifying on Thursday, he made the mistake of getting stuck behind another driver who wouldn’t let him pass, just as his tires were peaking. The result was a disappointing 26th place.

He made up ground in the four heats that followed. By consistently achieving strong results, he was placed 15th in the pre-final on Sunday. He didn’t gain a place, but he didn’t lose one either. He started the final in the same position, finishing 13th. Rowan commented: “Of course, I wanted an even better result, but I’m satisfied. It’s my first year in manual transmission, and it’s tougher than automatic. You have to do a lot of things at once, and overtaking is difficult because everyone can stay in the pits. We were hoping for rain, which was forecast for the entire week, but unfortunately, it stayed dry. If it had rained, I would definitely have been in the top 10, and who knows, maybe even on the podium.”

Rowan looks back positively on the World Finals and thanks his sponsors for their confidence in him. He’s looking forward to aiming for a podium finish next year.