The best amateur kart racers from around the globe will gather at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, on Friday for the third running of the World Finals.

The race will feature 18 finalists from as far afield as Oman, Latvia and Malta.

They will be mentored by Formula One star Max Verstappen and Red Bull Junior Team drivers Pierre Gasly (GP2) and Callum Ilott  (Formula 3).

This will be Malta’s second participation at the World Finals following Jake Said’s experience at the wheel in 2014.

This year two Maltese drivers will be taking part – Nathan Grech and Lucas Pace. Despite the lack of a professional karting circuit, they have been training seriously since December.

“We are ready to race and we are going to give it a solid try,” Pace, who drives in other categories apart from karting, said.

“It will be an incredible experience and for sure whatever the result, the fact that our country is being represented is already a winning factor for both of us.”

The winners of the first two World Finals, which were staged in Bologna and Spielberg, both hailed from Japan.

The Red Bull World Finals is a very special event that is contested at the Red Bull motorsports home where a specially-created kart track is laid out at the top-notch driving centre.

The presence of Verstappen, Gasly and Ilott gives a significant lift to the status of the finals and with the three Red Bull racers making themselves available, the amateur contenders have an ideal opportunity to improve their skills.

The kart that will be used in Spielberg will be the Sodikart ODI RX 250.

It will feature the Sodi 250cc four-stroke fuel injection engine.