Arch-rivals and top Qatari riders Mashel Al Naimi and Saeed Al Sulaiti shared honours in round two of the QSTK600, clinching a race each under lights at Losail International Circuit.
By virtue of winning race 1 of the two-leg round, Al Naimi continues to head the points table with a tally of 95 points. Al Sulaiti has 85 points after one win (race 2) and three second-place finishes so far.
Nasser Al Malki is in third spot with 64 points after two rounds.
Al Sulaiti was thrilled with his top finish in race two and best lap-time of 2:04.578.
"I am very happy to get my first pole position at Losail and I felt very good on the bike," Al Sulaiti said after the Superpole.
In the first race, Al Sulaiti retained his lead for almost half of the race with Al Naimi very close to him. But in the fifth lap, Al Naimi overtook Al Sulaiti and stayed in the front for one lap as his rival regained his top position in lap sixth. Knowing that Al Naimi is faster on the straight line, Al Sulaiti pushed on to create as much gap as possible. But the veteran rider Al Naimi managed to pass Al Sulaiti with just two laps to go and sailed to his win.
"The race was good, I had a good start. I was leading the first five laps and then I saw Mashel right at my back so I let him lead for a few laps and stayed behind him to study him a bit," Al Sulaiti said.
"I did that and it worked as I was able to overtake him. I was trying to make a gap in the last part of the race but then the weather changed - there was more wind and I was losing fraction of a second and he caught me again. He overtook me with two laps to go," Al Sulaiti said.
"In the last lap, I tried to overtake him again but he knew the spot I was planning to overtake him and we passed one of the overlapped riders and I lost more time again. I could not overtake him again," Al Sulaiti said. Al Naimi said the windy weather patterns made riding tough. "I suffered a lot with this indifferent weather. I had a problem with my arm band from second lap, I tried to push but I could not," Al Naimi said.
"After six laps, I pushed to the limit but I felt cramps in my body. I suffered a lot because of that. At the ninth lap I pushed hard, making my fastest lap of the race. I am glad I won the race," Al Naimi said.
"This week Saeed was very fast and he didn’t make any mistakes in the race," he said.
The third place was secured by Al Malki.
"I had a good start but in the first corner I lost the gear so I went out of the track. When I came back there were too many riders in front of me and then I tried to pass some of them during the three laps but at the end Mashel and Saeed created a big gap and I couldn’t get close to them," Al Malki said.
In the second race, Al Sulaiti sealed a memorable win with a narrow gap of 0.012 seconds ahead of Al Naimi.
Al Naimi remained in the lead during first four laps but Al Sulaiti overtook him in the fifth.
In the last lap, the two were riding so close that both riders touched their bikes and Al Naimi went wide that allowed Al Sulaiti the distance he wanted and he went on to win the race.
"I am very happy with this win," Al Sulaiti said. "I am training very hard and finally the much-needed result has come. Regarding the race, I tried to push from the beginning. My plan was to go and let Mishal stay behind me but it didn’t work.
"So in the second race it was a really funny fight from the beginning until the last lap. In the last lap, in the first corner, we had a touch. I want to say 'sorry' to him. I was a bit aggressive but this is racing and we are fighting for the victory," Al Sulaiti said.
Al Naimi applauded the performance of Al Sulaiti.
"It was a very good race. I struggled a lot to be in the front but today it was very difficult to be in front of Saeed. Today he really pushed me to the limit," Al Naimi said.
"This is a good fight for the championship and I hope next time, there will be more fight to show people how challenging and competitive this championship is. I would like to thank Ooreedo for the support as well as QMMF and LCSC for making this great championship," he said. Al Malki finished in third position while Ali Al Shammari finished in fourth place. The trophies were presented by Qatar Motor and motorcycle Federation (QMMF) President Abdulrahman Al Mannai, the LCSC General Manager and Vice-President Khalid Al Remaihi and QMMF General Secretary Abdulrazaq Al Kuwari.
The next round will take place during the Grand Prix of Qatar from March 23 to 26.
