The riders who have registered to take part in the 2012-13 Qatar International Road Racing Championship (QIRRC) pose for a group photograph along with Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, president of Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) at Losail International Circuit yesterday.
DOHA: Pole winner Alex Cudlin of Australia yesterday produced two convincing wins in round one of the 2012-13 Qatar International Road Racing Championship (QIRRC) at Losail Circuit.
Cudlin, who started from pole position for yesterday’s round one, finished on top in both the races held around the 5.7km circuit.
The Australian rider finished both races ahead of Germany’s Nina Prinz and Qatar’s Mashel Al Naimi.
Prinz, the only female rider, finished both races in second spot while Al Naimi, the man with Moto2 experience, claimed third places in the two races.
Cudlin finished the 15-lap race one with a time of 31mins 10:113secs. Prinz, riding a Suzuki, was 9.576secs adrift of Cudlin. Al Naimi finished race one 16.747secs behind Cudlin.
The Australian rider made it two-out-of-two when he won race two with a time of 31mins 13:575secs.
Prinz finished 9.301secs adrift of Cudlin while Al Naimi sealed his second podium finish with a time of 31.40:750.
In race one, the Australian rider had a tight battle with Qatar’s Nasser Al Malki for most part of the race, but a mechanical problem for the home rider forced him to retire in the 13th lap.
Prinz, who started from the second place on the grid, finished with a gap of 9.576 against Cudlin.
Al Naimi started from the back of the grid and yet managed to finish on the podium in race one.
In the 600cc category, Fahad Al Sowaidi of Qatar was the fastest rider.
The trophies were given by Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, President of Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), and Sultan Al Murraikhi, QMMF Board Member.
Al Malki, who had mechanical issues in race one, found the going tough in the second race also and retired in the 9th lap.
However, there were no issues for Cudlin, Prinz and Al Naimi as the trio secured their second successive podium finish with a flourish.
Cudlin now leads the championship with a handsome tally of 50 points followed by Prinz with 40 points.
Qatar’s Al Naimi has a tally of 32 points.
The second round of QIRRC will be held on January 11 and 12. 2013.
The first round of Qatar National Road Racing (QNRRCH) and Losail Asia Road Racing Series (LARRS) will also be held during the same week.
A delighted Cudlin was quick to thank his supporters during a press conference yesterday.
“I want to thank Mr Nasser and all the QMMF team for giving me this opportunity to ride again,” Cudlin said.
“This is my fourth year of racing here and I feel like a family here in Qatar,” the Australian added.
“In both races, Nasser Al Malki had a good start and as I didn’t race since September, it took me some time to get the rhythm but as the race progressed, I became more confident.
“I have experience in the endurance races so I am able to keep the lap time stable and that helped me to create a gap between me and the others,” Cudlin said yesterday.
Prinz was jubilant with her first outing in the new season.
“I would like to thank to QMMF for giving me the opportunity to race in this championship,” Prinz said.
“In the first race I made a perfect start but I lost in the first part of the race that made me go slower.
“In the second race, my first laps were very good but then I nearly had a crash with a rider. I was able to keep my calm and I think the second position was okay for me,” the affable German added.
Qatar’s Al Naimi, a vastly experienced rider, said he didn’t expect a podium finish.
“After the mechanical problem that I had yesterday before the qualifying practice, I didn’t expect to be on the podium today starting from the last position,” Al Naimi said.
“After each lap I became more confident and I am very happy to be in the podium in both races. I want to get as many points as possible,” the Qatari added.
Al Sowaidi, who topped the list of riders in the 600cc category, said: “I started late competing in this category but last month I joined the Asia Road Racing Championship and I improved my riding. My target is to improve my lap times in each round.”
Earlier in the day, QMMF President Al Attiyah and the riders posed for a group photograph at the starting line of the $75m Losail International Circuit.
Later, the QMMF president also attended a photo-call with volunteers and marshals.
“The volunteers and marshals are a very important part of all our events. They are the people who manage very important work at all QMMF events and activities. I can’t thank them enough for their support and team-work,” Al Attiyah said.
THE PENINSULA
