Saeed Al Sulaiti (right) and Abdulla Al Qubaisi before the start of a race at the Losail International Circuit in this file photo.
Popular Qatari riders Saeed Al Sulaiti and Abdulla Al Qubaisi will target nothing but the championship title when the fifth and last round of Qatar Superstock 600 (QSTK600) that will take place at the Losail International Circuit today and tomorrow.
Al Sulaiti is leading the championship with 173 points, only four points ahead of Al Qubaisi, who has 169 points.
“I am very excited for the last round, for sure it is going to be full of action as always. I am sure both will push and give a great show for everyone. At the end of the day, everybody is a winner, this championship is great and we can see that all the riders are improving and pushing a lot,” the defending QSTK600 champion, Al Sulaiti said.
In the last two rounds of the championship, Al Qubaisi had a great performance, winning all the four races, reducing the gap with Al Sulaiti to only four points and breaking the lap time record. So an exciting battle between both riders is expected.
“In the beginning of the season I didn’t expect that I will be fighting for the championship with Saeed and had chances to win it, but in the last two round I really covered the points. I won four races so now I am only four points behind Saeed. So there will be a lot of action in this last round. In the last track day, I prepared the bike for the final round. Also, I did a good lap time. So I am ready for the race,” said Al Qubaisi.
The third in the standings is Mashel Al Naimi with 140 points.
In the Trophy category, first and second places of the championship are already decided from the last round. Jassim Al Thani has already clinched the title with 200 points and Kuwaiti rider Mohamad Al Zaidan secured the second place with 160 points. So the battle in this category will be for the third place, between Hassan Al Mansoori or Nawaf Al Shuaibi.
“I have won the title already but I want to push in the last round to do a good race and try to fight with the front riders of QSTK. I just arrived from Spain for testing and I feel much better with the bike. Hopefully for this round I can do good lap timings and expect a great race,” Jassim said.
In the Qatar Touring Car Championship which will also take place this weekend, the championship title has been already decided, with Abdullah Al Khelaifi defending the title for a third time.
“My goal is to win both races to have a perfect score this season. Also, since the title is secured, this round will be dedicated to try new parts and setup for next season. Having no pressure is always a good thing as I can enjoy the race a bit more,” Al Khelaifi said.
The battle this weekend will be for the second place in the championship. Although a total of six drivers can be the runner up of the championship, Mohamad Al Khaiat, Hamad Al Sulaiti and Ghanim Al Maadheed are leading contenders, with only four points seperating them.
The entry for the grandstand and also the Paddock will be free for fans during the two-day event.
QSTK 600 and QTCC are organised by Losail Circuit Sports Club and Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation with Pirelli Qatar and Inside as sponsors of both championships.
