With the winning display at Losail Circuit, Al Sulaiti consolidated the top spot

By
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: February 23, 2021
418

Doha: Following one of the two races in Round 2 of the Qatar Superstock Championship 600, famous Qatari rider Saeed Al Sulaiti has maintained his place at the top of the rankings (QTSK).

In a time of 25 minutes and 12.849 seconds, Al Sulaiti won the first race spanning the 12-lap contest, just 0.100 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, Abdullah Al Qubaisi, who placed second at 25.12.949.

After recording a time of 25.43.119, veteran rider Meshaal Al Nuaimi classified third, while Youssef Al Darwish finished fourth with a time of 25.47.350. With a time of 26.24.518, Saud Al Thani finished the list of the first five slots. The Championship’s Central Organizing Committee (LOC) agreed to delay Round 2’s second race and decided to keep it during Round 3.

The decision was made at the Losail International Circuit, the site of the championship races, because of torrential rain.

Al Sulaiti improved the lead with 75 points after the conclusion of Round 2 of the first race. Al Sulaiti is 15 points clear of Al Qubaisi, his nearest rival, who has a 60-point count. There are 48 points for Al Nuaimi.

“I had some issues with the gear but we overcame the problem in time. We did a great time in qualifying. We started from the front position We did an amazing lap time during warm-up and I felt confident going into the race,” Al Sulaiti said.

“Unfortunately at the beginning of the race. The seven laps out of 12 were tricky. The rain started and that put a risk to riders. We enjoyed riding then. Thankfully nobody crashed. In the last lap I manage to overtake him and finish the race in the first position,” Al Sulaiti added.

Qatari veteran Yusef Al Darwish continued his brilliant driving in the ‘Trophy’ section to take the first Round 2 race.

Al Darwish clocked 47.350 seconds in 25 minutes, 55.159 seconds ahead of closest competitor Khaled Al Thani (26.37.337), while Canadian rider Stephen Turnbull was seventh. After Round 2’s first race, Al Darwish added 25 points to raise his total count to 75.

Khaled Al Remaihi, Lusail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC) Vice President, said it was nice to see the “distinguished levels presented by riders and drivers in the Qatar Touring Car Championship (QTCC).”

“The young riders have become very keen to participate in the championship,” Al Remaihi said.

“This has increased the number of participants in all classes of competitions. I see that the riding and driving levels have improved significantly despite the difficult atmosphere in the past two days,” he added.

Al Remaihi said riders and drivers stood to benefit by racing in difficult weather when asked about the influence of high winds on the races and competitors over the weekend.

“Certainly strong winds do not help drivers, but at the same time, the participants gain more experience in such tough conditions. That will undoubtedly benefit them in the future since every race has different circumstances and challenges, and it is better for our youth to face all circumstances so that they are ready for any scenario,” Al Remaihi remarked.

“The QTSL competition is very tough though Saeed Al Sulaiti succeeded in winning the race in tough conditions. This has happened thanks to his great experience, which had a major role in his superiority over Abdullah Al Qubaisi, who is a natural but does not have the experience of Al Sulaiti,” Al Remaihi said when asked about Al Sulaiti and Al Qubaisi.

The six-round series, which began on 22 January, ends on 6 Nov 2021.