DOHA (Qatar): Abdulla Al Qubaisi will hope to defend his title in the Qatar Superstock 600 (QSTK) when the opening race of the six-leg championship starts on January 23 at the Losail Circuit Sports Club.
On Monday, the riders took part in the QSTK600, QSTK 300 and drivers competing in the Qatar Touring Car Championship (QTCC) were part of the official test.
Al Qubaisi and other riders were excited that they will be competing at the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) organized event.
Saeed Al Sulaiti topped the test charts in the QSTK 600, clocking his best time in the fourth practice session, completing in 2:03.990.
Al Qubaisi found himself pushed to the second spot having clocked his best timing during the third practice session 3.
“I’m really happy to be back on the track and racing and I’m really looking forward to winning the championship again this season. We have new bikes this season and we did some tests today and it was exciting but exhausting. We were able to understand the bikes better and inshallah everything will be right,” said Al Qubaisi.
Al Nuaimi who had a podium finish last year said it a nice feeling to be back on track after a nine-month period.
“We tested the new R6 Yamaha today. We have not been racing since April of last year and now with these new bikes, we have to understand them,” said Al Nuaimi. “The official tests will help us prepare for the new season.”
Mashel Al Naimi, Rayad Al Emadi, Soud Al Thani, Jassim Al Thani and Essa Al Mutawa kept the top two on their toes during the practice sessions.
New season kicks off on January 22-23
The six-legged QSTK season kicks off with the first leg on January 22 and 23.
The next rounds will be held on February 19-20 and March 5-6.
Another rider Yousef Al Darwish, who topped the charts in the QSTK 3oo category, is excited the season has started and he will be competing.
“We achieved a lot today. The most important thing is that we achieved our goals and we are ready,” said Al Darwish.
Darwish time of 2:19.066 was good enough to finish the day on top of the scoring sheets.
He said the late start to the season will have its advantages
“Starting late this year would be better for us due to the weather. It’s a bit hotter than December, and that helps a lot on the bike. If things go well, we may race at night.” And it’s the most exciting part of being in Lusail,” added Al Darwish.
Hamad Al Sahouti had the second best timing in the QSTK 300 followed by Saad Al Harqan, Alexian Macary, Michael Korres, Edoardo Pia, Sami Salvaggio , Nicola Muscolino and Abdulla Al Saey.
Macary said he is excited and looking forward to this season.
“It was tough. Day one is always weird but after one round, the feeling was really great. In the second round, I was more stable, and had a good time. My hope is to get the podium this season,” said the Frenchman, who finished third last year.
The second official test will be held on September 17 and 18.
The next three rounds will be held on September 24-25, October 22-23 with the final round slated to take place on November 5 and 6.
Qatar Touring Car Championship
In the Qatar Touring Car Championship (QTCC) Nasser Al Ahbabi said that the new season will be a challenging one.
Ahmed Al Asiri topped the charts followed by Ahmad Shaheen Al Muhannadi.
“This season, there are a lot of competitors so there will be a lot of challenges. It’s a longer season, so we can do more maintenance for cars and even order parts that are not usually readily available,” Al Ahbabi said.
“Now we have more time to fix our cars. So, this year will be more exciting than previous years, and I look forward to it,” he added.
Al Abbasi said the competitors are excited about this season as there will be more drivers competing this year than usual.
“It will be a challenging season with a lot of participants with a lot of good cars. It promises to be one of the most exciting seasons.”
Besides Al Asiri and Al Muhannadi, others who took part in the official tests included Ghanim Al Maadheed, Jabor Al Sulaiti, Ahmed Ismail Al Abbasi, Mohamed Al Maadeed, Omran Karama, Nasser Abdulla, Maher Serre, Saad Al Mohannadi, Nasser Al Ahbabi and Mohamed Al Buainain.
