Sizzling Sulaiti claims overall title
He crashed in the first lap but fought back to rule the QORC Moto third finals; Sheikh Soud runner-up; Maraghi third
SAEED al Sulaiti capped his dominant display in the Qatar Online Racing Championship Moto with the crown, sweeping the third and last finals with a stirring comeback at the home Losail International Circuit, on Thursday.
At the floodlit . -km layout, the -year-old threetime QSTK600 winner, who raced for Qatar in the World Superbike Championship and Moto2, suffered an early crash but resurged with his typical pace and poise to win the 1 lap race with over 11 seconds ahead of Sheikh Soud bin Jassim al Thani.
The third place went to Kuwaiti rider Mohamad al aidan. Hade Patel secured the fourth spot, beating current QSTK600 champion Abdulla al Qubaisi by more than three and a half seconds.
A delighted Sulaiti commented after the race, “I am very happy to be the champion. I want to thank the QMMF for organising the such a fine online championship. It is a hard time for all. I would hope that soon this situation (coronavirus pandemic) ends and we all get a chance to get back to the track. I want everybody to follow the government guidelines and stay safe.”
“As far as the race goes, I made a mistake and had a crash on Turn . But I knew if I can maintain by rhythm, I’d be back. I managed to overtake Sheikh Soud and then went on to win the race and the championship. I am proud to win the online title and will be looking forward to more such racing
I am very happy to be the champion. I want to thank the QMMF for organising the such a fine online championship. It is a hard time for all. I would hope that soon this situation (coronavirus pandemic) ends and we all get a chance to get back to the track. I want everybody to follow the government guidelines and stay safe.
Saeed al Sulaiti
opportunities,” Sulaiti added.
Sulaiti, who was on his sixth pole in a row, bagged the top prize of QR1, 000 with 120 points. This was his fifth victory in the championship. In the second qualifying race, he was not able to connect to the race lobby. Sheikh Soud, with three second-place finishes, collected 10 points and took home the overall second spot and QR1 ,000. Khalid al Maraghi, despite finishing sixth in the race, managed to total 9 points, which fetched him the third spot and QR10,000. aidan had a tally of 9 points and won the fourth prize of QR6,000, while Patel accumulated 90 points and bagged the fifth prize of QR ,000.
The secret of Sulaiti’s return was his dazzling speed. Even in the qualifying runs, he had established a gap of over two seconds. His fastest was 1: 0.71 , coming in the final lap. That pace helped him get back into the race. After the first lap, Sheikh Soud, who started the race from second, led the field by over one and a half seconds.
Sulaiti’s dramatic recovery however saw him overtake seven riders in the third lap and at the home straight of the fifth, he began trading attacks with Sheikh Soud. After a few bold exchanges, it was Sulaiti, who forged ahead in the sixth lap and kept building on gap. In the next lap, he was clear by 1.7 seconds and never looked back.
Soon the race settled with Sulaiti in the first spot, followed by Sheikh Soud, aidan, Patel, Qubaisi, Maraghi, QSTK Trophy winner Jeremy Parola and Kuwait’s Ali Ahmed Boushehri. The trend continued and in the 11th lap, there was excitement as Sheikh Soud lost the control and he was given a hot chase by aidan. Though Sheikh Soud managed to defend his position, aidan completed the race a little over a second behind Sheikh Soud.
Sheikh Soud said, “I’m happy overall. Saeed did a mistake that allowed me to lead the race for few laps but his pace is fast and he managed to pull big lead on me. Finally the runner-up is great result. All thanks to the QMMF for giving is the chance to compete in this difficult time.”
Maraghi was delighted to achieve his aim and the third spot. He said, “I really wanted to maintain my overall ( rd place). To maintain it, I should have not got lower than P7. So I didn’t push myself to the limit so that I can avoid mistakes. At the end, I achieved the desired results and won the overall third place.”
aidan said,”It was an awesome race. I’m glad for my performance, though I would have wanted to attack Sheikh Soud more but could not do so.”
Patel said that the fifth place was something he had been dreaming about. “Being among top for me is a dream come true. I would like to dedicate this victory to my family, friends and fans for their support and prayers. It was kind of a motivation that paid off. For my fans I am champion and I really loved that. Barring me, all the participants were real riders.”
Parola could not push more and had to be satisfied with seventh place. Boushehri got the eighth spot. Sheikh Jassim al Thani and Hamad al Sahouti picked the ninth and 10th spots.