The Peninsula
Abdulla Al Qubaisi has issued a warning to his rivals ahead of the new season’s first race - that he is looking forward to dominating the proceedings when the new Qatar Superstock 600 season kicks off at Losail International Circuit (LIC) on Friday.
Al Qubaisi, who was second fastest in the free practice at LIC earlier this week, said: “I’m really happy to be back in racing after a long break. I’m really looking forward to winning the championship again this season.”
The young Qatari rider added: “In official practice, we did some tests with the new bikes and it was exciting but exhausting.”
Last season, Al Qubaisi dethroned Qatari racing star Saeed Al Sulaiti (second) and veteran rider Meshal Al Naimi (third) to emerge title winner with tally a total of 213 points.
With just two days to go before the season-opener of the six-leg series, Al Sulaiti topped the practice charts with a time of 2:03.990.
Riders in the QSTK 300 class and drivers set to feature in the popular Qatar Touring Car Championship (QTCC) also had training sessions at LIC.
After his practice, Qatar’s experienced rider Al Naimi said: “We tested the new R6 Yamaha (on Monday) and this is the first experience of the new season. We have not been on the bikes since April of last year and now with these new bikes, we have to understand them. The official tests helped us prepare for the new season.”
Rider Yousef Al Darwish said: “I am excited to be a part of the senior class. We achieved a lot during the official testing. The most important thing is that we achieved our goals and we are ready. 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 at Lusail International Circuit.”
French rider in the QSSP 300 class Alexian Macary said: “I am is excited and looking forward to the new season. It was tough in the official testing. 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 podiums this season. “
Qatar driver in the QTCC class Ahmed Al Abbasi said: “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. 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.”
Fellow QTCC driver Nasser Alahbabi said: “The participants are excited about this season as there will be more drivers competing this year than usual. I see this as one of the most exciting of all seasons. I am glad that the season has finally started. We hope this season will end well for me. It will be a challenging season with a lot of participants with a lot of really good cars.”
Last season’s QTCC winner Ghanim Al Maadeed also featured in the official testing along with 12 other competitors this week.
In the QSTK 600 class, all riders will compete with the best of their racing skills using one-make bike that will be used for the rest of the season, a stocked 600cc bike.