“This round will be very determine which way the title will go with competition being very tight, with only one point separating me and Saeed. Last round I found a good set up with my bike and despite the weather I managed to do good lap timings. I hope for this round, I will have good results and finish the round with two victories,” said al-Naimi.
Al-Sulaiti, meanwhile, is hoping to back bounce after struggling in the second race in the last round. “Last weekend I lost the lead of the championship by one point after crashing out in Race 2. At this point of the championship there is no room for mistake, so I hope my team will be able to come up with the best setting. As always, me and my team will do our best to fight for the victory and lead the championship again. I want to thank everyone that has worked hard to get us where we are today and good luck to everyone this weekend,” he said.
In the Trophy category, Essa al-Mutawa is leading with 165 points and Soud al-Thani is second with 150 points. Kuwaiti rider Mohammad al-Zaidan, after his third-place last weekend, is third in the standings with 115 points.
In the Qatar Touring Car Championship, the championship title was already decided in the previous round, with defending champion Abdullah al-Khelaifi clinching the title again this season. Al-Khelaifi has won all the previous rounds except the last one, where he came second in both races. Al-Khelaifi said he was looking forward to the last round, hoping to sign off with a victory. “I am excited to be back racing after the long break and hope all competitors, who faced technical issues, have solved them by now. I wish best for all drivers fighting for second and third overall title this weekend. Fortunately, I secured the championship and can have that peace of mind and just enjoy racing without any pressure,” said al-Khelaifi.
Hamad al-Asam is second in the standings with 93 points and Adham Eldib is third with 78 points.
“It will be an exciting last round of the season with a tough battle for the second place in the championship. I hope to repeat the excellent results of the previous round when I took the pole position and won the two races. After a long break, I am ready to race again, let’s see how it goes this weekend and if I can get the second position overall,” al-Asam said.
Meanwhike, Eldib said: “Although I had a streak of bad luck in the last two rounds, which meant I lost a potential second position in the championship standing, I am very optimistic and hopeful for the last round. I hope that my gearbox problems that haunted me for four continuous races will come to an end allowing me to grab two more podiums in the last round.”
“Anything can happen and I hope a pleasant surprise allows me to regain my second position. Hamad, whom I’m chasing for second position, is a great driver. So if I manage to get him behind me, my chances could be really high. Racing is full of surprises. I had my share of bad ones and I hope only good ones are left,” Eldib added.
Today, QSTK track activity will start at 4pm with the Free Practice 1 and QTCC activity starts at 5:15pm with Free practice 1. QTCC Qualifying will be at 7:45pm, followed by QSTK Superpole at 9pm. Tomorrow, QSTK Race 1 is scheduled at 5:30pm and Race 2 at 7:55pm. For QTCC, the first race is at 6:40pm and the second one at 9pm. The entrance is free for fans at the grandstand and also at the Paddock.
Qatar Superstock 600 and Qatar Touring Car Championship are organised by the Losail Circuit Sports Club and Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation with Pirelli Qatar and Inside as sponsors of both championships.
