By Mikhil Bhat/Doha

And then there were two.
One, a defending champion and the championship leader; the other, who has nothing to lose. The round at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, their only chance.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Tom Sykes leads the championship by 12 points over Aprilia Racing Team’s Sylvain Guintoli. And the two are the only one with any chance of winning the title.
“It’s come down to that after a long season of hard racing and on Sunday evening we will do the best we can,” Sykes told Gulf Times yesterday.
The British rider has not won since the second race in Laguna Seca back in July. In the four races since then, two each at Jerez and Magny-Cours, his best has been third place podium finish at the Spanish track.
During this time, Guintoli closed the gap from 44 to 12, with a string of second place finishes and a win in the last race at Magny-Cours.
“It feels good to be so close, especially because we were a long way behind a couple of races ago. So I would say that we definitely have a chance here,” the Frenchman said. “We are in the hunt, and this track, I think will be good for us. I can’t wait actually. It is going to be exciting.
“Night race in Qatar makes it a special event, being away from Europe and finishing the championship like this. I think we can do really well.”
Guintoli is more experienced of the two when it comes to racing in Qatar. He has also raced under lights, with his last visit being in 2010 for the FIM World Endurance Championship and in MotoGP before that.
“I have raced here many times at night. The last time I came here was in 2010. It is a track I really like and know very well obviously,” the 32-year-old, who finished third last year, said.
“While I don’t think that will play a big part, I think Aprilia is going to be very good here and I like this track.”
Sykes, while has raced around Losail a couple of times in the past, is counting on a different kind of experience. “This is my third year in a row that I am fighting for the championship,” the 29-year-old said. He finished second in 2012 before winning the title last year. “I will just try and use best of that experience for an advantage on Sunday.”
In terms of the bike, Sykes plans to make a couple of changes to his Kawasaki ZX-10R for the final weekend of the season, while Guintoli said he is confident he can win without making any changes to his Aprilia RSV4.
About his strategy for the weekend, Sykes said: “Winning is always the idea. Of course, if I follow Sylvain closely in both the races, I will still win. So yeah, we will just look at the situation on Sunday.”
Guintoli, on the other hand, said: “I think I have really good chances. In my mind, I don’t see myself losing. No pressure. I am the one in the hunt. I can’t lose my second place in the championship, so I have nothing to lose.”
The Aprilia rider was also looking forward to a duel with the championship leader in the final race for the title. “We have not had much of a fight on the track. We have done some overtaking but we never had the same pace at the same time. Either I was in front or he. Maybe it will be a great showdown in the last race for the championship,” he said.
And then there were two.