Cudlin and Bin Ladin dominate QSBK, QSS

Australia’s Alex Cudlin (centre) won the first QSBK race ahead of Qatar’s Mishal al-Naimi (left) and Germany’s Nina Prinz on Saturday.

By Sports Reporter/DohaDefending champion Alex Cudlin had another perfect weekend winning both the Qatar Superbike Championship races at Losail International Circuit on Saturday night.Pole-sitter Mishal al-Naimi of Qatar finished second in the first race behind the Australian, who has now raced to six victories in as many races.“First race was nice. I was able to control the pace, I think from lap five I was able to get into the lead and from there I pushed very hard for five laps to create a gap and was able to control it. I think in the end I won by 10 seconds, so it was a dominant win. I feel good on the bike this year and I am confident, and when I am confident I am fast,” Cudlin said.“The second race I was able to control again. I watched Saeed and Mishal early on and then in the lap four I decided to go for the lead. I then created a big gap and slowed down to avoid a crash. The bike is perfect at the moment, it is working really well and I think I am riding the best I have for many years. It is the most dominant start of the season I ever had, so I hope to keep on going,” added Cudlin.Al-Naimi was fourth in the second race after problems with his bike didn’t allow him to compete at 100 percent.“I am lucky to finish both the races because I don’t know what is the problem with my bike. I think it is the clutch and the engine. I have too much vibration in the bike after around 4 laps. I cannot control the bike. I hope to find the problem and be ready for the next round as I have lost too many points. I want to thank Ooredoo and QMMF for the support,” said al-Naimi.German rider Nina Prinz was back on the podium as she finished third in both the races.Prinz had some problems in the free practice and podium finishes must have definitely delighted her. “In the first race I had a really good start. I was third in the first corners and then I made a mistake and Rapini and Mishal passed me but at the end it was perfect. I could go faster and end in the third place. I am very happy to be on the podium. The free practice was not so perfect with clutch problems and didn’t feel confident. Now that I have podium finishes after all those problems, it is great,” Prinz said after the two races.Indian rider Rajini Krishnan finished second in the second race. “In the second practice, I had a big crash and I managed to qualify in fourth place. In the first race I was doing good but crashed in the 11th lap. But in the second race, I wanted to be on the podium and here I am. I am very happy with this. I want to thank my mechanic, my team and QMMF,” Krishnan said.In the veterans category, British rider Ian Maund won both the races.In the Qatar Supersport (QSS), championship leader Abdulaziz Bin Ladin won both the races without giving any chance to Ahmed al-Muyini and Fahad al-Sowaidi who were second in first and second race respectively.In the first QSS race, Victoria Kis won the women’s cup whereas Manka Katrasnik won in the second race.