The start of the new season of Qatar Superbike Championship kicked off yesterday under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit with the participation of a total of 48 riders. For this year, there will be the two categories separated with a total of 22 riders taking part in the Superbike and 26 riders in the Supersport category.
In the Supersport category, the superpole was for the Saudi Arabian rider Abulaziz Bin Ladin, with a Kawasaki ZX6R. Even he didn’t make a good lap time in the Qualifying session, 2:08.588, Bin Ladin is happy to start tomorrow from the front. ’The qualifying session was a bit difficult because we didn’t have too much practice time, but I am happy for the pole position, but we have to improve still the lap timing as we still off pace than we were last year’ he said after the qualifying session. The second classified is the Qatari rider Fahid Al Sowaidi with a lap time of 2:09.805.
Also riding in the Supersport category, the Serbian rider Manca Katrasnik got the best time in the women category , getting the seventh overall result. ‘I am really happy with the result, I didn’t imagine I will go so fast, because in the last season my last race was not very good, so I didn’t expect this good times also with the the problems we had this afternoon, but at the end all was right. I hope that tomorrow for the race my lap timing will be better and make a good result. Let the season start’ said Manca after the session.
In the Superbike category, the fifth times champion winner, Alex Cudlin, got the Superpole ‘It is good to start the season on pole, the bike was good, we haven’t changed anything from the last season and all we did was to change the oil and here we are…in this temperature, I feel confident in the start, I think I can do 5/10 fast laps but for sure Mishal will be there as he is always is and some others, but we’ll see tomorrow but so far, I am very happy for the pole on the start of the season’ Cudlin said.
Nina Prinz wil start from the second place in the grid ‘ It was great, in the first qualifying we had some problems in the fuel pump and a little bit with the electronic and I was not so happy about the first qualifying , and I thought we could have some problem in the Superpole but the bike was fine and i think I can go faster tomorrow in the race, but I am very happy with the second position and ready for the race’ said Nina after the superpole.
The runner up of the last season, Mishal Al Naimi will start in the third place in the grid tomorrow, as he had some problems with the radiator of his bike and couldn’t do a good lap timing ‘I am very happy to be back in the QSBK. I feel more motivated after my podium in Albacete in the European Superbike this month and with the new category, the competition will be stronger and we can fight from the first lap until the end, so this is really good. Regarding the sessions today, I had bad luck with my racing bike, with the radiator, every time I go out, when I pushed hard , after three laps I feel something coming out from my bike , and many times I thought I would crash, as there was water coming out to my tyres, so for the superpole I went with my second bike, but it has a gear box problems, so I couldn’t make it good, but for tomorrow I will give my best to be in the podium and fight for the first position. Many thanks to Ooredoo and to QMMF for organizing this great championship’ Al Naimi said after the superpole.
The fourth position in the grid will be for Saeed Al Sulaiti and Rajini Krishnan will be in fifth place. Martin Bexon was the fastest rider in the veterans category inside the Supersport category.
