Sports Thursday, May 14, 2020 13 Sheikh Soud posts second victory in a row RACE 2 RESULTS (15 LAPS) Bad luck hits # Rider Bike Time Sulaiti as he fails GROUP A 1. 20 SHEIKH SOUD AL THANI (DUCatI) 24:57.542 to connect for 2. 7 HADE AHMAD (DUCatI) +16.729 the race; Qubaisi 3. 11 JEREMY PAROLA (DUCatI) +30.676 rides well to GROUP B 1. 4 ALI AHMED BOUSHEHRI/KWT (YaMAHA) 25.13.339 net second 2. 2 ABDULLA AL QUBAISI (DUCatI) +4.677 spot in Group B 3. 14 KHALID AL MARAGHI (DUCatI) 5.336 behind winner QUALIFYING STANDINGS (AFTER RACE 2) # RIDER R1 R2 R3 PTS Boushehri Sheikh Soud al Thani: On the top QSTK600 winner Abdulla al Qubaisi: A welcome second-place finish Group B race winner Ali Ahmed GROUP A after second successive triumph. in Race 2 Boushehri of Kuwait. 1 20 SHEIKH SOUD AL THANI 40 40 0 80 2 7 HADE AHMED 1:39.593 33 36 0 69 TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK display. Despite going into the 25:13.339, Qubais and Zaidan 3 11 JEREMY PAROLA 1:40.209 36 33 0 69 DOHA gravel twice, the young rider Protests by Saeed and Hamad upheld were seen in a hot battle for 4 12 JOSHUA ILANO 31 31 0 62 rode brilliantly to grab the sec- the runner-up honour. The 5 8 HAMAD AL SAHOUTI 30 29 0 59 GROUP leaders Sheikh Soud ond spot, being four plus sec- TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK badly that it looked virtually im- latter foiled him a couple of 6 13 SHEIKH KHALED AL THANI 29 27 0 56 al Thani and Saeed al Sulaiti, onds adrift of winner Boush- DOHA probable for him to get among times but near the Turn 5 in 7 21 YaCOB AZADI 28 26 0 54 also a three-time QSTK600 ehri. Fifth in the opening race, the top six and make it to the the final lap, Zaidan slided 8 16 SHEIKH SaoUD AL THANI 0 30 0 30 champion, had contrasting he is one point behind Zaidan IN a late development, Saeed finals. He was in ninth position into the gravel and Qubaisi 9 5 ALI AL ANSARI 0 28 0 28 fortunes in the second quali- but leads Khalid al Maraghi al Sulaiti bounced back into with 40 points after the second unleashed a burst of speed to 10 3 ALEXANDER QABAZARD/KWT 27 0 0 27 fying races and the latter will by two points. Saad al Harqan contention for a place in the race, while Sulaiti was 10th with grab the second place, which now need some miracles on rounds out the top five with 58 finals of the Qatar Online Rac- a tally of 29 points. he maintained till he cross the GROUP B CLASSIFICATION ON POINTS (MAX.) Thursday if he is hoping for a points, after snatching a su- ing Championship Moto as Both the riders lodged com- finish line, more than four and # RIDER R1 R2 R3 PTS place in the finals of the Qatar perb third spot. his protest was upheld by the plaints. The Stewards Commit- a half seconds behind the win- 1 4 ALI AHMED/KWT 33 40 0 73 Online Racing Championship Sulaiti was gutted after his Stewards on Wednesday. tee, later in the evening, ruled ner. 2 17 MOHAMAD AL ZAIdaN/KWT 36 31 0 67 Moto. DNS (did not score). “It was Along with Saeed, Hamad that failing to join the race was Maraghi beat Zaidan by 3 2 ABDULLA AL QUBAISI 30 36 0 66 At the Circuit de Barcelona- bad luck. I (tried to) join at the al Sulaiti had also failed to join not the mistakes of the riders more than four seconds to seal 4 19 SAEED AL SULAITI 40 26 0 66 Catalunya on Tuesday night, same second but it did not al- the participants’ lobby due to concerned. Hence, it decided the last spot on the podium 5 14 KHALID AL MARAGHI 31 33 0 64 Sheikh Soud produced another low me to join. I did a fast lap connection error and both could to grant 26 points for the ninth and Harqan emerged the fifth 6 18 SAAD AL HARQAN 28 30 0 58 calm and classic performance in the Qualifying and was very not take part in the second place to Saeed and 25 points fastest. 7 15 MARTIN RobINSON 27 29 0 56 to record his second triumph in confident for the race. qualifying race on Tuesday. As a to Hamad for the 10th place. In the Group A race, 8 10 JASSIM AL THANI 26 28 0 54 the Group A, pole rider Sulaiti “I’m still on fire and hope- result, both got zero points. The rulings meant that Sheikh Soud was unstoppable 9 9 HAMAD AL SULAITI 29 25 0 54 failed to connect on time and fully, in the next race, we win It may be recalled that Saeed moved to overall fourth once again. Within the open- 10 6 ANTOINE BAAKLINI 25 27 0 52 scored a duck in the Group B. and try to go to the finals,” he Saeed, who may win the place in the standings, taking his ing lap itself, he got ahead 11 1 ABDULLA AL ABASSI 0 0 0 0 So did Hamad al Sulaiti. added. championship also, had won points to 66, the same as Abdul- of the field by over a second However, the reverse has Six top riders from each the opening race and was the la al Qubaisi, who was second and kept working steadily to now dealt a serious blow to group will get a place in the fi- pole rider in the second race. in the Tuesday’s race. Hamad improve the gap. At the end, Near T2 in the last lap, Parola my concentration in the final Sulaiti’s ambition of getting nals and in the Group B, Mar- However, the second race’s is ninth with 54, the same as though he suffered a fall, he passed Sheikh Saoud and held lap and had a crash but I was into the three-race finals. tin Robinson is holding the duck affected his position so Sheikh Jassim al Thani. had more than enough time onto the position, while the lucky that I had a big gap to In his absence, Kuwait’s Ali sixth spot with 56 points. This to get up and win again with latter had a crash in the final the second-placed rider. I’d Ahmed Boushehri managed means, Sulaiti, who has 40 more than 16 seconds ahead of corner of the last lap. Ilano like to keep up the momentum some spirited front-running points, will require some dra- the initiative and kept cement- crashed which allowed Zaidan second-placed Hade Ahmad. took advantage of it and se- and challenge for the champi- and went on to clinch the race, matic results in the third and ing his edge, opening a gap of to challenge for the second Jeremy Parola, the QSTK cured the fourth place. Sheikh onship. taking himself to the top with last qualifying race, if he has to over two seconds in eighth lap. place for some time. Robinson Trophy champion, Joshua Il- Saoud recovered well and “Of course, racing in the 73 points, six more than Mo- advance to the finals. Behind him, Qubaisi, Harqan, and Sheikh Jassim also lost ano and Sheikh Saoud al Tha- pulled off the fifth spot. finals is much more com- hamad al Zaidan, his compa- In the opening stages Maraghi, Sheikh Jassim al control and fell behind. ni were seen be fighting tooth Sheikh Soud was delighted petitive and fun for the riders triot, who secured a fighting of the race, Kuwaiti riders Thani and Maraghi waged a Then as Boushehri even- and nail for the third place in with his second triumph and and spectators because I’ll be fourth spot. Boushehri and Zaidan had a grim battle for the second to tually pulled 15 plus second turns. In the 14th lap, Sheikh commented, “I’m very pleased racing against a selection of QSTK600 champion Ab- few scraps for the lead. At T4 fifth spots. clear before the final lap with Saoud rose to third with Pa- with my performance. It was the best from both groups,” dulla al Qubaisi had a gutsy in the fifth lap, Ali regained Qubaisi and Harqan his dominant ride and won in rola and Ilano following him. another great result. I lost Sheikh Soud commented. KHELAIFI FINISHES NINTH IN TWO VIRTUAL TCR EUROPE RACES No Pak central contracts for Amir, Riaz Qatar’s Abdulla al Khelaifi AFP drove his CUPRA TCR KARACHI brilliantly to finish ninth in the third and fourth rounds PAKISTAN fast bowlers Mo- of the TCR Europe Simracing hammad Amir and Wahab Series at the Red Bull Ring Riaz have lost their central in Spielberg, Austria on contracts after the pair decided Wednesday. He had missed to focus on white-ball cricket, the first two rounds as his officials said on Wednesday, connection to the racing as selectors promote younger lobby was quite slow last pacemen. month. Daniel Nagy was The Pakistan Cricket Board eighth ahead of Khelaifi (PCB) also confirmed Azhar Ali in the fourth race, losing as Test captain and Babar Azam his three-win streak. Niels as one-day and Twenty20 cap- Langeveld of the Netherlands tain for the upcoming season Pakistan’s fast bowlers Mohammad Amir (left) and Wahab Riaz.