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Motorcity UAE Sportbikes Preview Of Round 7 And Round 8 At Dubai Autodrome
Four rounds of the Motorcity UAE Sportbikes Championship in two weeks is the challenge facing the two wheel brigade, who will be in action for Round 7 and Round 8 of the series at Dubai Autodrome’s National Circuit configuration on Friday, 22 February.
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Last time out delivered two different 2012-2013 season winners in the 600 Class with Rob Nicholas taking maximum points on his Triumph Daytona, and Joe Oxley scoring his and Ducati’s maiden win at UAE national level.
Four winners out of six races sets the scene for a thrilling final half of the year. Currently topping the points charts is last year’s Rookie Cup winner Surya Raja who will be looking to bounce back from a below par previous round where he failed to score in one race and was third in the other. His cause not helped by the fact that he blew a piston on his regular Yamaha mount during practice and was forced to ride an unfamiliar Kawasaki on race day. He will be looking to make amends this weekend on a brand new Yamaha.
Trailing Raja by 26 points is reigning champion Mahmoud Tannir on his Duseja Moto Tirumph Daytona, who also had a forgettable last outing when he crashed out in one race but nevertheless managed to finish second in the race two despite riding with bent handlebars. He will be targeting a strong showing on Friday to narrow the gap at the top of the points table.
With Oxley and Nicholas tasting victory for the first time this season, the pair are determined to repeat the feat, and are likely to harass the pace setters in both races, while the likes of Omar Naji (Kawasaki), Erikas Savickas (Yamaha) and Leon Chad (Yamaha) have impressed this season and could be the 'wildcards' in a very competitive pack.
The Rookie Cup has developed into a three-way battle for the coveted title with Colin Hindes the man to beat after winning four of the last six races aboard his Kawasaki. But top of the points standings, by two points, is Neil Hawke who has been ‘Mr Consistency’ on his Kawasaki.
Dominik von Poelnitz, who won the first two races on the opening day of the season, is third on the Rookie points table and after his non-scoring race day last time out, will be itching to get back on the podium.
In the 1000 Class, Abdulaziz Binladen has been in scintillating form and a class act aboard his BMW. He will be hard to beat. The Saudi ace’s main challenger should be fellow BMW rider Nasser Al Shaiba, with Ahmed Al Lanjawi (Suzuki) and Damien van Blerk (Ducati) also in the mix.
Warm-up for the UAE Sportbikes on Friday starts at 9.30 am, with qualifying at 9.50 am, Race 1 at 11.45 pm and Race 2 at 15.05 pm. Also on the bill are two rounds of the NGK Racing Series and two races of the Radical Winter Cup.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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