Qatar’s Al Sulaiti shares his 5 keys to this weekend’s floodlit finale!
The WorldSSP wildcard and former WorldSBK competitor has plenty of experience around the Losail International Circuit
Sun down, lights on: stars out! The action has already been sizzling at the Losail International Circuit of Qatar on Day One, and we’ve still got every single Superpole and Race to look forward to. Three-way bouts with everything on the line in WorldSBK and WorldSSP, not to mention the premiere of the WorldSSP300 class in Qatar… Everyone is out to win in this final meeting of 2019, but what will each rider need to do that? Saeed Al Sulaiti (QMMF Racing Team), wildcarding in WorldSSP for the second time at his home track, shares his thoughts…
A nighttime extravaganza
“I’d describe riding here as “dancing under the lights”. This is the special thing about this track, it’s the only one in which we ride at night time. I hope everybody enjoys it because it’s a totally different atmosphere.”
Will the weather be a factor?
“I’m very happy that we don’t have rain this year. Last year we had a lot of rain during the race weekend. This year, the temperature is higher than our expectations – must be global warming all over the place! But it looks like everything will be good, the times from FP1 are not that slow compared to last year’s. Everything is going very well, all I hope is that the weather will stay as it is for the rest of the weekend.”
No favourites in the battle for bronze
“The fight for third is between three riders, and two of them are very close friends to me: Michael van der Mark and Toprak Razgatlioglu. I wish both could get third position – let the best man win! To be honest, we noticed Toprak was incredibly fast and showing huge improvement. I think he’s the closest, in FP1 he was in second position. I think he’s in the right direction, but you never know, I’m sure that Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes will do their best to be in the fight. I hope the best for all of them!”
Three-way battles are the talk of Qatar
“WorldSSP is the most exciting part of the weekend. It’s going to be so difficult, all three riders fighting for the championship are so fast, aggressive… I can’t wait to see the results. It’s a really nice final for WorldSSP.”
Not to forget: 5.3km fit for WorldSSP300!
“The WorldSSP300 category is great, I’m really happy to see them participate here because it also opens a door for a 300 championship for the younger generation here [in Qatar]. Let’s see how it is!”
Watch all the Superpole sessions and Races LIVE from the Losail International Circuit thanks to WorldSBK VideoPass!
