Dubai Autodrome Apr 15th 2011: As the last chapter for the season closes, the Yas Marina sponsored motorcycle Racing Team of Vendetta Racing that is Alan Boyter and Mahmoud Tannir, endured a testing time with car accidents, bike issues, bad tyres and on track crashes but the Vendetta racing Team got their first win, better late than never !!
Mahmoud Tannir (Moody) #10 – “There is no such thing as perfect is there? Alan had a mechanical drama, while my day started with a minor car accident whilst getting the bike to the track! what a brilliant start of the test day! Luckily there was very little damage to the car and nothing major to get worried about”.
“As I found out later, my day wasn’t that bad, compared to Alan’s, and after 2 days of head scratching with the guys I was very concerned about him riding the R6 as it was nothing near the Triumph in terms of set up! I was so happy for him to eventually get the Trumpet on the grid albeit at the back! Qualifying went well and i scored the fastest time in 600cc class, until Jason managed a last lap flyer of about 0.3s ahead of mine, but 2nd fastest wasn’t bad at all!
Moody in hot pursuit
Moody Race 1
“Win the race! That’s what I have been telling myself this whole weekend, plain and simple! is it? it turned out to be the hardest bit of my race as I have never beaten Jason before and specially to first position. I had challenged him in previous races this season but he always managed to pass me mid race due to a bit of lack of focus and stamina. But this time it was different, my training for the past month has paid dividends plus the race in Qatar and the fact that our bikes had an advantage on the international circuit”.
“I set up a strategy with my ”Board Man” Ian so I can always be informed about the gap to Jason provided I was leading, which I managed to do at the start of the race. Great start, leading for the first 3 laps wasn’t quite that hard until you see +0 on your board all the time! I kept my rhythm at low 1’49s as I didn’t want to lose all my energy and waited for Jason’s pass which he took at the bowl around lap 7, I knew then that my only chance now was to take him back at the strait which I did, then the hardest bit of the race started as I pushed 100% and was running low 1’48s which I knew was Jason’s best time, I kept my head down, focused and consistent until the last lap where I managed to pull a gap of 3 seconds to take the win and the fastest lap of 1’47s,…..Just Awesome! Our 1st win in the championship! Thanks Ian for being there”
Alan Boyer Flying Scotsman #79
Alan Boyter
Thursday practice was dusty and damp so I don’t think many people got much out of it and my bike had decided to finish the season 2 races early! After 2 days of hunting through wiring diagrams and troubleshooting we eventually got it sorted and managed to put it on the grid (albeit it the back) for race 1. Special thanks goes to several people for their help, Osman for lending me his R6 to race on should I have failed in resuscitating my troubled triple. Eddie for his determination not to be beaten and not giving up fixing the bike in time and Gary from Gulfsport (http://www.gulf-sport.com/) for allowing me to borrow the engine casing, magneto and crank sensor from his road going Triumph for the duration of the race. Thanks guys!
Race 1
“Starting from the back of the grid on my 675 is better than mid grid on an unfamiliar R6 with a very tired and 4 year old standard shock, I had practiced and qualified 4th on Osman’s bike but the Triumph feels so much better. Jason had an issue with his bike on the warm up lap and ended up joining me at the back so I wasn’t all lonely”
“I got an ok start considering my position and went into turn 1 side by side Jason and tucked in behind Gernot who was in 3rd. Jason managed to go round the outside of me and Gernot and I tried to stick with him but Gernot closed the door, Try as I might the pack slowly got away and I was stuck looking at the rear of an R6. There was a couple of spots where I was faster but they weren’t really passing places so knowing that catching up with the leaders wasn’t an option I sat behind Gernot and waited”.
“I sat there for 9 laps waiting for an opportunity and one just never presented itself so going into the hairpin I took the inside line on the brakes and got passed. Unknowingly to me, Gernot seen the move and positioned himself to take a different line so he was right beside me as I lined up for the left hander, we grazed elbows but I had the line and took it, keeping it clean to the finish. 4th wasn’t what I had aimed for but Gernot kept me honest!”
Mahmoud Tannir earlier in race 1
Moody Race 2
“It was surely less stressful, specially knowing that Jason isn’t on the grid! Mechanical problems. Could it be any better? I Had a good start next to Scott Smart on his 1000cc Kawasaki, but a late brake at turn one forced me wide which let Gernot and Alan pass by. I did manage to get right behind Gernot at the back straight and thought about taking him on the brakes at the hairpin, but it wasn’t a sure move so I eased up a bit on the brakes to let him pass and the next thing I remember is my leathers kissing the tarmac!”
“Apparently Joe came in a bit hot in the pack and locked his front, so he crashed into me and took us both down! No broken bones, all good! I picked up the bike and with a broken screen, bent handlebar and footrest, went on to chase the pack. I caught Joe quickly as he had clutch problems from the crash then I knew I had to catch the front guys to get as much points as possible. It took about 5 laps to catch the guys as I was running much faster lap times. I was happy to get 3rd position now as I know it was impossible to catch Alan and Gernot with about 12 seconds ahead. I was pleased with both of us on the podium. it was a good day“
Boyter Race 2
“The start was almost a double take of race 1, with my position in turn 1 the same, the only difference was Jason wasn’t in the running due to bike issues. I used to be good at my starts so either everyone has got better or I’ve got worse, something to work on regardless!”
“I was sitting in 4th looking for a gap at the hairpin and everyone had bunched up a little too much which caused Joe to lock up the front and lost control slightly but everyone was so close he then took out my teammate. Nobody’s fault, just a racing incident but it gave Gernot the jump on me. I tried to close the gap up knowing that this was now a battle for 1st but the frantic bike issues of the weekend had taken its toll on my energy and the harder I tried to catch up the more mistakes I was making. Half way through I decided finishing in 2nd is better than crashing so I eased up for the remainder”.
“After the flag I was pleasantly surprised to see my teammate catch back up with me, He had got back on and managed to grab the 3rd spot, great ride! Second and third spot on the podium for the last race can’t be bad”.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of a season with highs and some very dramatic lows. We were lucky enough to ride in the support race for the MotoGP in Qatar (with podiums!) and also managed to clinch the 2nd and 3rd spot in the Championship, good results all told and the preparation for next season is already underway, All this wouldn’t be possible without the support of my lovely wife Debs, our baby daughter Shamsa, my friends for attending the races and my family for understanding, thank you for being there.”
Mahmoud with wife Debbie and their new family, baby daughter Shamsa
Our season wasn’t the best with a mid season drama but we managed to go forward, push ourselves and get 2nd and 3rd in the championship. Our race in Qatar MotoGP weekend was brilliant and we look forward to similar events soon. I hope our fans have enjoyed following our news this season and thanks for cheering us all along.
We’d like to thank YAS Marina Circuit and all our sponsors, Stuff Magazine, Aldrin and Probikes, Performance Moto, Motorex, Fitness First and CircuitProdigital.com for their support and we hope to keep the good results next year.
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