Mahmoud Tannir all smiles on the Thursday before 'rain stopped play' on the Friday race day
UAE Sportbike title holder Mahmoud Tannir admits the weekend postponement of round two of the championship has left him frustrated.
The Lebanese rider was hoping to make up ground in the standings after a crash curtailed his challenge in round one last month. But Tannir and his fellow riders were unable to compete after the torrential rain caused the cancellation of the two sportbike races as the conditions were deemed unsafe, especially as wet weather tires were not available.
Tannir said: “It was frustrating not to race this weekend. However, it was a relief as the track was too slippery and deemed unsafe at least for motorcycle racing. “I felt I had a point to prove. To me it seemed a bit unfair the mistake I made in round one, but that’s racing and you learn, improve and move on. I felt I had unfinished business with the track – not with my competitors!
“You can never be sure of winning, which is the beauty of racing. But I did feel confident having learned more how the new tires worked during Thursday’s practice and how to get the best out of them through a whole race.”
Organizers are now working out when the rescheduled races will take place, with round three already in the diary for December 14. And having already seen his rivals once, Tannir, who recently signed a sponsorship deal with TAG Heuer, knows he has some competition this time around.
He said: “It is more competitive as some of the racers have improved a lot. “I know that we are strong though and have a good package to win. Of course there is more pressure on defending the title when you have the ‘number 1 ’ on your bike. But we have a good team,” he added.
Mahmoud with Triumph's Nick Muddle
“We were all delighted to have Nick Muddle, Regional Export Sales Manager at Triumph UK with the guys from Duseja Moto on Thursday practice. This means a lot to the team, especially for potential future projects and having the support of key personnel from the Triumph factory is really a great step forward.
Moody Triumph's with TAG Heuer as his latest sponsor
“I am also delighted to have TAG Heuer on board as our sponsor and I am sure we will do our best together and aim for wins to strengthen its position as a brand with a racing pedigree.”
