Moody tops the podium winning the 600cc class
After successfully defending their UAE 600cc Sportsbike championship, UAE based Mahmoud Tannir and the team decided to enter round 5 of the Qatar International Road Racing Championship on May 10th & 11th which took place at the Losail International Circuit for a short test program. The idea was to test both the bike and the team’s ability to achieve some lap times and to evaluate our competitiveness ahead of a possible full season next year. We had small data available to us as we only visited the track once before in 2011.
Friday 10th May saw Mahmoud, Ian and Aldrin fly into Doha and after checking into the hotel, they headed out to the circuit to sign in, set-up the garage, give the bike a full spanner check and fit new tires. Both numbers 1 (Mahmoud’s number from the UAE championship but used by Alex Cudlin) and 10 (Mahmoud’s all time number but allocated to rider unknown) had been taken. So what number to race under? of course 110 (1 +10). The paddock had a Dubai feel to it as Erikas, Surya, Joe and Omar had also entered, so the team wasn’t strangers in a strange land.
With preparation complete, the team took the opportunity to have a short rest and for Mahmoud to go over the circuit layout in his head before the 1st practice session started.
7pm saw Mahmoud head out for 45 minutes of practice where he would refine his braking and turn in points and learn the track. Slowly but gradually he reduced his lap times from 2:27 to 2:21. Following a quick check of tire pressures, he returned to the track for the last 15 minutes and again the lap times gradually dropped to 2:17. Mahmoud was now in a rhythm but sadly the last 6 laps saw Mahmoud being baulked by a 1,000cc Honda. With the session over, the bike and rider returned to the pits where a splash of petrol was added and minor suspension adjustments made. A spot of rehydration was carried out ahead of the 30 minute qualifying session.
Qualifying saw Mahmoud straight away down in the consistent 2:15 – 2:16 bracket which was the target for day 1. After the session, a decision was made to flip the rear tire as the wear on the right was more than the left (not surprising as the circuit is predominately a right handed circuit plus the compound we tried was a bit too soft!). Other than that, the bike was refueled (taking into account that the race would be ~32 minutes long as compared to ~20 minutes at the Dubai Autodrome), given a quick check and a cleanup.
Moody & Aldrin on grid ready for the race start
Race 1 had been carried over from a previous race day and thus Mahmoud had to start from last place on the grid for the 15 lap race. A nice touch saw the organisers place markers with the bike numbers in front on the grid space where the bike and rider should line up. This made it very easy for Ian & Aldrin to locate where Mahmoud should line up. With the event being an international event, the riders would spend a round 10 minutes on the grid and they would have to remove their helmets. The only problem being that the tires would get cold on the grid, whereas the top teams were taking front and rear stands, tire warmers and generators onto the grid. A lesson learnt and so for tomorrow’s races both stands and tire warmers would be taken to the grid to help and retain some heat in them.
Another difference from the Autodrome is the fact that team members can stand on the pit wall during the start of the race. This meant the team could watch Mahmoud make one of his excellent starts and overtake the three rows ahead of him by the 1st corner. At the end of the 1st lap, 3 of the 600cc riders were nose to tail, game on. Lap 2 saw two of the 600cc riders come round as Fahid Al Sowaidi on his Supersport spec Honda had crashed. The next few laps Mahmoud followed Walid Benterki around to see where he could improve his lines as Walid has more experience of racing on the Losail circuit. On lap 6 Mahmoud felt confident that he could overtake and stay ahead of Walid and so powered past him on the start / finish line. With that job done Mahmoud extended his lead by on average 1.5s per lap and with 1 lap to go his lead was 10s. Sadly with the team getting ready to celebrate the race was red flagged due to a big crash involving 3 riders but no one was hurt.
As the event was an international event, Mahmoud rode the bike down to end of the pit lane were the top 3 bikes from the 1000cc class and the 600cc class winner where held just like they are at the end of a Formula 1, MotoGP and WSB. This meant of course TV interviews, a slightly strange experience but one the team could get used to. And with that the team packed up for the day and headed by to the hotel to shower and sleep as tomorrow was going to be a long day.
Saturday saw the team chilling at the hotel pool and gym as they didn’t need to be at the circuit until 3pm. Once at the circuit the bike was treated to a new set of tires, a splash of fuel and new front brake pads. With that done it was time for the warm-up where the tires and brake pads were bedded in, all that was left was to check the bike over before race 2 of the weekend.
Race 2 saw Mahmoud start from 15th on the grid out of 20 bikes, which meant he qualified ahead of 5 bikes of the larger capacity. The team learnt from yesterday and Ian & Aldrin met Mahmoud on the grid with both bike stands and tire warmers. The teams have about 8 minutes on the grid which allows the riders and members to relax before the start and get some TV exposure. Soon enough the 2 minute board was shown with the team members clearing the grid.
Another excellent start saw Mahmoud move up about 5 places but more importantly well clear of the 3rd 600cc bike. On lap 4 Fahid on his 600cc Honda went off track and dropped 16s to Mahmoud and thus behind him. Mahmoud really put his head down and started to lap in the 2:13’s (almost 2s quicker than yesterday) and put in his fastest lap of 2:12.719. However, despite his best efforts, Fahid closed down on Mahmoud by 2s a lap and once past pulled away. This clearly showed the extra power a Supersport spec bike has over a Superstock one! Still Mahmoud kept battling away and at the chequered flag saw him finish 10th overall and 2nd in class (the same as yesterday).
With that Mahmoud was off to the podium to collect his trophy from his race victory yesterday.
After the race, the team noticed that the bike had sprayed water out of the overflow bottle during the race, a sign that the head gasket might be failing and thus the team decided that it was prudent to play it safe and not start the next race with lack of time. Ever one to gain as much circuit knowledge as possible, Ahmad took Mahmoud round the circuit perimeter so he could observe the braking points and lines of the top riders. With the race over, the team packed away their gear and loaded the bike onto the trailer for Ahmed to drive back to Dubai.
And there ends the teams adventure to Qatar that saw them come away with a race victory and most importantly, Mahmoud reaching his target lap time and a lot of data for future races. With that the team headed off to the airport for their flight back to Dubai.
The team wishes to thank their sponsors, especially Tag Heuer and NGK for their extended support which enabled the team to compete in this event. Also thanks to Ahmad for transporting the bike and of course John for his trailer.
