(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Team QMMF return to the FIM CEV series with renewed energy and with the aim of fighting for top positions with rider Saeed Al Sulaiti of the Qatari team focussed on the task ahead in the Superbike class.
The first race of the year was challenging for Saeed, as he faced a completely unfamiliar track.
The Qatari, part of the QMMF structure in the Endurance World Championship, was unable to attend testing scheduled at the Portimao Circuit because of a clash with the first race of the endurance series. He thus began his campaign at a circuit known for its hilly terrian.
Both the team and Saeed were up to the challenge, and scored points in the first round of the Superbike European Championship.
"The weekend has been good for me. In the first free practice I focused on learning the track, since it was the first time that I had ridden at this circuit. I could not test here because it coincided with the race at Le Mans but, in any case, we managed to improve with every lap and got a good time in the qualifying session.
"In the first race things went well for the first few laps, but the bike began to shake and that made me lose positions on the final laps. It meant I dropped from thirteenth to seventeenth," Saeed said, who finished in the 16 and 17th positions.
"For the second race we ran a better setup, that allowed me to claim my first championship point. I am very happy with the work we've done, and the result, so I want to thank the team, QMMF and the President for giving me the opportunity to return to this championship," he added.
Luis R Solano - Team Coordinator of QMMF Team was optimitic of a good result inthe European Superbike Championship "We are very happy with this start to the season, because we achieved very positive results. For Saeed this was his first experience in Portimao Circuit and he is used to flat circuits like Qatar, so this track is like a roller coaster for him and involved added difficulty," Solan said.
The positions obtained today are an excellent way to start the season. In the first race he lacked a bit of pace and was on the verge of entering the points, but in the second race he came out very motivated and claimed his first points in the championship. This is very positive because it places us in a good starting point, and I think that in the coming races we can be fighting to get amongst the top ten. The next races are at circuits that Saeed knows, and this will help us to fight for these positions," the QMMF Team official said.
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