The final race day of the 2011/2012 UAE national motorsport season took place at Dubai Autodrome on Friday (13 April) and on the day Mahmoud Tannir was crowned 2011/2012 Motorcity UAE Sportbikes Champion, with Surya Raja wrapping up the inaugural rookie Cup title.
Tannir, aboard his Triumph Daytona, needed a win on the –double points scoring – final day to claim his first UAE Sportbike Championship title, and he went one better by taking top spot on the podium in both races. With that he made it 12 wins out of a possible 14, beaten only twice during the entire season.
At the end of the day, delighted and visibly emotional Tannir said, “A fantastic day, fantastic wins and fantastic to be champion. I am honoured to join the likes of Pascal Grosjean, Rod Scott, Hussain Al Kooheji, Arushen Moodley, Abdulaziz Binladen and all these guys who raised the bar in UAE motorcycle racing.”
“I need to thank my family for their support and also my whole crew, who are very much behind the scenes, but in the end make it possible for me to deliver results on the track. Also my teammate Alan Boyter, who pushed me hard at the start of the season and helped me raise my game. It was hard work but now I feel great and the reward of the championship makes the effort worthwhile,” added the Dubai based Lebanese rider.
Behind Tannir, in Race 1, was Honda rider Steve Blackney in second and Kawasaki mounted Omar Naji third, scoring his first ever podium finish.
In Race 2 Tannir was followed across the line by Blackney, again taking second, and Joe Oxley, who recovered from a first race crash, to take third place on a Ducati.
Nasser Al Shaiba was double winner in the non-championship 1000 Class aboard his BMW, with Daimen van Blerk runner-up in both instances. Al Shaiba was also the overall winner in both races.
Sporting one of the biggest smiles in the paddock was Yamaha rider Surya Raja who scored maximum points in both races to notch up the inaugural Rookie Cup championship title.
Raja said afterwards, “It’s been an amazing first season of racing for me. At the beginning of the season I was back of the grid and nowhere near the front runners. But with good coaching from former champion Juzar Motiwala I was able to improve with every outing and by the mid-season I started winning Rookie Cup races and today I am here the champion. Really I am very happy and must thank my family for believing in me. I am very proud and happy.”
Thus ended the 2011/2012 Motorcity UAE Sportbike Championship which ran over 14 rounds on 7 race days with the first starting in October last year. The new championship, 2012/2013 is likely to start later this year, in October.