Last season’s runner-up Ahmed Al Melaihi has warned his rivals he is yet to reach top form after sealing two podium finishes in the second round of the TRD 86 Cup.
The 28-year-old Emirati finished third in race one, behind reign- ing champion Karim Al Azhari and Shihab Al Faheem with a time of 21:51:470 minutes
But he went one better in the second encounter, clocking 21:49:241 minutes at Yas Marina Circuit.
While he admits it was two “very good” drives after achieving third and ninth places in the opening round, Al Melaihi wants to keep the momentum going for the remaining four rounds.
“To finish second and third in both races is very good and encouraging,” he said. “Karim Al Azhari was very tough to beat but I enjoyed my battle with Shihab (Al Faheem).
“After I did reasonably okay in the first round, this was a much better drive. I now want to keep this form going and I feel I’m now getting back into shape and I don’t think it will be too long before I hit top form.
“I want to put more strong performances like I’ve had in the sec- ond round. If I can’t finish this season as the champion, then I want to finish in the top three for sure.”
But he knows how big a task that will be, saying this season’s field is much stronger than last.
“Obviously, these two races will give me a lot of confidence but they’ve been really difficult. There are some very strong drivers this year and I feel it will be much harder to win this year’s trophy because a lot of them have improved since last year.”
