Azhari finishes season with a bang to defend TRD 86 Cup crown

Denzil Pinto 07:01 17/04/2016
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  • A special repeat: Al Azhari.

    Karim Al Azhari delivered when it really mattered and showed why he’s the defending champion by triumphing in three of the last four races to retain his TRD 86 Cup title.

    The 43-year-old German was the man to beat, leading the championship with 144 points, 20 clear of Mohammed Abdulghaffer Hussein ahead of the final two rounds at Yas Marina Circuit.

    But with plenty at stake, the German showed no signs of buckling under pressure, dominating Round Five with two successive victories before repeating the feat again in Race One of Round Six.

    His ninth victory of the season was enough to seal his second crown with a race to spare after Hussein finished second and third.

    With the title already in the bag, Al Azhari pushed for a clean sweep but was seven seconds slower behind runner-up Hussein and Frenchman Gregory Pain, who triumphed in the final race in 21:54.168 minutes.

    Although he could not finish his season on a winning note, Al Azhari ended the championship with 220 points with Hussein forced to settle for second place with 192.

    After wrapping up a dominant season, Al Azhari was in jubilant mood, describing his achievement as “special”.

    “I’m very proud to win this championship because this is a country where I was born and now live in,” he said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy so I kept my head straight and kept out of trouble and my strategy worked.

    “Defending the title is always special because in motorsport anything can happen. I think winning the first season had set the standard but to win two titles in a row, well that is something really special.”

    Prior to the weekend, Al Azhari told his rivals to expect a stern challenge and definitely delivered.

    He sent out an early warning clocking 21:46:542, with Emirati duo Ahmed Al Melaihi and Hussein in second and third places respectively in Race One of Round Five.

    With a reversed grid in Race Two, as per the competition’s rules, Al Azhari was slightly slower with a time of 21:48:288 but was still fast enough to keep Al Melaihi and Hussein off the top step of the podium.

    Going into the sixth and final round, Al Azhari had the comfort of a 24-point lead ahead of Hussein. Although the two drivers provided a fascinating contest, any hopes of the Emirati taking top spot were dashed when the former crossed the chequered flag in 21:46:691 minutes.

    Last season’s runner-up, Al Melaihi, was unable to go one fur- ther, finishing third overall with 154 points.

    “It’s frustrating not to do better than last year but Karim was just too good,” said Melaihi, whose best result was second in the four races. “I gave it my best shot but I’m pleased with what I’ve done even though there were some technical issues with the car throughout the season.”

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