Mixed start for reigning TRD 86 Cup champion Al Azhari

Matt Jones - Editor 11:02 01/11/2015
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  • The TRD 86 Cup cars.

    The second season of the TRD 86 Cup got off to a stuttering start for defending champion Karim Al Azhari who crashed on the second day of the season opener in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

    Al Azhari won the inaugural race of the series at Yas Marina Circuit on Friday to get the defence of his title off to a flyer, but he collided with Emirati debutant Abdulrahman Al Shamsi in race two, which saw him finish eighth out of 10 drivers.

    Al Azhari’s pain was Shihab Al Faheem’s gain, the Emirati enjoying a dream start as he steered towards an eight-second win in race two.

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    “It feels good to have won the race, but I need to build on it and practice to keep the momentum going into the second round,” said Al Faheem, who started the second race in eighth place after his runners- up finish in race one.

    “We had a lot of newcomers coming from behind, so it was quite tough to race out there with it being the first race of the season.

    “Overtaking was very difficult, especially as everyone wants to hold their position. Some drive aggressively, and some not.”

    It was an excellent start all round for the man who said before the opening round that he was dreaming of a top three finish.

    Al Faheem, who also picked up a second place finish in the opening race on Friday behind Al Azhari, finished just a second off the German after the allotted eight laps.

    It was also a mixed weekend for another UAE driver, Ahmed Al Melaihi.

    Last season’s championship runner-up finished third behind Al Azhari and Al Faheem in race one but was then forced to retire after just three laps of the second race.

    Reigning champion Al Azhari was content with the first round of the new season, with five more to come between now and April.

    “It was a good weekend but I suffered a collision that ruined my suspension and my race was over,” he said.

    “You lose a huge amount of speed and that played a huge part, but it was a good weekend. The competition was tough and it’s going to be an exciting season.”

    Frenchman Gregory Pain made a good start to what he hopes will be a top-five finish in his his maiden TRD 86 Cup campaign, claiming fifth in race one and improving to second in race two.

    He said: “It was really tough out there. It was a good race and I am very happy. The track was very slow and very difficult and throughout this weekend, I learnt a lot. It was a great experience.”

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