A file photo of Japanese rider Hiroki Ono who has won the scholarship Asia Dream Cup class. He will be seen in action this week at Losail International Circuit when he competes in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship races.
DOHA: The battle to win the 2013 PETRONAS FIM Asia Road Racing Championship goes down to the wire at the final leg of the season at the Losail International Circuit this week.
Of the three classes contested in the Asian series, only the scholarship Asia Dream Cup class has been sealed by Japanese rider Hiroki Ono.
In the open-make SuperSports 600cc and Underbone 115cc classes, the outcome of the title chase will be determined under the floodlights of Losail.
In the SuperSports 600cc class, Malaysian rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman is in the lead with 178 points.
Hot on his heels, 2011 SuperSports 600cc champion Katsuaki Fujiwara is 19.5 points adrift of the leader.
For Azlan to secure the title, all he needs is to place third in both Race 1 and Race 2.
Also in the mix are potential spoilers such as Mohammed Zamri Baba and former MotoGP and WSBK winner Makoto Tamada who are also in the position to affect changes in the outcome of the 600cc title hunt.
The arrival of wildcard rider, Australian Broc Parkes, is also expected to bring about an element of the unknown to the final leg.
This year, the annual event will serve up an exciting and packed race schedule as the Asian series will share the Losail stage together with the Qatar Superbike Championship (QSBK) and the Losail Asia Road Race Series (LARRS).
The presence of three strong championships on the same weekend promises good racing for motor sports fans.
“This will be the fourth year that the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship has had the privilege of holding the curtain closing round at the Losail International Circuit,” Ron Hogg, Director of Two Wheels Motor Racing, the race promoters of the PETRONAS FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, said.
“Over the past four years, we have witnessed a lot of growth for motorcycle racing in Qatar. These developments are anchored by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) at the world class Losail International Circuit,” he added.
Free practice sessions will start tomorrow and the weekend will close with the Race Night on Saturday, November 23.
THE PENINSULA
