DOHA:  Six-time world champion Antonio Cairoli of Italy powered KTM to victory in the season’s first Super Final race in the opening round of the 2013 MX1 Motocross World Championship.

Cairoli, who finished third in the first MX1 race of the opening world championship round a couple of hours earlier, exhibited his liking for the newly-built Losail MX Track with his second podium of the night.

The Italian dirt track star clocked an impressive time of 38mins 01:816secs to seal victory at the 1.6km circuit bathed in artificial light.

It was the first time that a Motocross World Championship round was held in the Middle East and that too under lights.

Cairoli (3rd and first in the two races) finished the Super Final race ahead of Belgium’s Clement Desalle (1-2 for the night), the winner of the first MX1 race.

Desalle of Suzuki finished the feature race of the opening round just 08:032secs slower than Cairoli.

In this place was Kawasaki’s Pauli Gautier (4-3 for the night) who was 09:487secs adrift of the night’s top rider from Italy.

Honda rider from Russia Evgeny Bobrhyev placed fourth with a time of 38:13.808, only 11.992secs slower than Cairoli. Bobrhyev finished in fifth spot in MX1 earlier in the evening.

The best MX2 rider in the Super Final was Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) who finished seventh fastest, 25:216secs slower than Cairoli.

The second fastest MX2 rider in the Super Final was Australia’s Dean Ferris (Yamaha) while Frenchman Romain Febvre (KTM) was third best rider.

Ferris finished 13th in the Super Final while Febvre was 15th.

“I was tired but overall I am happy with the result,” Cairoli said.

“It is a long championship so we will see how things move,” he added.

“I pushed hard (in the Super Final) and I managed to stay ahead. It is not easy as we don’t know what the other riders would do,” the Italian said. “It is a good format (the Super Final) but not easy,” he said.

Earlier at Losail MX Track, Desalle topped the MX1 race while Herlings won the first MX2 race of the new season.

Desalle, 23, powered his Suzuki RM-Z450 to victory in the MX1 race, wining the first round of the new season with a time of 40mins 02:285secs at the 1.6km track that was set up in just three months.

The Belgian finished the opening round of the season ahead of compatriot Ken de Dycker who was just 8:309secs behind Desalle.

Motocross giant Cairoli finished the first race of the new season in third spot, 9:774secs slower than Desalle.

French star Paulin crossed the finish line in fourth spot on his Kawasaki. Paulin was 11:672secs behind Desalle.

Bobryshev was fifth fastest on his Honda. Bobryshev was timed 13:348secs slower than Desalle.

Desalle - with 11 Grands Prix wins prior to yesterday - dominated the show on the freshly-inaugurated layout, just outside the capital of Doha and a stone’s throw from the first turn of the MotoGP track.

Earlier in the first MX2 race, Herlings led a Dutch 1-2 at Losail MX Track. The ‘Flying Dutchman’ clocked a time of 39mins 51:449secs.

Compatriot Glenn Coldenhoff powered his KTM bike with purpose finishing 31:544secs behind 18-year-old Herlings.

In third spot was Christophe Charlier who was riding a Yamaha. Charlier of France was 32:888secs adrift of Herlings, who proved his credentials by clocking the fastet lap time of 1:48.195. Frenchman Febvre, on a KTM, finished in fourth spot, 44:961secs behind the ‘Flying Dutchman’.

Australian rider Ferris, riding his Monster Energy Yamaha, was 59:726secs slower than the night’s first winner at Losail MX Track.

The Peninsula