MEDIA INFORMATION
ZAIN REEM INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, SAUDI ARABIA
SAUDI RACING FESTIVAL round 5, April 8 – 2010
SAUDI’S PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN FAISAL STARS IN ZAIN LOTUS RACE AT REEM
Saudi’s Prince Mohamed Bin Faisal claims Saudi Oger Cup; Faisal bin Laden wins Radicals
Lebanon’s Doumit Bou Doumit clinches Zain Lotus Cup title
RIYADH (Saudi Arabia), Thursday, April 8: Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohamed Bin Faisal bin Abdullah and Faisal bin Laden triumphed in their respective Zain Lotus Cup and Saudi Radical Championship races at the final of the Saudi Racing Festival at the Zain Reem international circuit in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
The final races of the Zain Reem calendar were held in hot, dusty conditions in the presence of a massive crowd and HRH Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, President General of Youth Welfare and President of the Saudi Youth and Sports Body, FIA vice-president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF) chairman Mishaal Al-Sudairy.
Lebanon’s Doumit Bou Doumit and Saudi Arabia’s Faher Al-Sharif had been the form drivers over the opening four rounds of the Zain Lotus Cup series at the Zain Reem circuit, although Medhat Sheikh El Ard had won a race at the fourth Saudi Racing Festival meeting.
Doumit claimed pole for the final race of the season from Prince Mohamed Bin Faisal bin Abdullah, Abdullah Al-Dossari, Fahed Al-Sharif and Majed Al-Ghamdi of the Bison Reem Team, but an accident at the first corner of the first lap of the race sidelined Al-Ghamdi and Doumit, when both cars touched.
The safety car was on the circuit until the third lap and Dossari moved into the outright lead after the restart, closely followed by Prince Mohamed bin Faisal. Dossari maintained his lead until the eighth of the 12 laps. He was then passed by Prince Mohamed bin Faisal, who kept his cool to take the victory and maximum points in the Saudi Oger Cup category for young up-and-coming drivers. Dossari held on to take second overall and Theab Al-Qatani claimed third overall and the final podium position. Al-Sharif was fourth, Hussam Al-Saleh was fifth and Ahmed Al-Khwayter pipped Mosaeb Al-Khwayter for sixth position.
Prince Mohamed Bin Faisal bin Abdullah’s success also confirmed that he clinched victory in the 2010 Saudi Oger Cup. He finished 34 points ahead of Mosaed Al-Khwayter, with Theab Al-Qatani in third position.
Despite his disappointing final race of the campaign, Doumit Bou Doumit amassed enough points to claim the Zain Lotus Cup title with 71 points. Prince Mohamed set the fastest lap of the day and claimed an extra point, but fell two short of his rival in the overall standings, with Al-Sharif finishing the series in third position with 67 points.
Saeed Al-Mouri had already clinched the Saudi Radical Championship before the fifth round, courtesy of three successive wins and a third overall. He headed into the final race with a nine-point lead over Faisal Shaker – the leader of the 1.3-litre category – in the points’ standings.
Medhat Sheikh El Ard held third overall and second in the 1.5-litre class, his cause helped by the maximum points’ haul on round four. Bandar Alireza and Nidal Al-Sadi completed the top five.
But Faisal bin Laden was the star of the final round, having qualified for the race in second position behind Medhat Sheikh El Ard. El Ard spun on the fourth corner of the second lap and Al-Mouri also lost time taking avoiding action.
Their demise gave Bin Laden a clear run and the Saudi finished his season in style by taking victory from Raed Abuzeradeh of the Bison Reem Team in the 12-lap race. Saleh Fatafta finished third and claimed victory on the day in the 1.3-litre category, with Al-Mouri recovering to snatch fourth position and Bandar Ali Reza finishing fifth overall and claiming the 1.3-litre championship title. Osama Shaker, Mohammed Jawa and Khalil Minawi completed the top eight.
The Saudi Speed Festival race meetings received valuable sponsorship from Zain, Saudi Oger, Toyota, Castrol, Bison energy drink, the Saudi Bin Laden Group of Companies, Al-Ghassan Motors and Saudi Radical.
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For further media information:
Zain Reem International Circuit, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bilal Kurjieh, E-mail: bilal@race.com.sa and Abdullah Al-Azem, E-mail: abdullah.alazem@race.com.sa
Saudi Arabian Motor Federation, PO Box 87881, Riyadh 11652, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tel: + 9661 477 1035, Fax: + 9661 477 1050, www.samf.gov.sa
Arabic: Firas Nimri, Mobile: + 9662 777 282000, E-mail: nimrifiras@yahoo.com.
English: Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobiles: + 44 7831 123153 or + 971 50 3616881, E-mail: ndppublicity@googlemail.com.