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“It's been a great season so far and we look forward to a big finish next month” Ben Sulayem
Dubai, UAE, 17 February, 2015: The UAE trio of Ahmed Al Fahim, Mohammed Al Balooshi and Humaid Al Mashgouni are on course for title success in the Emirates Desert Championship, but they could each come under pressure when the national Baja rally series reaches its climax next month.
“It's been a great season so far and we now look forward to a big finish next month, when so many of the major issues will be decided in the last round,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of Emirates Motor Sports Federation and President of ATCUAE .
“A lot of effort has been made to make the championship a success and we're delighted to be attracting such a strong entry.”
A fourth successive cars victory in the fifth and penultimate round of the championship at the weekend saw Ahmad Al Maqoodi move to win four points of leader and defending champion Al Fahim as the battle of the two Polaris buggies continued at Lisaili.
While Al Fahim goes into the final round ahead on points, Al Maqoodi is in a stronger position due to the Championship regulations which requires every competitor to drop their lowest scoring round, giving Al Maqoodi the advantage.
Mohammed Gulzar made it a clean sweep of the podium places for Polaris while Vadym Prytuliak and Ian Barker in a pair of Nissans and Graeme Rose in another Polaris completed Friday's top six as 97 drivers and riders went into action.
Making a welcome return to the championship, Sam Sunderland powered his way to victory in the bikes division while second place allowed Al Balooshi to open up a six-point championship lead over Kuwaiti rider Mohammed Jaffar who finished just behind him on the day.
Mark Ackerman, Sean Gaugain and Mark Grams completed the bikes top six.
Al Mashghouni is the new leader in the quads category after recording his second victory of the season at the weekend, with fellow-Emirati rider Mohammed Al Shamsi falling four points adrift after he could manage only an eighth place finish in Round 5.
But Al Shamsi will be going all out for a fourth win of the championship in the final round while Al Mashghouni must avoid any serious problems on the day to take the title
The Emirates Desert Championship is organised by the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE and the Emirates Motor Sport Federation, with TAG Heuer Middle East as the official timekeeper and founding partner.
Emirates Desert Championship Round 5 results:
Cars
1. Ahmad Al Maqoodi, Polaris
2. Ahmed Al Fahim, Polaris
3. Mohammed Gulzar, Polaris
4. Vadym Prytuliak, Nissan
5. Ian Barker, Nissan
6. Graeme Rose, Polaris
Bikes
1. Sam Sunderland, KTM
2. Mohammed Al Balooshi, KTM
3. Mohammed Jaffar, KTM
4. Mark Ackerman, Husqvarna
5. Sean Gaugain, Husqvarna
6. Mark Grams, Honda
Quads
1. Humaid Al Mashghouni, Honda
2. Patrick Gersch, Yamaha
3. Jaco De Lange, Yamaha
4. Mansoor Al Suwaidi, Yamaha
5. Anthony Espejo, Yamaha
6. Phil Yousef, Yamaha
CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS AFTER 5 ROUNDS
Cars overall
1. Ahmed Al Fahim (UAE) 104
2. Ahmad Al Maqoodi (UAE) 100
3. Graeme Rose (GB) 84
4. Chris Jackson (GB) 80
5. Mohammed Gulzar 78
6. Emil Kneisser (LEB) 63
Class leaders
T1 - Ian Barker; T2 - Emil Kneisser; T3 - Michel Fadel; National - Ahmed Al Fahim.
Bikes overall
1. Mohammed Al Balooshi 97
2. Mohammed Jaffar 91
3. Mark Grams 85
4. Jake Shipton 84
5. Mark Ackerman 68
6. Saeed Al Shenqiti 67
Quads
1. Humaid Al Mashghouni 92
2. Mohammed Al Shamsi 88
3. Jaco De Lange 71
4. Alex MacFarlane 59
5. Colin Wilken 54
6. Patrick Gersch 40
Class leaders
450cc - Mohammed Al Balooshi; Over 450 - Khalid Al Falasi; Marathon - Chris Dunn; Masters - Tim Trenker; Ladies – Sune Schaffler.
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