Team UAE win Nations cup

Team UAE made the perfect start to the defence of their UIM Nations Cup crown, winning the overall Team Trophy in the season-opener in KhorFakkan. A double win in both of Friday’s 20-lap sprint races for Majed Al Mansoori, and a third place for Rashed Al Tayer in race 1, was enough to stretch their overnight points advantage over rivals Qatar and take overall honours by a narrow margin of seven points. Friday’s results rounded off a near perfect weekend for the Abu Dhabi based team, adding race wins to the their Match race success yesterday, missing out on the clean sweep after Mansoori was edged into second place in qualifying by Team Qatar’s Khalid Shamlan. “It was a great afternoon of racing, full of drama and an emotional roller coaster,” said UAE team manager, Scott Gillman. “It was looking good for us after race 1, but when Rashed stopped at the start of the second race I thought we had lost it. But then Khalid went out and Majed’s win was just enough.” The afternoon’s sprint races produced a feast of intense racing and two dramatic moments with both races yellow flagged. Team Malaysia’s AlffianYantoKadri and Team Brunei’s Ismail bin HjKabonwere involved in a spectacular coming together and crashing out of race 1 on lap 5 – both drivers emerging unhurt and in race 2 Team Qatar’s hope of winning the overall team trophy disappeared when race leader Khalid Al Shamlan barrel-rolled out on lap 5. Race 1 saw Majed Al Mansoori come from behind to take his first win off the afternoon, passing race leader Khalid Al Shamlan on lap 13, who was passed  two laps later by the UAE’s Rashed Al Tayer – the pair going on to complete a comfortable  one-two. Khalid Al Kuwari and RistoPainio enjoyed a long battle in fourth and fifth, ahead of Malaysia’s Kadri, with the South African duo trading places, Featherstonhaugh coming out on top in race 1 – Shepherd in race 2. There was drama at the start of race 2 with the UAE’s Al Tayer stopping immediately after the start and Mansoori losing the race leader to Qatar’s Al Shamlan on lap 4. But two laps later and pushing hard, Al Shamlan crashed out handing the advantage back to their rivals, with Mansoori running out an easy winner.