Dubai: Bassam Kronfli and Rod Scott hogged the honours at the end of the first day of the Dubai Motorsport Festival at Dubai Autodrome on Friday.
Kronfli took the overall and Class A honours ahead of John Stanley, even as Saudi teenager Fahad Al Gosaibi slipped to his first defeat in Class C so far during the season.
Scott kept the best for last as he nipped Juzar Motiwala for the overall title in the UAE Sportbike Championship. The UAE Touring Car Championship race was declared void after a couple of red flags that led to the cancellation of the round.
"The strategy was to go as fast as possible at the start of the race and try and establish a lead. I managed well and pulled an early gap. After that it was just a question of putting my head down and cruising," Kronfli told Gulf News.
Briton Harvey Boulter, competing in the Invitation Class, and John Stanley ended in second and third respectively.
"There was action in the popular Class C as Al Gosaibi had to stay content in second behind new entrant Nigel Greensall, while the UAE's Humaid Al Masaood followed in third.
In the UAE Sportbike race, it was Juzar Motiwala taking top position after starting from third on the grid. He maintained this through the 12 laps, when the crafty Scott overtook him on the final bend and conclude an exciting race.
It was yet another disappointment for Motiwala, who has been having minor issues with the brakes of his new bike. Action continues on Saturday.
The first of the races will be the Gulf Radical Cup at 1.40pm, followed by the UAE Sportbike Championship at 2.45pm and the UAE Touring Car Championship at 3.40 pm.
