PETALING JAYA: Qabil Irfan threw caution to the wind, but it paid off for the young rider after he took a win in the Spanish Superbike Championship’s (ESBK) second round in Barcelona over the weekend.
The 13-year-old’s bold move in his last lap to come out in front at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday gave him the win in Race 2 by the closest of margins.
Qabil crossed the line with a time of 24:46.464s, while Bulgarian rider Nikola Miroslavov came in second with 24:46.460s. Alessio Arnold of Switzerland was third with 24:26.478s.
“It was difficult for me to get to the front during the race, but I needed to know if another rider could pass me at Turn 10.
“I planned my strategy to preserve my tyres as best as I could and only went on the attack on the final lap.
“On the last lap, I managed to overtake and just closed my eyes until the finish line,” Qabil jokingly said.
It was redemption for Qabil, who settled for second place in Race 1 on Saturday, finishing behind Arnold while Miroslavov took third.
It was a small blemish in Qabil’s ESBK season, as the Terengganu rider won both races in the opening round at the Jerez Circuit in Spain in April.
Three wins so far put Qabil at the top of the championship standings with 95 points, with five rounds of racing to go.
It will be a quick turnaround for Qabil as the third round will be taking place this weekend at MotorLand Aragon in Alcaniz on June 28-29.
