PETALING JAYA: 13-year-old Qabil Irfan gifted the perfect Malaysia Day present to the nation by romping to a double victory in the ESBK Talent (Spanish Superbike Championship) at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal.
With the impressive double victory on Portuguese soil, Qabil is thus crowned overall champion in the ESBK Talent series with one round remaining in Jerez, Spain in November.
The Malaysian boy put up a flawless act to win Race 2 comfortably, finishing 2.755s ahead of Oliver Cantos while fellow Spaniard Izan Rodriguez (+4.447s) completed the podium.
Qabil had won Race 1 on Saturday and the back-to-back wins gave Qabil (252 points) an unassailable lead in the series for the 2025 season.
The Terengganu-born rider, who is now a full-time athlete supported by Sepang International Circuit, is the first Malaysian to be crowned overall champion in an international two-wheel series.
Qabil described it as a dream come true and made sweeter by making sure "Negaraku" was heard twice for the weekend.
"It was my dream to win this ESBK title and today it became a reality," said Qabil.
"Obviously, I am over the moon. I have to express my appreciation to the team, my parents, my sponsors and all my supporters who followed me," said Qabil, who has won six races so far this season.
