Alex Cudlin has returned in dominant form at the weekend, racing in the Qatar International Road Racing Championship.

Riding with the number one plate after winning the championship in 2011, Cudlin proved why he is still the best in Qatar with Team QMMF.

With two rounds already run that Cudlin had not contested, he entered the race at a disadvantage, with zero points on the board and no testing time to prepare the bike.

Cudlin went on the qualify second despite electrical problems throughout practice, then won the first race over Moto2 Grand Prix rider and local Mashel Al Niami, while British Superbike ace Scott Smart was third.

Despite opting for a different tyre in race two, Cudlin again dominated with the same finishing order on the podium.

“I’m really happy to come back and win straight away for QMMF,” Cudlin said. “Last year I dominated the series but unfortunately this year I didn’t have a ride for the first two rounds as QMMF hadn’t decided what they wanted to do with their race lineup.

“Mashel and Scott have done this series from the start, so I was eager to get back and try to get as many points as I could in order to climb to the lead in the series. I didn’t have any testing time on the bike at all.

“I basically got off the plane and went straight into the race, which made it difficult, but hopefully my results spoke for themselves. There are four rounds remaining in the championship and I’m a long way behind Scott and Mashel now because of missing the first two rounds.

“But if I continue winning each race like I did on the weekend, it’s possible to still win the championship. It would be great to win it two years in a row. I know Mashel will be tough in the remaining rounds and Scott now has a point to prove, but with more time on the bike I can only get faster.

“I’m confident of a good year ahead and I certainly want to keep that number one plate in my possession.”