The final race of the newly born GP2 Asia series Championship results started today at 1pm under a very hot sun on the 5.39km "Grand Prix Circuit" Dubai. It was, however, a disappointment for the team Qi-Meritus.Mahara who finished the 2nd race without points but brought one car to the finish.

The 23 lap second race at Dubai took place in sunny and dry conditions. On the grid Hiroki Yoshimoto was 4th while Luca Filippi started from 12th after the exclusion of Bruno Senna (car no. 2) in the first race. The second day ended up with two short races for Luca Filippi the recently appointed Honda Formula One test driver and a difficult race for Hiroki Yoshimoto who drove his car to a finish.

Luca Filippi commented: "As I was out for the formation lap I noticed that something was not right with the clutch, so I came back to the garage to check with the team. A check quickly showed that there was no point continuing in the race and I would have been a serious risk for other cars and their drivers. They could have crashed into me even if I had been able to move. It’s a shame for my last race of the series this year, but there was nothing I could do, so I retired. I want to thank the team Qi-Meritus.Mahara and each individual for their dedication all along their first season. It was just too unlucky that I only managed to score on my first race here this season!"

Hiroki Yoshimoto finished only in 14th position having started from 4th and commented: "I was passed by Sebastien Buemi (Trust Team Arden) and a couple of guys at the start. I had the impression that my car was coughing. It was on and off and I felt a bit of difficulty down shifting. Then I thought I would make it and climb back up to a better position, but then I had a gearbox issue and went off once and lost a lot of time. But, I was able to continue. A few cars passed me again before I reacquired my pace. Then I had a problem with the radio that was suddenly floating in the car and I could only steer with my left hand. Nevertheless, I was ranking 12th and passed two more cars when Bruno Senna (iSport International) hit me from the back and I spun but managed to continue in the race. I was lucky to only loose two places. What an emotion laden drive! I really wished to obtain a good finish for my last race and deeply regret that I did not make it to the podium this time when I should have. Overall it was a tough race with dangerous curbs where you can easily fly off of the track. I want to thank the boys for making it to the finish through eight of the ten races this season and scoring 13 of the team's 17 points on four occasions."

Peter Thompson, president and team founder, Qi-Meritus.Mahara: "We learned a lot throughout the first five 2 race events of our first ever GP2 Asia season. The team really did a great job establishing themselves as the rookie team in the paddock. I want to thank the engineers, the mechanics and the drivers for bringing us 17 points and valuable experience. See you next year for a stronger season."