KING'S CUP 2009 - THAÎLAND
(Translated race report)

The 8th edition of the international King's Cup in Thaïland was battled out in Pattaya, Thailand, on the weekend of December 4th through December 6th. The racing took place over all three days, and the best four riders from each country were there to fight in four different motos.

Friday, December 4th
For the first moto, the sea was choppy, with 40 km/h winds. Takenoshita took the best start, while JB Botti, L. Caumont, K. Reiterer and S. Dauliach weren't as lucky. Steven quickly passed Botti and Reiterer to lead the race at the 2nd lap. Steven get lost on the track and fell back to 4th with only two laps to go. Reiterer finished first, out in front of Botti and Dauliach. Dauliach passed Botti to finish 2nd (0.5 seconds behind Kevin).

Saturday, December 5th
For the 2nd moto, the sea was flat, with no wind. One more time, Japanese rider Takenoshita got the hole shot, in front of L. Caumont and S. Dauliach.
Dauliach moved up into 1st place on the second lap, passing both leaders at the same time. Dauliach won the moto and earned precious points in front of is competitor K. Reiterer, who finished 5th in the moto.

The same day, moto 3 was raced - but wavy, rolling seas took over the earlier flat conditions.
Takenoshita lead the race and finished 1st place. Steven Dauliach started lap one in 5th; L. Caumont 4th; JB Botti 3rd; and K. Reiterer in 2nd.
Steven passed the three other riders to take a deserved 2nd place and buffered his lead for the final moto.

Sunday, December 6th
The final moto started poorly for S. Dauliach, who was very sick due to severe sunburn. He was still in bed with a high fever and a rapid heartbeat.
Steven Dauliach needed to finish 3rd in order to win the 2009 King's Cup, but his participation wasn't guaranteed before the race. He finally tried to race, in order to earn as many points as possible. He got a good start to the final moto. JB Botti was in front, with Steven and K. Reiterer following. Steven tried his hardest to hold onto 2nd place, and succeed in finishing 2nd, thus winning the 2009 King's Cup.