World record in A Pro category falls as exciting Qatar Sand Drag Competition concludes
AMIDST strong competition and with the participation of champions of desert bike racing in the Gulf, the fourth and final round of the Desert Bike Race Challenge for the 20232024 season concluded under the auspices of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Racing Club.
The round saw the participation of over 140 competitors competing across 16 championship categories, including cars, bikes, quads, buggies, and Polaris vehicles in their various classes.
As usual, the first day witnessed fierce competition across ten categories. Mohammed Al Mazmi, the runner-up in the previous round in the Open ATV category, clinched the title of this round, with Mishal Alfahad taking second place and Ahmed Malallah securing third place.
Al Mazmi and Alfahad then exchanged positions on the modified category podium, with Alfahad claiming the title while Al Mazmi settled for second place. The third podium spot went to Abdulaziz Al Mazmi, the runner-up in the previous round.
In the Stock category, the title went to Abdulaziz Al Haddad, with Saleh Al Amer and Nawaf Al Shara taking second and third place respectively, mirroring the results of the previous round.
In the competitions of cars equipped with 6-cylinder engines, racer Mohammed Saleh Al Obaidli managed to achieve the best time in the Turbo category, clinching the title ahead of Jabr Al Zaabi who came in second place, while Abdulmohsen Al Khurayji secured third place.
Meanwhile, the champion of the previous round, Mohammed Al Shershani, settled for second place in the Nitrous category, claimed by Ibrahim Al Nuaimi, with racer Said Shah being the third-place finisher. In the Stock section of this category, its competitions smiled for the second consecutive round for racer Mohammed Hakami, with Ali Hassan Al Mutawa taking second place, maintaining the same position as in the previous round, while the third place went to racer Mahna Al Nuaimi.
In the bike category, as in previous rounds, the competitions were highly thrilling, and in the end, Abdulrahman Al Nasr managed to pass the track with the best timing to claim the first place, with Khaled Al Mahandi securing second place, leaving the third place to the champion of the previous round, Hamed Rahimbouor.
Similarly, the podium for the Polaris category dedicated to juniors was claimed by Hamoud Al Sulaiti, Yousef Aga, and Saqr Al Rahimi respectively.
Competitions in cars equipped with 8-cylinder engines also saw exciting conflicts. The title of the modified category ultimately went to racer Alshinai Ibrahim, while the champion of the previous round, Walid Salem, settled for second place in this round, and Said Shah came in third.
Mirroring the third round, the Stock category title went to racer Mahmoud Diab, with Salem Ali Al Shamsi taking second place, and Khaled Yaseer securing third place.
A new world record on second day
On the second day, which included competitions in the remaining six categories, the pace of competition intensified, with 12 racers managing to break the four-second barrier compared to ten in the previous round.
The best times came in the UTV Unlimited category, which Jacob Al Alawi won for a second consecutive round, achieving first place. Ibrahim Al Dermaki secured second place in a vehicle competing in the A Pro category at the global level, registering a time of 3.356 seconds, thus breaking the world record. The third place went to Ahmed Al Balushi.
In the modified category, the title went to Mahana Al Nuaimi, the runner-up in the previous round, who surpassed the champion of the previous round, Eid Al Mahandi, with Ahmed Al Nuaimi taking third place. Hamza Safar clinched the Stock category title ahead of his competitors, with Hassan Al Kareem in second place and Ahmed Al Dermaki in third.
In the buggy competitions, racer Mahana Al Nuaimi secured first place in the modified category after recording the best time, ahead of Abdullah Al Sulaiti, who settled for second place, while Nasser Al Sulaiti took third. Abdullah Al Sulaiti returned to the podium for the second time, this time in the Stock category after winning first place, leaving the second and third places to Mohammed Al Sulaiti and Mohammed Hassan, respectively.
Tension rose as we reached the most intense competitions, the Hilux, which saw Hashem Al Meseed clinching first place, ahead of Abdullah Al Majhad in second place, while Mahdi Mohammed Al Saloom was the third-place finisher.
At the end of each day’s competitions, His Excellency Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid Al Thani, the Director of Qatar Racing Club, crowned the winners of the top three positions in the participating categories of that day.