Doha: The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) has successfully completed all events listed on the national championships calendar for the year 2020, a top official said yesterday.
Amro Al Hamad, the Executive Director of QMMF, said the national motorsport body had overcome COVID-19 related postponements to complete the calendar of events for 2020.
“We are proud to announce that this week’s event marked the QMMF’s target of completing all national competitions for the year 2020. There were so many delays because of the COVID-19 situation and we had to reschedule or even postpone events but in the end we managed to do it,” Al Hamad said after the fifth and final round of Qatar National Baja concluded on Saturday.
“We did it really effectively. What’s worth mentioning is that a lot of federations around the world decided to cancel events as every country was battling with COVID-19 situation, but we managed to complete all national championships. We finished the QSTK, QTCC, Qatar National Baja and the Qatar National Sprint Championship - events that were halted in March,” Al Hamad said yesterday.
Also yesterday, Al Hamad announced that QMMF has decided to make the hugely popular Baja series bigger from next year.
“From next year, the Qatar National Baja series is going to be called the Qatar Off-Road Championship. It will be a mix between Enduro and Baja. The first round is going to be Enduro and the last round is going to be Baja,” Al Hamad said while giving away details of the extended series. “In between it will be a mix of Enduro and Baja competition rounds. The points for Enduro and Baja will be accumulated for the final championship round. The sixth and final round will be an extended week of competition which will be held over two days.
“It will be longer Baja than usual. And it’s going to be double points. This will keep it interesting for all the participants until the last round,” Al Hamad said.
QMMF President Abdul Rahman Al Mannai and riders pose for a picture on the podium.
When the COVID-19 pandemic - sweeping the globe in May, June and July - put a halt to sports activities around the world earlier this year, the QMMF successfully organised online series of events for Qatar, regional and international entries drawing massive response from the motorsport world.
Meanwhile, Khalid Al Mohannadi emerged as Qatar National Baja champion after winning the fifth and final round at the Sealine on Saturday.
Driving a Polaris, Al Mohannadi clocked a total time of 2:21:02.4 seconds with Russian co-driver Kirill Shubin. It was the second successive win for Al Mohannadi and his third overall, which fetched him a total points of 97 and earned him QR80,000 in prize money.
Ahmed Al Kuwari, who finished fourth in the final round in the Jeep, finished second overall with 72 points. Al Kuwari and his co-driver Manuel Lucchese walked away with QR60,000. Mohammed Al Meer had a disappointing final round, finishing fifth with co-driver Egor Okhotnikov, but that was enough for a overall third place with 50 points.
In the fifth round, Abdullah Al Rabban and Nasser Al Kuwari finished second clocking 2:51:09.5 seconds, but were well behind winner Al Mohannadi and Shubin. In third were Ahmed Al Mohannadi and Mubarak Al Khelaifi, who timed 3:06:35.4 seconds.
In the bikes category, Martin Chalmers riding a Yamaha emerged triumphant in the fifth round with a total time of 3:15:59.0 seconds. In second was Michael Anderson (Husqvarna), while William Magnat (KTM) finished third.
Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com