DOHA: Dorna, the commercial rights holder of MotoGP, is approaching the 10th edition of Grand Prix of Qatar with a sense of pride in their partnership with Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), the body that introduced the series to the region for the first time 10 years ago.
Carmelo Ezpeleta (pictured right), President of Dorna, yesterday said: “Working with QMMF is so easy. QMMF talked about this adventure (to stage the first MotoGP race) in January 2002. Two years later, we staged the first race (in October 2004) and now we are getting ready for the 10th edition. It has been a great partnership.”
Ezpeleta added: “We are very happy to start the season in Qatar. There is no better place to start the MotoGP season. The MotoGP family is happy and so are we. They know everything about organizing this popular event and they do a great job.”
The Dorna chief pointed out: “I remember at the start, Dorna would send their experts to help QMMF host Grands Prix. I am proud to say that QMMF has its own team of organisers managing the show now. From volunteers to technical staff, they do every job brilliantly.”
Tomorrow, QMMF will stage its landmark Grand Prix of Qatar at Losail International Circuit that was built from scratch at a reported cost of $75m in just nine months.
Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah (pictured), President of QMMF, thanked Dorna for their ‘support’.
“We spoke about this adventure in 2002. We built this circuit in record time and then in 2008, we introduced the first ever night race in MotoGP,” Al Attiyah said during a press conference.
“The same year we won the award for the ‘Best Race of 2008’. We were thrilled to be recognised for our efforts. We feel we belong among the top circuits in the world,” Al Attiyah said.
“A year and a half ago, we introduced our own team in the Moto2 World Championships,” he said. “Mind you, we started with rented bikes and inexperienced riders.
“But last year, we were on the podium twice as we brought in the best of mechanics to work with our talented riders,” Al Attiyah said while recalling Anthony West’s second-place finishes in Sepang and Phillip Island. “For this year, we have partnered Anthony with Rafid Topan Sucipto of Indonesia. It will be an exciting year for QMMF Racing Team,” he added.
Ezpeleta said he was thrilled to beat Singapore in staging the first ever night race between the Formula One and MotopGP families.
“When Singapore announced they would be staging the first F1 race at night in Singapore, QMMF came up with the idea of hosting a race in artificial light for MotoGP riders,” Ezpeleta recalled.
“They started illuminating Losail Circuit in June 2003 and by the start of 2004, we had testing under lights. In March, we had the first ever night race in MotoGP,” the Dorna boss said.
Al Attiyah hinted at bringing back the world superbike races to Losal Circuit.
“As you know Dorna also owns the superbike races. We may look at hosting it again,” Al Attiyah said with a smile. “We are always looking to host more activities.
“In a very short period of time, the area around Losail Circuit will change. We will have a metro station here that will have trains departing and arriving every five minutes,” Al Attiyah said when asked about future changes in and around the 5.38km circuit.
“Moving heavy equipment from the airport to Losail Circuit would be very easy for the teams when the metro comes up,” Al Attiyah said.
“In short, we are extremely happy to be getting ready for the 10th edition of the Grand Prix of Qatar. I would like to thank our sponsors Commercial Bank and Alfardan Automobiles who have been with us from the start.
“I also would like to thank the QMMF Board Members, the QMMF team at the circuit and our volunteers who have made this possible,” he said.
The Peninsula
