DOHA: Racing fans in the country and around the Middle East region will put their skills to the test when the second round of the Drift Track Day takes place at Qatar Racing Club (QRC) today, it was announced yesterday.
Drag racing testing and tune-up will also take place at the same venue, Fahad Behzad, CEO of QRC, said yesterday.
“These events and many more over the course of the next six-seven months are open to fans who love speed racing,” Behzad said while announcing the details of the 2015-16 calendar at QRC premises.
“We urge fans to come with their cars, bikes or SUVs and be part of our events,” he added.
Top events like Arab Drag Racing League, Qatar Mile, Qatar Drift Championship, National Street Drag, Ramadan FreeStyle Drift, Track Drift, Day and 4x4 Freestyle Track Day will be staged over many legs in the next seven months.
According to QRC chief, an enthusiastic rider or driver can win cash prizes by finishing in the top-8 in each class of any event.
“Yes, there are cash prizes. When we think of the prize money, we want to reward the top-eight in each class at every event. No other country does this at such events around the region.
“This is a deliberate move to assemble the best talent and give them more of a push to be at our events.
“For example, we have three categories in drifting - pro, semi-pro and amateur. In the pro class, we give prizes to the top eight. It is the same in the National Street Drag class. We have junior participants who also get prizes,” Behzad said.
Car events (8, 10 and 12 cylinders and SUVs) will be split into three categories: unlimited, modified and stock, Behzad informed.
The 4x4 SUV category event will also be run in similar classes
“We have our events live on youtube. We have some events on live streaming. Some events will be covered Al Kass Channel in their motor sport segments,” Behzad said.
“They will be broadcast around 2-3 days after the event because we have weekly programmes on Al Rayyan Channel and Al Kass Channel,” he added.
Competitors from overseas also feature regularly at the events, Abdul Rehman Al Kharji, Media Managaer, QRC, said.
“For sure, especially in the drifting events, we will have a lot of competitors from UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Jordan. At our Sealine events, only those living in Qatar will put their skills to test,” Al Kharji said.
“ADRL is an international event and hence interested parties arriving from the US and most Arab countries,” Behzad said.
“Nearly 155 in drifting championship and some 230 in the ADRL. And in 4x4, we expect somewhere close to 150 competitors. It is nearly 800 racers in five events,” he added.
“We see our series improving every year. We are creating more events than before. We started off with 12 events per year. Last two years we made it 20 events. This year we have 25 events,” he said.
“There has been a consistent increase in the number of events. But now we don’t want to add to our events because we have reached our limit,” Behzad said.
“We want to keep our high standards along with a policy to adhere to safety standards at our events,” Behzad said.
“For the national events, there is no entry fee. There will be awards for the fans. We take this opportunity to tell the fans to come to our events and enjoy racing,” Behzad said.
“Our message to motor sport fans is whoever is interested in racing without inhibitions, should come and join us at our events,” he said.
“Our venue is the place for you to test your skills and race against others,” Behzad added.
“We are doing this because we want speed riding done in a secure environment. We don’t want youngsters speeding on roads and streets in the city,” he added.
“You are a professional or an amateur does not matter. All you have to do is bring your car or bike and we will see if you can take your vehicle on to our circuit,” Behzad said.
The QRC official said every car entry has to undergo a technical inspection before it is allowed to take part in the event.
“We have made arrangements to make the outing at QRC a fun time for fans of all ages,” Behzad said.
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