The podium winners in Round 4 of the Qatar Manateq Baja yesterday.
Doha: Veteran driver Ahmed Alloh and co-driver Nasser Al Kuwari yesterday won the fourth round of the 2018 Manateq Qatar National Baja Championship against a strong field.
The hugely popular rally ran for two special stages at Sealine desert in the Southern region of the country.
The total distance the participants covered was of 267km (139km of special stage) before the drivers headed back to the QMMF headquarters for the podium ceremony in front of the iconic Losail Sports Stadium.
QMMF CEO, Sultan Al Muraikhi, and Manateq Director of the Office of Chief Executive Officer and Public Relations Manager, Ibrahim Bin Issa Al Fadalah, crowned the champions at the prize distribution ceremony.
“I thank God for this great result,” Allouh said yesterday. “I am very pleased. This result has been possible as a culmination of great hard work from me and my team mate,” he added.
“Having Nasser as a co-driver was a great decision. These are my first points despite featuring in previous rounds. I am confident I will do event better in the coming rounds,” he said.
“I also give my thanks to QMMF for conducting a great event for us drivers. The organisation is just brilliant,” Allouh added.
Al Kuwari was thrilled with the outcome.
“Today the round was perfect for us,” Al Kuwari said after the prize distribution ceremony. “The route device which we all used today was very helpful. In the past the drivers would get lost during the rallies but this year the QMMF gave the drivers a new device which really helped us,” he added.
“Everything was fine today except for one tricky spot where we had to negotiate muddy terrain. All of the drivers were fearful that they might get stuck but I checked with my driver and he said we should go for it. All the participants got a penalty but we drove through. We didn’t get a penalty,” Al Kuwari said.
“So we are very happy that we got a great result. I am happy that we won despite a strong field. Hopefully I can continue in this fashion. These are home events for us and we want to deliver very good performances,” Al Kuwari said.
Abdullah Al Rabban set the fastest time in stage 1 which ran for almost 70 km, followed by Mohammed Al Harqan who came second with six minutes back, while Mohammed Al Meer finished the stage in third place.
In the second stage yesterday, Al Harqan emerged the fastest driver ahead of Alloh, who finally won the rally.
Al Harqan finished the stage in second spot while third place went to Mohammed Al Meer.
Despite his fourth place, veteran rally driver Sheikh Hamad bin Eid Al Thani maintained his lead with 57 points in T1 class ahead of Al Meer who has a tally of 42 points. Nayef Al Nasr is third with 40 points.
Some drivers were force to retire yesterday in the second stage namely Abdullah Rabban stopping due to punctures while Rashid Al Mohannadi got delayed and exceeded the time limit.
Mohammed Al Attiyah suffered mechanical failure (gearbox issues).
The participants featured in three classes: T1, T2 and T3. The last two rounds of the championship will be held on December 21 and 22.
The sixth and final round on January 18 and 19, 2019.
The first and second round were held on the sidelines of the Qatar Desert Rally, and the third round was held mid-October.
