The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) has issued digital licenses to those competing on the online competitions. Amro Al Hamad, the Executive Director of QMMF, yesterday said this move is the first of its kind in the entire Middle East region where motorsport has huge following.
“We have officially launched digital motorsport licenses. We are the first ASN (a French acronym to describe a national sporting authority) in the entire Middle East to take this first step towards digital motorsport.
The licenses are going to be issued to Qatari motorsport fans and residents in Qatar. It’s a system copy of the competition licenses that are issued in the virtual motorsport world,” Al Hamad said yesterday.
“Currently the licenses have been issued to participants in the first edition of the Qatar Online Racing Championship (QORC) in cars. We also issued licenses to entries who took part in the MotoGP races. In the third batch, we will issue licenses to entries who will take part in rallies - for drivers and co-drivers.
The licenses will only be issued to who are regular entries in our competitions,” he added. “I’ll give you an example on why we are doing this.
The aim of the license is like having a loyalty card at any supermarket chain. Whenever you go there to make a purchase, the attendants ask you if you have a loyalty card. This shows that you are part of a set-up and people. “If you don’t have a loyalty card of any supermarket chain, you don’t go there often. If you are a member, then you go there regularly.
As I told you, for the first season, the licenses are free but starting next year, it won’t be free because we are building a platform for them to enjoy being part of the group and join elite races,” Al Hamad added.
For the last almost three months, the QMMF has been conducting a series of online events to make up for the lack of action on the tracks due to the coronovirus pandemic sweeping the globe. “Our online racing competitions are receiving a great deal of attention fans and from those handling the sport internationally.
There is also a program that aims to transform the contestants from competing via the internet to take the opportunity to participate actively through their racing simulations, in the event that they are able to that,” Al Hamad said earlier in the week.
He added, in a press statement, that the spread of the new coronavirus (Covid 19) around the world had accelerated the application of online races in many local and international tournaments held under the supervision of the Fédération I n t e r n a t i o n a l e d e l’Automobile (FIA). On Thursday, the QMMF announced that it is set to organise the third edition of the QORC, which will be dedicated to the “WRC8” rally category.
The new series will be launched on Sunday. QMMF sets today as a deadline for registration for those wishing to contest the third edition, as the organising committee targets 21 participants as a minimum and 28 contestants as a maximum.
The championship races will run over two weeks as the first week includes the qualifying stage, which includes three races that take place on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, during which competitors compete on the “WRC” car through three or four groups with seven competitors in each group, according to the final number of registrants.
“QMMF has already dispatched the trophies won by the participants in the first two championships. The response has been great and we are looking at creating a legacy of our own in e-racing," he said.
