QRC Director Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid Al Thani with the podium winners.
Doha: Amidst intense rivalries and a remarkable turnout of spectators, the first round of the Qatar Sand Drag Competition for the 2025–2026 season concluded in thrilling fashion.
The championship is held under the generous patronage of Qatar Racing Club (QRC) Chairman H E Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani.
This opening round saw the participation of a host of champions from Qatar as well as other Gulf countries.
The first day was dedicated to motorbike and Polaris competitions, beginning with the Polaris Kids category, where Hammoud Al-Sulaiti clocked the fastest time, taking first place ahead of Jassim Al-Mohammadi and Sultan Al-Ziyara, who finished second and third respectively.
In the two-wheel motorcycle categories, 13 riders took part, with Waleed Al-Sharshani claiming first place after recording a time of 4.874 seconds, beating Dhari Al-Ansari, who came second, while Mohammed Hussain finished third.
In the Modified Category, Jassim Hassan took first place, followed by Abdul-Samad Al-Shatti in second and Fahad Al-Dashti in third. The Pro Modified Category title went to Abdullah Abdulaziz while Mohammed Al-Mazmi dominated in the Open Category, the most powerful class. In the Modified Category, Abdullah Al-Sulaiti took the win, recording the best time, narrowly edging out Hassan Abdulkarim, who came second, while Ahmed Al-Saffar finished third.
In the Pro Modified Category, Mahanna Al-Naimi climbed to the top step of the podium, leaving Hassan Abdulkarim and Hamad Al-Yafei in second and third places respectively.
Finally, in the Unlimited Category, the fastest of all UTV classes, Yaqoub Al-Alawi recorded the best time to take the title.
The intensity of competition rose on the second day with the presence of the most powerful engines. The action began with the Open Category, which witnessed fierce rivalries. In the end, Yousef Al-Ali recorded the fastest time in the history of the club’s Sand Drag Competitions, completing the course in 2.711 seconds to claim first place. In the 6-cylinder engine category, the Nitrous title went to Faisal Al-Balushi, followed by Mohammed Al-Sharshani in second place. For the Turbo class, the races were divided into two groups:
The first, for cars maintaining their original chassis, was won by Khalid Al-Habsi, ahead of Yousef Al-Ali and Faisal Al-Luhaidan, who finished second and third respectively.
Al-Habsi then claimed his second title by winning the class for modified chassis vehicles, with Abdullah Al-Dahmani taking second place and Waleed Al-Dghaishm third.
In the 8-cylinder Nitrous category, Issa Musharbek emerged victorious, finishing ahead of Khalid Al-Habsi, who settled for second, while Khalfan Hamdan took third place.
In the Spring Suspension class, Mohammed Al-Sulaiti won the title after recording the best time, while Abdullah Al-Sulaiti claimed first place in the Airbag Suspension class. QRC Director Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid Al Thani crowned the top three winners in each category. The second round will take place on November 13 and 14.
