Although rain played spoilsport on Saturday and threatened to do so on Sunday, the Grand Prix of Qatar produced spectacular and thrilling races in all the categories.
Yamaha rider Maverick Viñales carried forward his excellent pre-season form into the race weekend and produced a brilliant ride to become the first winner of the 2017 MotoGP season. It wasn’t an easy outing for the young Spaniard though. Viñales started from pole position but dropped to fifth as he started cautiously. But then the 22-year-old carved his way through the riders and ended up winning the race after a nail-biting battle with Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso, who had to be contend with second. In third place was MotoGP star Valentino Rossi.
In Moto2, Franco Morbidelli finally registered his first win of the class with a dominating performance. The Italian battled with Thomas Luthi during the initial part of the race but was then able to take the lead and didn’t relinquish it till the end. Luthi finished second with Takaaki Nakagami taking third.
Earlier on Sunday, Joan Mir was the first winner of the day taking the opening round in the Moto3 class under lights at Losail International Circuit. The Spaniard claimed a brilliant victory in Qatar that was decided on the last lap. In second place was British rider John McPhee and pole position man Jorge Martin finished third.
It was a four-day event for the large number of spectators who turned up to watch the Grand Prix of Qatar. From the multiple activities in the family zone to the thrilling race action, the fans had a great time. Despite the weather, there was a huge increase in the number of spectators as compared to last year.
“We are very happy with the success of the Grand Prix of Qatar. Despite the weather conditions we managed to run a great event. This year we have witnessed an increase in the number of spectators and we would like to thank the QTA for being involved in this international championship. I also want to thank the Losail Circuit Sports Club staff for all the efforts and hard work put in to get the track ready for the race,” said Saud al-Attiyah, LCSC President.
Hassan al-Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer at QTA said: “The race has been fantastic and we are pleased with the high turnout of spectators, which is testament to MotoGP’s position as one of the marquee annual sport events in the Qatari and international sport calendars. Sports and recreation tourism have great potential to be major contributors to the economy, and we look forward to working with our partners at Losail Circuit Sports Club and the industry to build a sustainable and diverse calendar of annual sporting events that draw more visitors to Qatar.”
