Doha is gearing up to achieve a success in the MotoGP World Championship during the organisation of Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar, which constitutes the 19th and penultimate round of the 2023 MotoGP season, making it a crucial competition that could determine the championship title. Doha relies on an elite group of its creative sons who work in one spirit and constitute the engine of success in motor sports.
The races of the Qatar Grand Prix are set to kick off Friday and will continue for three days under the floodlights of Lusail International Circuit (LIC), featuring the participation of the world's top riders.
For the 20th year, Doha hosts one of the rounds of the MotoGP World Championship, including MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 categories for men. Notably, Qatar has hosted the opening round of the global championship for the past 15 years.
Qatar Grand Prix first took place in 2004, with Spain's Sete Gibernau securing the title. Italian rider Enea Bastianini won 2022 season in Qatar
Australian Casey Stoner and Italian Valentino Rossi share the record for the most championship wins with four titles each, followed by Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo with three titles. Spanish rider Maverick Vinales and Italian Andrea Dovizioso have each won the championship twice.
In the 18th editions of the Qatar Grand Prix, victories have been secured by riders from four countries: Spain, Italy, Australia, and France. Spanish riders have claimed the most titles in Doha, with seven titles achieved by four drivers, equally with the Italian riders, accomplished by three riders.
Qatar is the only country in the Middle East to host a round of the MotoGP World Championship. Qatar Grand Prix is unique among the championship rounds as it is held at night under floodlights since it was held for the first time in 2008.
The Lusail International Circuit, with a track length of 5.380 km (3.343 miles), is considered one of the prominent circuits globally, especially after undergoing comprehensive renovation. It is the only MotoGP circuit to host races under floodlights, introducing technology to the sport and switching it from daytime to nighttime race. The State of Qatar has become a pioneer in track sports, providing a scientific addition to the sport, thanks to the support and commitment of officials, aligning with Qatar National Vision 2030.
In conjunction with the MotoGP World Championship, Qatar hosts the races of Asia Talent Cup, organized by Dorna Sports, the rights holder of the MotoGP World Championship. Asia Talent Cup aims to qualify talented riders for participation in the Moto3 category, supervised by technical specialists.
The activities of the MotoGP Qatar Airways Grand Prix 2023 will begin on Thursday evening with official photos for the 3 categories, as well as a press conference with the participation of the most prominent MotoGP world champions participating in the round who will talk about their preparations for the inaugural championship and the world championship season, which consists of 20 rounds.
The starting signal for the official start of the 1st day of the Grand Prix is scheduled at 1:20 pm on Friday, which will begin with the first 35 minute trial races for the Asia Talent Cup, followed by the same trails for the Moto3 Category at 2pm for 35 minutes as well, then the Moto2 Category for 40 minutes and the MotoGP category for 45 minutes before the 2nd trails for the three categories in succession, starting from 5pm until 9pm.
The second day of the competition on Saturday will witness the third trial races and the first and second qualifying trials for the Moto3 and Moto2 categories, in order to determine the starting positions in the official race scheduled for next Sunday. As for the MotoGP category, it will witness the third and fourth trial races and the first and second qualifying trials to determine the starting positions in the official race, which is also scheduled for next Sunday.
Saturday will also witness the first race of the Asian Talent Cup, which consists of 12 laps at 5pm, in addition to the 11 lap Sprint race, which is held for the first time in Doha as part of the Grand Prix at 8pm.
Finally, the third and final day next Sunday, will begin with the second race of the Asian Talent Cup at 2:35pm, following by time for warm-up operations and final preparation for competing in the official races, which will begin with the official race for Moto3 category, which consists of 16 laps, at 5pm, followed by the official race for Moto2, which will go one for 18 laps at 6:15pm before the official and final race for the MotoGP category, which consists of 22 laps at 8pm.
The Qatar Grand Prix, the opening round of the MotoGP World Championship for the 2023 season, will be attended by the world's most prominent riders in the three categories, as all of the star participants in the round announced their full readiness to compete. The competition is expected to be strong in the MotoGP category between the Italian Francesco Bagnaia, rider of the Ducati team, who leads the overall standings with 412 points, and the Spanish Jorge Martin, rider of the Pramac Racing team, who is in second place with 398 points.
Frenchman Fabio Quartararo and Spaniard Joan Mir, former world champions, will also compete for the championship title. Australian Jack Miller, who broke the record time at the Lusail International Circuit by achieving the fastest lap time of 1:53.183 minutes, Italian Marco Bezzecchi, South African Brad Binder, who are ranked third and fourth, and Spaniard Marc Marquez, Honda team rider and eight time world champion, are also competing.
Competing for the title in the strongest category will be Frenchman Johann Zarco, Spaniards Pol Espargaro, Aleix Espargaro and Alex Rins, Japanese Takaaki Nakagami, Italian Franco Morbidelli, and Australian Jack Miller.
All teams, which include a group of the biggest names in the world of MotoGP racing in its three categories, have traveled to Doha since early November, in preparation for the new season and adapting to the atmosphere of Doha, especially the night atmosphere, given that the Doha round is the only one that will be held under floodlights throughout the season.
