Life returns to the Qatar Racing Club (QRC) sand drag track at Sealine, located on the sandy shores of Sealine Resort this evening, with the start of the first round of the Qatar Sand Drag Competition under the patronage of HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, the club’s chairman. The preparations for the track, surrounding facilities, and audience stands began earlier this month, ensuring all safety and security measures are in place, which are fundamental standards for all tournaments organised by the club. It is not hidden from anyone that races organised by the club outside its premises pose a significant challenge to QRC organising committee, requiring work ahead of an appropriate time, considering logistical operations and the challenges they entail.
Today will be dedicated to competitions for cars equipped with 6 and 8-cylinder engines, modified light trucks, as well as the 6-cylinder Nitrous and 6-cylinder Turbo categories.
Motorcycle categories, whether on two or three wheels, and Polaris vehicles designed for kids will also compete today.
Friday will be allocated for Polaris vehicle competitions in its three categories: stock, modified, and unlimited. Additionally, competitions for the Buggy and Hilux categories will take place, with registration and technical inspection starting at 3:00pm for the six categories, and the track opening for competitions at 5:00pm.
According to the competition structure, each racer is given two attempts to cross the approximately 91m track. The first attempt is for all participants from different categories, followed by the second attempt. Registration remains open until the end of the first attempt for all categories.
This year, under the directives of HE Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, the director of the Cars and Motorcycles Racing Club, the number of rounds for the QRC Sealine Sand Drag Competition has been increased to four rounds, compared to the two rounds last year.
The first round starts today, followed by the second round directly at the end of next week on December 21 and 22.
The third round has been scheduled for February 29 and March 1, 2024, with the final round taking place in the following week on March 7 and 8, 2023. In addition, substantial financial awards have been earmarked for the top three performers in each category, amounting to a cumulative sum of QR350,000 per round.
