Al-Khelaifi was the fastest driver during free practice and he started on pole position for the first race of the weekend. The Toyota driver took the lead and held it till the chequered flag, finishing almost two seconds ahead of Mahmoud al-Khalaf in second place.
“Having started from pole position, I got the lead and then tried to increase the gap right from the start of the race. I then planned to save my tyres for the next race however Mahmoud was always in my rear view mirror so I had to drive as fast as I could. I am glad to have finished first,” said al-Khelaifi after the first race.
As for al-Khalaf, this was the first time he finished second and was happy with the result. “I am very happy to finish second for the first time. I really tried to catch up to Abdulla but I over heated the tires by the middle of the race and had to cool them down. But overall it was a good and a clean race,” said al-Khalaf.
Omran Karama who started the race in third place, finished in the same position. “The race was extremely tough today but I’m very happy to be on the podium again. The hot climate was affecting the cars and making the race harder for all competitors. I am hoping to get stronger in the coming rounds. Being the defending champion had put me under a lot of pressure but I will surely return back stronger. Looking forward to the next race in two weeks’ time,” Karama said after the podium.
Mansour al-Hajri finished in fourth place and Adham el-Dib in fifth position.
In the second race, with the reverse grid, the competition was stronger and more challenging for all the drivers. Al-Khelaifi, who started in the fourth row, was stuck behind cars during the first couple of laps and it was only in the third lap, he was able to get himself into second position – behind race leader behind al-Hajri.
The order was maintained till al-Hajri’s car was struck by mechanical problems allowing al-Khelaifi to overtake him and register another win.
“This was definitely the most challenging race in the championship. I was stuck behind cars as I started from the back of the grid and by the time I managed to pass them, Mansour was leading by ten seconds. I had to push really hard to reach him. By the eighth lap I noticed that he had some mechanical issues, so I overtook him and was able to finish first,” said the winner.
Al-Hajiri had to be content with second place. “It was a great race but for the fuel starvation I had by the end of the race. I am happy to be on the podium again though. Fantastic championship and I am happy that every round is getting more and more challenging as new drivers join us,” said al-Hajri.
Al-Khalaf finished the race in third. “It is always interesting to do a reverse grid race. Starting from the back was very challenging and exciting to try and pass the other drivers. I am very happy to finish third and looking forward to the next round in May,” he said.
In the second race, Karama ended in fourth place and el-Dib finished again in the fifth place.
Trophies were presented by QMMF Executive Director, Sultan Zaher al-Morraikhi.
After this third round, al-Khelaifi is now leading the championship with 87 points. Al-Hajri is second with 79 and Karama third with 68. The next round will be on the 22nd April.