In a tremendous accomplishment, the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) on Saturday concluded a successful completion of all their earmarked national motorsport events of 2020 with the conclusion of the Qatar National Baja championship.
In what has had been a very challenging year following the coronavirus pandemic which in a way ‘threw spanner in the works’ for motorsport around the globe, the QMMF ensured the return of competitions, after the forced break, in October.
QMMF conducted all its championships including the Qatar Superstock Championship (QSTK), the Qatar Touring Car Championship (QTCC), the Qatar National Sprint and the Qatar National Baja. In September, the QMMF also tied up with race bikes team Ten Kate Racing for new Ten Kate YZF R-6 bikes for Qatar Superstock competition.
Speaking of the accomplishment, QMMF Executive Director Amro al-Hamad, said: “Saturday marked the conclusion of the QMMF conducting all national competitions for 2020 calendar. There were so many delays because of the Covid-19 situation and we had to reschedule or even postpone events but in the end we managed to do it.
“We did really well. And it is worth mentioning that a lot of federations around the world decided to cancel events as we were battling with COVID-19 situation, but the QMMF managed to complete all national championships – the QSTK, QTCC and Qatar National Baja and the Qatar National Sprint Championship,” he added.


Al-Mohannadi triumphs
Meanwhile on Saturday, Khalid al-Mohannadi emerged as the Qatar National Baja champion after winning the fifth and final round at the Sealine. 
Driving a Polaris, al-Mohannadi clocked a total time of 2:21:02.4 seconds with Russian co-driver Kirill Shubin. It was the second successive win for al-Mohannadi and his third overall, which fetched him a total points of 97 and earned him QR 80,000 in prize money.
Ahmed al-Kuwari, who finished fourth in the final round in the Jeep, finished second overall with 72 points. Al-Kuwari and his co-driver Manuel Lucchese walked away with QR60,000. Mohammed al-Meer had a disappointing final round, finishing fifth with co-driver Egor Okhotnikov, but that was enough for a overall third place with 50 points.
In the fifth round, Abdullah al-Rabban and Nasser al-Kuwari finished second clocking 2:51:09.5 seconds, but were well behind winner al-Mohannadi and Shubin. In third were Ahmed al-Mohannadi and Mubarak al-Khelaifi, who timed 3:06:35.4 seconds.
In the bikes category, Martin Chalmers riding a Yamaha emerged triumphant in the fifth round with a total time of 3:15:59.0 seconds. In second was Michael Anderson (Husqvarna), while William Magnat (KTM) finished third. Riders were not eligible for overall points as only two rounds were held this season, with a minimum three required to constitute a championship.


Baja rebranded as Qatar Off-Road Championship

In another forward-going step, the QMMF has decided to make the Qatar National Baja more competitive with the new version of which will be revealed from the 2021 season as Qatar Off-Road Championship, said al-Hamad. Explaining the reason behind the move, al-Hamad said: “The championship will be a mix of Endurance and Baja. The first round is going to be Endurance and the last round is going to be Baja. The points for Endurance and Baja will be accumulated for the final championship round.
“The sixth and final round will be an extended week of competition which will be held over two days. It will be longer Baja than usual. And it’s going to be the double points. This will keep it interesting for all the participants until the last round,” he added