QMMF President Abdulrahman Al Mannai??
DOHA: The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) will launch a new six-round bike series in December, its President announced yesterday.
The new series - the Qatar Superstock Championship - has been planned to give young riders the chance to get a feel of Losail International Circuit and ride with aims of improving their skills at the top level.
“It is very exciting for us as we announce this new bike championship,” QMMF President Abdulrahman Al Mannai said yesterday.
“We want to open our circuit doors to new riders. We are trying to keep the costs down for young riders.”
“We want to assess the skills of young Qatari riders. This is a fantastic platform for wannabe riders,” Al Mannai said.
“I take this opportunity to thank the Losail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC) for helping us. The championship will be launched on December 13,” he said.
“The main goal is to give the local and regional riders the chance to come in and get a taste of riding at a world-class circuit like Losail,” he said.
Khalid Al Remaihi, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of LCSC, said: “This is a perfect platform to nurture local talent. It is an opportunity for riders from Turkey and elsewhere to be here and learn the right way. The competition level is same for everybody. We would love to have a good series.”
Al Remaihi said: “Anyone can register with us for the new series but we will assess the skills of the rider. Once we feel the rider deserves to be part of the new championship, we will then enroll their name. We will have a total of 30 spots on the racing list.”
Each round will consist of two races, QMMF confirmed.
Qatar’s top rider Saeed Al Sulaiti said he is looking forward to being part of the new series.
“I am living the dream (of racing at top events). Everybody who knows me knows what I mean,” Al Sulaiti said.
“It’s a dream of every rider to be here. I am very excited to see this series take shape. I would like to continue riding,” he added.
“If somebody likes to pay so for my riding I would continue for as long as possible,” he said with a huge smile.
QMMF President praised Al Sualiti for ‘doing well’ on the international stage.
“I would like to applaud the performances of Saeed. He started late but he has accomplished so much in such a short period of time. Credit to the young man for showing passion and dedication to improve as a rider,” Al Mannai said.
Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu said: ”I have to say congratulations to Qatar on this initiative. Superstock is the class where many riders want to be part of something tough and exciting.”
“I started six years ago. I know what this means. It is good for riders to learn from this stage. This a good way to find new talent. I hope we see this very often what we are about to see in Qatar,” Sofuoglu added.
