Alkass Digital
Qatar National Baja champion Khalid al-Mohannadi will be looking for more success at the Qatar International Rally. The opening round of the 38th FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) will take place over 11 gravel special stages from tomorrow till Sunday, with 20 drivers from nine countries taking part in the event.
With some well-known names in action, al-Mohannadi is confident he can put up a good show on his Polaris with Russian co-driver Kirill Shubin in the T4 category.
“I am well prepared to take on the tough challenge this week. There are some top names featuring in the Qatar International Rally – both from Qatar and from around the region. I am hoping to take part in all the MERC events this season and I want to start off by putting on a good show at my home rally. And then my focus will shift towards competing for the title of the Middle East Championship,” he said yesterday.
Al-Mohannadi will be backed by Universe Sports Marketing company, who are sponsoring the Qatari driver for the MERC first round and also the subsequent legs this season.
Al-Mohannadi thanked Mohamed Mubarak al-Mohannadi, the CEO of Universe Sports Marketing; Adel Khamis, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors; and Khalid Abdulla al-Binali, Head of Protocol and Public Relations, for their “great support”.
“The support of the sponsors is helping me participate in these events and represent Qatar in regional and international events, especially since the cars are highly expensive in the sport I love. The fine tuning of a car for a rally requires a large amount of money. I also thank Polaris Qatar for providing the car which I will drive this week,” he said.
Al-Mohannadi was hoping to drive a new car at the Qatar International Rally but the delay in its arrival from Paris means he will have to do with an old one. “The new approved car is still not here. I will participate in the same car that I won the Qatar National Baja with,” he said.
“It’s not a setback though and I will give my best this weekend. But I hope to drive the new car in the future MERC rounds. I am preparing to participate in the next round in Oman and then Jordan. I will also compete in Lebanon and Cyprus. Hopefully I can make my country proud,” he said.
“Participation in the Qatar International Rally is a great opportunity especially as it is the first time that the FIA has added the T4 category for the MERC. I will do my best to participate in the championship, especially since all the customisation of the car is completed. My target is to win the title of the Middle East Rally Championship this year,” al-Mohannadi added.
The Qatari driver said that the Qatar rally will witness a strong presence and lauded the hosts of the event — the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) — for their efforts to put together a fabulous week of racing. “I thank QMMF President Abdulrahman al-Mannai and FIA for adding the T4 category in our home championship. I did not imagine that there would be a quick approval to establish this category and we would host the first round in Qatar. I am confident that the title will be ours since I can make up for the coming rounds by starting strongly on home soil,” al-Mohannadi said.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Mubarak al-Mohannadi, the CEO of Universe Sports Marketing said: “We are happy with our partnership. It is a great thrill to see Khalid al-Mohannadi prepare not only to participate but aim to win the opening round of the MERC. He will add a lot of value to the event and to our brand. We are happy to have a contract with him since he is a very good rally driver. He has proved his worth from the beginning of his career. He is champion material. We are proud of this partnership.”
He added: “We are also proud to support an ambitious Qatari driver who is forever ready for a high challenge. He has contributed to many championships and we hope that he will succeed in this event and win the title.”