"Ernest Aldrich" Wins Al Jassasiya Cup Title for Purebred Horses

 

"Ernest Aldrich" Wins Al Jassasiya Cup Title for Purebred Horses

 

Ernest Aldrich" owned by Abdulatif Hussain Al Emadi won the Al Jassasiya Cup title for purebred hybrid horses for 4yo and up rated 80-100 for a distance of 1900 meters after achieving first place in the seventh main race organized by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) on the sand track.

"Metrash" owned by Al Anood Stud won the first place in the first half dedicated to purebred Arabian horses of local production rated 65 and under aged 4yo and up for a distance of 1700 meters.

The first place in the second half for beginner purebred Arabian horses aged 4-6 years for a distance of 1700 meters won by "ZF Al Saqaaf" owned by Ibrahim Mohammed M I Al-Fadala.

"Saxon Scene" owned by Al Rufaa Racing won the third half race dedicated to purebred hybrid horses rated 70 and aged less than 3yo and up for a distance of 1700 meters.

"Crush And Run" owned by Al Jasra Stud won the first place in the fourth half race dedicated to purebred crossbred horses rated 65 - 85, aged 3yo and up for a distance of 1100 meters.

In the fifth half "Mutahaffiz" owned by Sabhea Awad Ibrahim won the first place dedicated for purebred Arabian horses, local production, rated 65 - 85, aged 4yo and up for a distance of 1200 meters.

"Ushayqer" owned by Mohamed Abdulla Al Abdulmalik won the first place in the sixth half race dedicated for purebred hybrid horses local production rated 80 and less aged 4yo and up for a distance of 1200 meters.

QREC Racing Manager Abdulla Rashid Al Kubaisi crowned the winners.

Juned Coutinho helps Al Khor Strikers win Savs Sports & Fitness 6-A-Side Hockey Tournament

 

Juned Coutinho helps Al Khor Strikers win Savs Sports & Fitness 6-A-Side Hockey Tournament

Doha, Qatar: A brace by Mumbai-born Goan Juned Coutinho helped Al Khor Strikers get the better of Pearl Pirates 2-0 and win the first 6-A-Side Hockey Tournament organized by Savs Sports and Fitness held recently at a school ground.

In a closely contested final, Al Khor Strikers struck once in each half in the one-day tournament which saw six team contesting for the top prize.

Coutinho, who won the Best Player of the Tournament award, scored both the goals for the winners. Moaz of Duhail Ninjas won the best goalkeeper award while Stefan Werner of of Duhail Ninjas walked away with the highest goal scorer award.

Al Khor Strikers Manager Fabian Faleiro, a former player who traces his roots to Navelim and Benaulim villages was delighted with the win.

“It was interesting and well contested tournament and the same can also be said of the final. We had players from India, Pakistan playing for us,” said Fabian who as a manager of the team bought the players at an auction held a couple of day before the tournament.

Fabian, who quit the game three years back after an injury, knew most of the players and their abilities and that task made it easier for him to buy the players at the auction.

“We had players from England, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Hungary, Egypt who were up for the auction, besides players from Indian subcontinent of Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. So we had players from 12 countries, different continents and playing varied styles taking part in the tournament, which is good for Qatar hockey and its future.”

Wakrah Warriors finished third, Duhail Ninjas, Doha Knights and West Bay Wizards were the other teams which took part. Prior to the tournament the players were auctioned and bought by the respective owners.

Savio Nayak, Founder & CEO of Savs Sports and fitness, the organizer of the event was delighted with the success of the tournament.

“The tournament was a big success and most of the top players, based in Qatar took part in the auction and in the tournament. Most of the matches were close matches,” said Savio, a Qatar national team player and who is also a qualified hockey and football coach.

“We have a talented bunch of players in Qatar and if they are selected to the national team we will have a strong team starting from the regional competitions,” added Savio.

“Thanks to Qatar Hockey Association we have been taking part in some regional tournaments but the tournament saw some new talents which will add more depth and options to the coach in the upcoming tournaments,” added the Mumbai-born player.

Former Hungary national team player Gyorgy was delighted to take part in the tournament and cross paths with players from different countries paying different styles of hockey.

“We witness some top level hockey and different styles of the game, the Indian subcontinent style of play which is known for its brilliant stick work and the more physical game of the Europeans,” said Gyorgy, who is based in Qatar for the last 22 years.

 

 

Wanderers Hockey Club Qatar finishes as runners up in Dubai tournament

 

Wanderers Qatar’s Savio Nayak emerges as highest goal scorer in Dubai hockey tourney

 

Juned Coutinho of Wanderers Qatar gets Most Valuable Player of the Tournament award in Dubai

 

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Hockey League Champions Wanderers Hockey Club finished as runners up in the 4-a-side hockey tournament held recently in Dubai and organized by DV Boys.

In the final they lost to Dadabhai Dubai.

Savio Nayak, captain of Wanderers emerged as the highest goal scorer of the tournament while teammate Juned Coutinho got the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.

A 12-year-old Qatar-based golfer sets high goals as he wants to tee off with the very best

Twelve-year-old Daniil Sokolov, a Russian national who was born in Seoul, South Korea, was just five years old when he moved to Qatar with his parents from Tokyo, Japan.

Eldest of two siblings, he is fluent in English, French, and Russian. The fact that he speaks Arabic reasonably well makes him stand out among other student-athletes. His younger brother, Fedor Sokolov, 10, plays football in the elite Paris Saint-German Football Club (PSG) group.

From an early age, Daniil Sokolov, a grade VI student at International School of London, Doha campus, used to accompany his father, Dmitry Sokolov, a professional in energy systems who was charmed by the sport of golf during his four-year stay in South Korea.

Dmitry Sokolov, proud father of two talented young boys, told Qatar Tribune that upon arriving in Qatar, “perhaps the right time for five-year-old Daniil, supported by safe and sport environment with quality facilities, helped in exposing and developing the hidden skills of Daniil for the sport of golf”.

Daniil, said his father, has been a well-mannered boy right from his childhood, patient, with the right attitude and carrying a well matured personality for his age group, which are the prerequisites for being a golfer.

Meanwhile, paying gratitude to his father and mentor, Daniil said it was his father who from beginning guided and provided him the environment in building his confidence and grooming his hidden talent. “Right from a very young age, I got the opportunity to play on various golf courses and in different countries including Qatar, the UAE, African countries, Europe and the US, which helped me in shaping up my talent and personality,” said the 12-year-old.

Talking about his practice habits, he thanked his coach who guides him daily to refine swing and techniques. He practices five days a week, a minimum of four hours per session. He goes through minimum two competitive rounds per week.

The talented boy has been displaying his exceptional skills and garnering success from age seven in the junior golf circuit. His ability to drive the golf ball over 300 yards at such a young age is amazing and incredible.

He was recognised as the strongest non-USA 11-year-old player according to Under Armour Junior World Golf Rating; he was also chosen to All World Team of best junior golfers of his age.

He achieved an impressive 9th place in the Boys Under-12 division in summer 2022, at the IMG Academy World Junior Golf Championship in San Diego, California; he’s the winner of his age division at First Tee Miami Doral Junior Classic; and the youngest participant to finish 7th out of 120 participants in the Qatar Open Men’s Amateur Championship 2023 held at Doha Golf Club.

He will be participating at the Underrated Golf Tour 2023 presented by Stephen Curry, to take place this summer, to valuable experience against highly competitive opponents aged 12-18.

Talking about his future goals, Daniil said he wants to win a Qatar Amateur Open Championship within the next three years, and hopes to be counted among Top-10 WAGR players within next three years; and to win a professional golf by the age of 15.

Golf lovers who want to have a glimpse into his golfing skills and achievements, may visit Instagram at @daniil_sokolov_golf.

Indian Sports Center organizes first ever Masters Athletics Meet

 

Indian Sports Center organizes first ever Masters Athletics Meet

 

Doha, Qatar: A record number athletes took part in the first-ever Masters Athletics Meet organized by Indian Sports Centre (ISC) in Doha recently.

Over 400 Indian athletes, for both men and women, based in Qatar competed in seven age group categories, the first of its kind athletics meet held by ISC. Competition were held in 100m, 800m, triple jump and shot put, and 56 gold medals were given away and an equal number of silver and bronze medals.

The meet was organized by the newly elected office bearers of ISC led by newly president elect EP Abdul Rahman along with the outgoing ISC team led by past president Dr. Mohan Thomas. The meet was inaugurated by Sachin Dinkar Shankpal, first officer - Embassy of India and coordinating officer of ISC.

The overall championship was won by Syro Malabar Cultural Association (SMCA) with 123 points followed by M.E.S Indian School with 59 points for first runners up position and Qatar Tamil Sangham (QTS) for second runners up with 53 points. The overall champions were awarded the ISC Masters Athletics Meet 2023 Championship trophy.

Mr.Hassn Kunji, Ideal Indian School was the Chief Guest for the closing ceremony. Marathon Runner and world record holder Mr.Shakeer Cherayi was the guest of honor, other guests were ICC MC members Mr.Abraham Joseph, ICBF MC members Mr.Varkey Boban, MES Indian School Vice President Mr. Khaleel Pareed and Ideal Indian School Principal Mr. Shamim Sahib Sheikh.

The meet was officiated by physical education teachers of different schools, coordinated by newly elected MC team members Nihad Ali, Pradeep Pillai, Shalini Tiwary, Past MC team members Sreenivasan, Anil Boloor and Rajesh Kannan, they were supported by 50 ISC volunteers.

Qatar Airways named title sponsor of Royal Challengers Bangalore

 Qatar Airways named title sponsor of Royal Challengers Bangalore

The group has also introduced RCB Innovation Lab, a service that generates insights, ideas, methodologies and products that shape the future of sports.

Qatar Airways has been officially named the main principal partner by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday. Rajesh Menon, Vice President & Head of RCB, announced it last night at the RCB Unbox event at Chinnaswamy stadium. Muthoot Fincorp sponsored RCB for three years. 

RCB has also taken a giant step forward in merging sports and lifestyle with the introduction of RCB Innovation Lab. 

It aims to generate insight, ideas, methodologies and products that shape the future of sports in India. At the core of this aim is an aspiration to develop adaptable people and leaders, capable of driving performance improvement and excellence on and off the field. 

RCB innovation Lab is based on two principles, to bring sports innovation to as many people and to collaborate with innovative organisations. 

RCB in association with the LEADERS, organiser of the most prestigious global sports communities through events, communities and intelligence will connect the most influential people in sports to the most powerful ideas in Sports, thereby bring the global sports leaders together in India for the first time and discuss and drive the future of sports in South East Asia. 

Through this initiative they plan to break boundaries; create a platform where sports, business, tech, media and performance meet. They share ambitious plans to propel growth in the regional and international sports market, both on and off the field.  

They will host the biggest names in sports and media together in a single platform from over 15+ countries over an exploratory two-day meet, checking how to tap an ever-growing, vibrant Indian sports market on and off the field. 

Besides, RCB will provide an unmatched opportunity to close to 750 senior executives and participating brands with a unique opportunity to share their brand story with the key regional and international leaders in sport.  

However, one of the biggest features of the RCB Innovation Lab is venturing into Sports Ed Tech, Research & Development for performance enhancement and the setting up of startup accelerator programmes with leading sports & health tech accelerators. 

RCB will also establish an AI backed cricket coaching and talent ID platform, helping to identify and develop RCB stars of the future. 

Rajesh Menon, Head & Vice President of Royal Challengers Bangalore, said, “RCB has this highly engaging fan base across the globe, and it has been numbered around 30 million. In 2022, we had touched a TV reach of 262.6 million, highest among all the IPL teams. As RCB is returning to their home turf after a gap of 3 years, we want to make it memorable in more ways than one. We want to break down the international barriers and showcase India as a thriving market. With the RCB Innovation Lab, it will be an attempt to take Sports Tech to next level in India. We, as one of the most popular sports teams in India, want to contribute and create meaningful footprints in sports in India which just do not confine to the playing arena alone and we believe if sports has to grow, then all aspects of the sports has to grow as well and we are on that journey with this vision.

RCB aspires to give its fans a purpose and meaning with Go Green initiative to utilise the connect and community of fans to be part of a larger movement that benefits society at large.” 

Mo Bobat, Performance Consultant of RCB, said, “In addition to the many exciting innovations RCB has been known for on the field, it’s great to be able launch the RCB Innovation Lab.  Cricket, and sport more generally, is evolving at such a pace and RCB wants to play a leading role in shaping what sports organisations and leaders do to achieve success, on and off the field.”  

Leaders’ Managing Director, Laura McQueen, commented “India is an exciting and thriving market with endless opportunity. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the team at RCB to bring Leaders to India to be part of the innovation happening here and showcase this to global sports business and performance executives around the world.”  

RCB in the journey of green movement  

RCB started the journey of green initiative with the first ever “green game” in 2011. Joined WWF India as the face of Namma Bengaluru for Earth Hour in 2012 and officially declared Carbon Neutrality through fan driven initiatives and not the purchase of carbon credits. RCB became the World’s first Carbon Neutral Cricket Team in 2013. From 2014 to 2019, fan engagement recorded the green pledges, installation of 1422 solar panels in RCB’s home ground - M Chinnaswamy stadium, with an overall capacity of 400KW, establishment of waste management centre for sustainable waste disposal of wet and dry waste in the stadium where ~8 tones waste was segregated per match. 

RCB is now moving forward in this green movement with a holistic approach to carbon neutrality. RCB aims to make Chinnaswamy, a green stadium, rejuvenate the Lakes and create a network of green schools across Bengaluru to encourage green initiates and sustainable living for future. RCB also aims to continue creating pet friendly stands, an initiative undertaken in 2019. 

RCB has entered an alliance with Goodera, the world's leading volunteering platform, to drive Go Green initiatives. Go Green initiatives includes Green Lakes, Green Schools, Green Stadium, and Green Army. 

As a first step, RCB will be restoring 2 lakes in South Bengaluru covering 44 acres that affects the nearby area with floods and if rejuvenated will impact the connected lakes and land, to make it more liveable and sustainable. As with any other venture of RCB, the fan engagement is central to this mission as well. We intend to transform Go Green Initiative into a movement by fan engagement with a purpose. 

The RCB will also transform nearly 200 educational institutions in Bengaluru into green schools and earning a special green certificate will work as a source of motivation for them. 

“At Goodera, we strongly believe in the power of community engagement in driving sustainable impact. RCB's unique fan driven model of carbon neutrality is inspirational. RCB has enabled sustainability for the people, of the people, and by the people. Goodera is proud to partner with RCB since 2011 on the Go Green initiatives inspiring millions of passionate RCB fans to bring small changes in their daily life for planet earth. said Abhishek Humbad, Founder and CEO of Goodera, the world's leading volunteering platform and RCB's sustainability impact partner.” 

Fans throng for RCB Unbox 

RCB returned to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after a gap of three years in the most remarkable of ways — the cracking RCB Unbox 2.0 for the fans. It is a celebration of the 12th man army, the loyal fan base of the RCB who could not experience a game day at the stadium for the past three years. 

The fans were allowed to watch the full squad practice of RCB, a first of its kind initiative in the T20, accompanied by RCB brand launches and the fans also witnessed the coming back of two cricketers who are now part of the RCB folklore — Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. They were inducted into RCB Hall Of Fame and as a mark of respect, the RCB retired the jerseys of AB (17) and Chris Gayle (333) forever from its roster. 

“First of all, a big thanks to RCB for inducting me into the Hall Of Fame. I have so many fun memories of playing at the Chinnaswamy Stadium for the RCB. It feels like

homecoming for me and it was a delight for me to reconnect with the team, the players and above all the fans. The RCB, RCB chant will always stay with me,” said Chris Gayle. 

“It is a massively touching gesture by RCB to induct me into the Hall Of Fame and it has a very special place in my heart. I have missed the atmosphere at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and it was enthralling for me to relieve all those experiences once more during the RCB Unbox,” said AB De Villiers. 

The stadium was packed to the rafters with live music beats by Sonu Nigam and Jason Derulo followed by the arrival of Virat Kohli, Faf Du Plessis, ABD and Chris Gayle were greeted with thundering cheers and the iconic chant — RCB, RCB. 

“I am quite excited to welcome back fans to the stadium after 3 years. It was such an exhilarating experience to practice in front of some amazing fans as part of the RCB Unbox. It was also thrilling to welcome back AB and Chris for their special day, and it was awesome to feel the energy,” said RCB captain Faf du Plessis.

Nasser and Dabrowski confirm car and motorcycle wins at the Qatar International Baja

 

Nasser and Dabrowski confirm car and motorcycle wins at the Qatar International Baja

Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri and Frenchman Jeremie Warnia win T3 and T4 sections

 

 LUSAIL (Qatar): Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel clinched victory in the car category in their Toyota GR DKR Hilux, while Polish KTM rider Konrad Dabrowski stayed clear of late trouble to defend his motorcycle title at the end of a punishing Qatar International Baja on Saturday.

Al-Attiyah controlled proceedings through the demanding last stage to take the day’s win by 10min 18sec from Chinese rival Guoyu Zhang and that was sufficient for the Qatari to finish 16min 21.6sec ahead of Overdrive Racing team-mates, Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov, in their Toyota Hilux. Zhang and his Spanish co-driver Oriol Mena rounded off the podium places in their Baic ORC BJ40,

Al-Attiyah said: “It was a good Baja. The first day I had a small margin and the second day I pushed a lot. I thank Jean-Marc (Fortin) from Overdrive Racing for bringing me a new car and thanks to Qatar Airways for flying this car over very swiftly so that I was able to compete here. I am very glad to win here again on my home race. I always want to compete in every international event in Qatar and it’s great to bounce back with a win after my big crash in Abu Dhabi.”

Runner-up Krotov added: “After 35km, I had to stop and change the tyres. After that we lost a little power and didn’t have a big speed. One turbo was not working. But the race was good and I enjoyed the stages.”

Competitors tackled 224.96km on the final day and the route was split into four sections of 33.73km, 28.51km, 43.23km and 113.20km by three non-competitive transfer zones.

Overdrive Racing’s Juan Cruz Yacopini and Daniel Oliveras moved up to fourth overall on the final stage in the third of four Toyotas.

The experienced Meshari Al-Thefiri began the day second in T3 behind his usual co-driver Nasser Al-Kuwari and the Kuwaiti delivered a solid stage performance to set the fastest time and sneak through to win the FIA T3 category for lightweight prototype machines on his first race with a new MCE-5 T3M and Oriol Vidal looking after the navigation. Al-Thefiri also finished fifth overall.

He said: “We managed to finish. It’s so difficult with the road book to know if you are out of the route. It is not easy. The car was very good. We caught Nasser (Al-Kuwari) about 20km from the start, so I managed my pace then and I knew what my advantage was. I am very happy that this is the first win for the MCE-5. Hard luck to Nasser.”

With Nasser Al-Kuwari and French co-driver François Cazalet dropping precious minutes on the stage with the lack of brakes and puncturs, that opened the door for the Qatari’s brother Abdulaziz to snatch second place in the category in his QMMF Rally Team Can-Am. On his debut in this type of motor sport, the former winner of the Qatar International Rally also finished in an excellent sixth in the general classification. Nasser came home in seventh and third in T3.

“From the first 20km, we had one flat tyre and we changed it,” said Nasser Al-Kuwari. “Then we catch Meshari and we had another flat tyre. We changed it. We catch him again and try to pass him and then we had a third one. Then we had no chance to win and we just tried to get the car to the finish. We also had brake issues. But I am happy with my performance.”

Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari said: “Very happy to finish second. I would love to have won T3 but it is not easy after the delay with the puncture on the first day. Unlucky for Nasser to come with the third puncture. I took it safely. I wanted to do all the mileage. I want to transfer to this kind of rallies. I prefer this type of rallies. You don’t have to drive every week.”

The French crew of Jeremie Warnia and Loic Minaudier managed to overhaul Brazil’s Cristiano de Sousa Batista and Portuguese co-driver Fausto Moto to secure a narrow victory in the FIA T4 category in their Polaris RXR 1000 R. They finished eighth overall and beat their Can-Am rivals by 2min 10sec on the final day to secure a winning margin of just 30.3 seconds.

Seventeen minutes of time penalties for missing route waypoints had pushed Pau Navarro down the T4 rankings after the third stage in his FN Speed Team Can-Am. He climbed back to third on the final day.

Saudi Arabia’s Khalid Al-Feraihi and French co-driver Sébastien Delaunay boosted their FIA Middle East Baja Cup title aspirations with valuable points for finishing 11th overall in their Nissan Patrol behind the 10th-placed Ronan Chabot in his Overdrive Toyota.

Krzysztof Holowczyc (Mini JCR Rally Plus) and Ahmed Al-Shegawi (Can-Am) retired on Friday after their mechanical issues.

Dabrowski retains motorcycle title

 

 Konrad Dabrowski retained his motorcycle title in Qatar with a polished performance that saw his win every stage on his KTM. The Pole won Saturday’s last stage by 6min 49sec to record a winning margin over Great Britain’s Robert Wallace of 31min 04.8sec. He also claimed the honours of finishing as the first FIM Junior.

Dabrowski said: “Qatar is very lucky for us. A second win here in a row. I like to come here because it is great experience and I can improve my navigation and my riding. I was sick today on the stage after spending a night in the air conditioning. It was so difficult just to ride the bike on the second part of the stage. I am very tired but happy to win this race. I was super tired when I finished but it’s a great feeling to win.”

With Martin Chalmers dropped out of contention on the final morning, the battle for the final place on the podium swung in favour of the Dutch female racer Mirjam Pol. The KTM rider climbed from eighth to third to finish as the top Women. She edged out Andrew Houlihan for the last podium place by just 66.4 seconds, although the Australian had the consolation of winning the Veterans’ class and finishing a fine fourth.

A delighted Pol said: “When you start eighth overall and you finish third it is a big surprise. I had all the route waypoints and when I arrived I only saw two lines and that’s when I realised I had achieved a very good result.”

Emirati Mohammed Al-Ramani climbed to fifth at the expense of sixth-place Canadian Jonathan Finn. Mohammed Al-Balooshi was the championship leader after the opening round in Saudi Arabia and the Emirati reached the finish in eighth.

Several riders were handed time back overnight by FIM officials for delays on Friday helping at the scene of other competitors’ accidents. Oran O’Kelly received a credit of 53 minutes and Alex McInnes and Simon Marcic were also handed time back. McInnes went on to finish 10th overall after setting the second quickest time behind Dabrowski on the final stage. Marcic came home in third place on the day and finished 14th.

 Emirati Sultan Al-Balooshi did not restart after his problems on Friday. Arnoud Dom was the unofficial winner of the quad category after Haitham Al-Tuwaijri  and Abdulaziz Al-Ahli failed to finish. Mansoor Al-Suwaidi finished second.

2023 Qatar International Baja – Positions after stage 4 (unofficial @ 15.45hrs):

FIA - Cars (Top 16 only)

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Toyota GR DKR Hilux                                       4hr 51min 49.7sec*

2. Denis Krotov (KGZ)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (ISR) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                                                         5hr 08min 11.3sec*

3. Guoyu Zhang (CHN)/Oriol Mena (ESP) Baic ORC BJ40                                                                                     5hr 11min 00.6sec*

4. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Daniel Oliveras (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                                                         5hr 23min 50.9sec*

5. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Oriol Vidal (ESP) MCE-5 T3M (T3)                                                                            5hr 30min 32.4sec*

6. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Alexei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                            5hr 38min 05.3sec+

7. Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT)/François Cazalet (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                            5hr 42min 23.3sec+

8. Jeremie Warnia (FRA)/Loic Minaudier (FRA) Polaris RZR 1000 R (T4)                                                  5hr 45min 51.5sec*

9. Cristiano de Sousa Batista (BRA)/Fausto Mota (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4)                             5hr 46min 21.8sec*

 

10. Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Gilles Pillot (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                                                                             5hr 47min 36.5sec*

11. Khalid Al-Feraihi (SAU)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Nissan Pick-Up                                                                       5hr 56min 24.7sec+

12. Otavio Sousa (BRA)/João Ferreira (PRT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                                                     5hr 59min 07.7sec*

13. Fernando Alvarez (ESP)/Xavier Panseri (FRA)   Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                            5hr 59min 39.7sec*

14. Pau Navarro (ESP)/Gonçalo Reis (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4)                                                        6hr 02min 01.5sec*

15. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Manuel Luchesse (QAT) Yamaha YXZ 1000 R (T4)                                                       6hr 07min 26.6sec+

16. Adel Abdulla (QAT)/Marc Serra (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                                                             6hr 11min 45.9sec+

T1 unless stated

*denotes registered for FIA World Cup

 denotes registered for FIA Middle East Cup

 

2023 Qatar International Baja - positions after stage 3 (unofficial):

FIM – Bikes (top 16 only)

1. Konrad Dabrowski (POL) KTM 450 Rally                                                     7hr 22min 09.3sec

2. Robert Wallace (GBR) KTM 450 RFR                                                            7hr 53min 14.1sec

3. Mirjam Pol (NLD) KTM                                                                                   8hr 43min 18.1sec

4. Andrew Houlihan (AUS) Husqvarna FR                                                       8hr 44min 24.5sec

5. Marwan Al-Rahmani (ARE) KTM 450 Rally                                                 8hr 46min 07.6sec

6. Jonathan Finn (CAN) Honda CRF 450 RL                                                     8hr 47min 47.5sec

7. Cesare Zacchetti (ITA) KTM EXC 350F                                                         8hr 49min 09.5sec

8. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) KTM 450 Rally Replica                                9hr 04min 24.8sec

9. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Husqvarna 450 Rally                                         9hr 10min 08.2sec

10. Alex McInnes (GBR) Husqvarna FE450                                                     9hr 10min 56.0sec

11. Ola Floene (NOR) KTM 450 Rally                                                                9hr 12min 54.5sec

12. Abdullah Lanjawi (ARE) Husqvarna FE450                                               9hr 13min 09.9sec

13. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) KTM 450 Rally                                                 9hr 15min 00.1sec

14. Simon Marcic (SVN) Husqvarna 450 Rally Replica                                  9hr 15min 42.8sec

15. Oran O’Kelly (IRL) KTM 450 Rally                                                               9hr 30min 09.2sec

16. Ehab Al-Hakeem (LBN) Yamaha WR 450F                                                10hr 12min 08.3sec

 

 

 

FIM – Quads

1. Arnoud Dom (BEL) Suzuki LTR 450                                                              10hr 36min 34.8sec

2. Mansoor Al-Suwaidi (ARE) Yamaha YFZ 450R                                           10hr 50min 29.7sec

3. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700                                             13hr 07min 17.6sec

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah fights back to lead the Qatar International Baja

 

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah fights back to lead the Qatar International Baja

 ·       Young Pole Konrad Dabrowski increased his motorcycle lead with canny ride

·       Qatar’s Nasser Al-Kuwari and Brazil’s Cristiano De Sousa top T3 and T4 standings

 

 

LUSAIL (Qatar): Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel lost the lead to Polish rivals Krzysztof Holowczyc and Lukasz Kurzeja on the longer first stage of the Qatar International Baja on Friday morning and then battled back to set the fastest time on the next one to lead by 2min 33.8sec at the end of the day.

Ar the wheel of their borrowed Toyota Hilux, the defending champions now head into the final day with a slim cushion over their team-mates, Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov, who hold second place in their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux, despite two flat tyres.

Al-Attiyah said: “The first stage was not easy because the road book was not really clear but we make two mistakes that cost 10 minutes. On the next two sections we pushed and are quite happy.”

Krotov added: “Today was good. No problems with navigation. My co-driver did a good job. Two punctures cost us time.”

With Holowczyc reportedly stopped in the second stage of the day with cooling issues on his Mini JCW Rally Plus, that opened the door for the Chinese driver Guoyu Zhang and his Spanish co-driver Oriol Mena to climb into third place with their Baic ORC BJ40, despite one flat tyre.

The day’s action featured three competitive sections of 117.29km, 46.05km and 70.53km for the cars and a similar distance for the motorcycles and quads with the FIM entrants tackling the shorter two sections first.

Nasser Al-Kuwari is better known as an esteemed international co-driver but the Qatari has excelled so far this weekend in the driving seat and has carved out a 4min 02.1sec lead over his usual driving partner Meshari Al-Thefiri in the FIA T3 category for lightweight prototype machines after the Kuwaiti suffered navigational issues. Along with French co-driver François Cazalet, the QMMF Rally Team’s Can-Am driver now holds a lofty fourth in the overall standings.

 Nasser Al-Kuwari said: “I am very happy with the result today. You have two options. Is the route okay or not and we followed the right route. We both did a great job. I was careful with the rocks and I kept my speed. My co-driver is one of the best and I trust him and we are happy to lead the T3.”

 Al-Thefiri and Oriol Vidal are sixth overall and second in the T3 section with their new MCE-5 T3M and seventh-placed Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and his co-driver Alexei Kuzmich hold third in T3 in the second of the QMMF Rally Team Can-Ams. 

 Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari said: “I am very happy with my first day ever in this kind of rally. It was good experience. The first time in my life in cross-country. A lot of things to see in the stage, cars passing you, different terrain, sometimes sandy, sometimes gravel. My co-driver did a fantastic job.”

 Al-Thefiri added: “We were lost and we saw three ways and we tested them all and then we catch the right way after six minutes. I push more. My first time here and a new car for me. I see this car last year in Dubai and we decided to drive the T3M this time.”

Brazil’s Cristiano de Sousa Batista and Portuguese co-driver Fausto Moto continue to lead the FIA T4 section in their South Racing Can-Am and hold 10th overall. French rival Jeremie Warnia is second in the class and 11th, while young Pau Navarro is classified in third with his FN Speed Team Can-Am. Italian racer Pietro Cinotto incurred time penalties for breaking the power steering on the Prologue and is out of contention for the podium.

 Overdrive Racing’s Juan Cruz Yacopini holds fifth place in his Toyota Hilux and Saudi Arabia’s Khalid Al-Feraihi is on course for useful FIA Middle East Baja Cup points. Despite stopping to assist at the scene of an accident involving Khalid Al-Muhannadi and Pedro Santos, the Saudi holds eighth overall. The time lost at the scene of the incident was handed back to the Nissan driver after the stage.

 

 

 

Dabrowski in control in the motorcycles

Konrad Dabrowski extended his lead in the motorcycle category to 18min 57.6sec after another dominant stage win on his KTM. The talented young Polish Junior rider, who is following in his father Marek’s footsteps, won the day’s stage by 14min 43.2sec from Great Britain’s Robert Wallace, who retained second overall.

 Dabrowski said: “I started ninth after winning the Prologue and that was a good starting position for today. My plan was to catch the leaders and to gain as much time as possible and I was actually able to do it before the refuel. By then I knew that the result would be very good. After the second half I opened all the way and it was a really nice day.”

 Martin Chalmers claimed third on the day and the Aussie holds a similar position in the overall rankings, with Canadian rival Jonathan Finn in fourth and fellow Australian Andrew Houlihan riding strongly to come home in fifth and first in the Veterans category.

Emirati Abdullah Al-Lanjawi and Saudi Arabia’s Mishal Al-Ghunei were classified in sixth and seventh and eighth-placed Mirjam Pol continued to lead the Women’s category. Ireland’s Oran O’Kelly stopped to assist South Africa’s Michael Anderson, who crashed his KTM on the stage.

The experienced Saudi rider Haitham Al-Tuwaijri topped the quads in the unofficial results from the overnight-leader Emirati Abdulaziz Al-Ahli.

 

Saturday

Cars tackle one stage of 224.96km that has been split into four sections of 33.73km, 28.51km, 43.23km and 113.20km by three non-competitive transfer zones. The first vehicle is due in stage at 10.40hrs.

Motorcycles tackle the same route with the first rider going live at the earlier time of 08.45hrs.

 

 2023 Qatar International Baja – Positions after stage 3 (unofficial @ 15.40hrs):

FIA - Cars (Top 16 only)

 

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Toyota GR DKR Hilux                                       2he 23min 33.4sec*

2. Denis Krotov (KGZ)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (ISR) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                                                         2hr 26min 07.2sec*

3. Guoyu Zhang (CHN)/Oriol Mena (ESP) Baic ORC BJ40                                                                                     2hr 30min 26.3sec*

4. Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT)/François Cazalet (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                            2hr 39min 11.3sec+

5. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Daniel Oliveras (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                                                         2hr 40min 10.0sec*

6. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Oriol Vidal (ESP) MCE-5 T3M (T3)                                                                            2hr 43min 13.4sec*

7. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Alexei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                            2hr 49min 22.8sec+

8. Khalid Al-Feraihi (SAU)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Nissan Pick-Up                                                                             2hr 54min 57.3sec+

9. Otavio Sousa (BRA)/João Ferreira (PRT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                                                             2hr 55min 40.2sec*

10. Cristiano de Sousa Batista (BRA)/Fausto Mota (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4)                             2hr 56min 05.6sec*

11. Jeremie Warnia (FRA)/Loic Minaudier (FRA) Polaris RZR 1000 R (T4)                                                  2hr 57min 45.8sec*

12. Nouef Hassan Al-Suwaidi (QAT)/Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                    2hr 57min 55.3sec+

13. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                            2hr 58min 02.1sec*

14. Hector Diego Martinez (ESP)/Sergio Lafuente (URY) South Racing Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)              3hr 00min 05.5sec*

15. Pau Navarro (ESP)/Gonçalo Reis (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4)                                                        3hr 00min 37.3sec*

16. Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Gilles Pillot (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                                                                             3hr 00min 49.7sec*

 

T1 unless stated

*denotes registered for FIA World Cup

+ denotes registered for FIA Middle East Cup

 

 2023 Qatar International Baja - positions after stage 2 (unofficial):

FIM – Bikes (top 15 only)

1. Konrad Dabrowski (POL) KTM 450 Rally                                                     4hr 05min 14.3sec

2. Robert Wallace (GBR) KTM 450 RFR                                                            4hr 24min 11.9sec

3. Martin Chalmers (AUS) Beta 430 RR                                                           4hr 45min 48.3sec

4. Jonathan Finn (CAN) Honda CRF 450 RL                                                     4hr 56min 55.9sec

5. Andrew Houlihan (AUS) Husqvarna FR                                                       4hr 58min 04.4sec

6. Abdullah Lanjawi (ARE) Husqvarna FE450                                                 4hr 59min 40.7sec

7. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) KTM 450 Rally                                                   5hr 00min 53.1sec

8. Mirjam Pol (NLD) KTM                                                                                   5hr 01min 11.3sec

9. Cesare Zacchetti (ITA) KTM EXC 350F                                                         5hr 02min 20.0sec

10. Marwan Al-Rahmani (ARE) KTM 450 Rally                                               5hr 05min 10.0sec

11. Ola Floene (NOR) KTM 450 Rally                                                                5hr 05min 37.2sec

12. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Husqvarna 450 Rally                                       5hr 28min 16.3sec

13. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) KTM 450 Rally Replica                                5hr 35min 51.6sec

14. Ehab Al-Hakeem (LBN)  Yamaha WR 450F                                               5hr 48min 48.9sec

15. Jaco Anderson (ZAF) KTM 450 EXC                                                            5hr 51min 21.0sec

 

 

 

FIM – Quads

1. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700                                        4hr 46min 26.8sec

2. Abdulaziz Al-Ahli (ARE) Yamaha Raptor 700                                              5hr 01min 56.8sec

3. Mansoor Al-Suwaidi (ARE) Yamaha YFZ 450R                                           6hr 02min 32.8sec

4. Arnoud Dom (BEL) Suzuki LTR 450                                                              6hr 09min 03.4sec