Alkass Digital
Doha, Qatar - Mohamed Al-Meer won the fifth round of the Qatar Manateq Baja championship yesterday. The Qatari driver and his Russian navigator Alexey Kuzmich came out unscathed in their Nissan Patrol from the grueling desert terrains to finish the two-stage rally in 2:26:04 seconds.
Yesterday’s victory helped al-Meer cut down the overall championship lead over Sheikh Hamad al-Thani to five points. Sheikh Hamad, who has 72 points, finished third yesterday with his co-driver Feras Allouh. The duo had finished the rally in second place in 2:34:55 seconds, but incurred a three-minute penalty which pushed them down to third in the podium.
Qatar-Jordan pair of Mohamed Al-Attiyah and Tamer Issa missed out on podium after a six-second penalty cost them a third-place finish and put them in fourth. Their misfortune meant Qatar’s Rashid Al-Mohannadi and Kuwaiti co-driver Ahmed Al-Fares take the second spot in their Nissan Patrol in a time of 2:36:31 seconds. The fifth place went to Qatar’s Ahmed Allouh and Nasser Al-Kuwari with another Qatari duo Nayef Al-Nasr and Jassim Falahi coming sixth. Nine vehicles started the rally but only six were able to cross the finish line after a treacherous desert terrain of Sealine and Khor Al Udaid, which will consisted of a number of marked courses.
Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation president Abdulrahman Al-Mannai gave away the prizes. The sixth and final round of the championship will be held on January 19.
Meanwhile, al-Mannai said the visit of Qatar’s Minister for Sports and Culture HE Saleh bin Ghamim Al-Ali to QMMF headquarters on Friday was to offer his support for the Qatari driver and riders.
“The Sports Minister visits the QMMF headquarters often to offer his suuport to young Qatari drivers and riders,” Al-Mannai said.
“The Minister is always keen to talk to drivers and riders and to see their level of preparation. Motor sport is huge in Qatar and the Minister supports the young home riders and drivers. The Minister’s conversations helps the participants in our events in good spirits,” QMMF president added.
Al-Mannai thanked Manataq, the main sponsors of the championship. He was grateful to Fahad Rashid Al-Kaabi, CEO of Manateq, for “his continuous support to QMMF events in particular and other sports in general”.
Results
1. Mohamed al-Meer (Qatar) and Alexey Kuzmich (Russia) Nissan Patrol. Time: 2:26:04 secs
2. Rashid Al-Mohannadi (Qatar) and Ahmed Al-Fares (Kuwait) Nissan Patrol. Time: 2:36:31 secs
3. Shiekh Hamed Al-Thani (Qatar) and Feras Allouh (Qatar) Nissan Patrol. Time: 2:37:55 secs
4. Mohamed Al-Attiyah (Qatar) and Tamer Issa (Jordan) Can-am Maveric x3. Time: 2:39:29 secs
5. Ahmed Allouh (Qatar) and Nasser Al-Kuwari (Qatar) Can-am Maveric x3. Time: 2:51:18 secs
6. Nayef Al-Nasr (Qatar) and Jassim Falahi (Qatar) Can-am Maveric x3. Time: 3:00:40 secs