American Dennis Stapleton goes airborne as he tackles the track at Losail yesterday. Inset: Winners pose with QMMF president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah
Sports Reporter/Doha
The first round of the Losail MX Championship organised yesterday at the Losail Motocross Track proved a great success with competitors from several countries putting on a tremendous show of skill and patience.
35 riders from 12 countries Qatar, Kuwait, USA, UAE, South Africa, Bahrain, Australia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Germany, France and Great Britain took part in the two different categories, MX1 and MX2.
In the first race of the day, American rider Dennis Stapleton dominated proceedings to win the event with a gap of 1.15.157. Stapleton got the lead from the first corner and rode very comfortably until the end. In second place was Le Roy Botha from South Africa, while Kuwaití rider Moath al-Ansari was third.
The three riders were competing in the MX1 category.
In the MX2 category, the first rider to cross the line was Abdullah al-Shatti from Kuwait. Hassan Ahmed from Bahrain and Barak al-Jasmi from Kuwait were second and third respectively.
In the Arab Challenge MX1, the top three positions were earned by Moath al-Ansari, Mishary Abou Shaibah and Mohamed Al Balooshi respectively.
In the second race of the day, Stapleton was once again the winner. This time, Moath al-Ansari finished in second place, while Mishary Abou Shaibah was third.In the MX2 category, the scenario was the same as race one as Abdullah al-Shatti, Hassan Ahmed and Barak al-Jasmi once again dominated,
Stapleton is leading the MX2 standings with 50 points, while al-Ansari is second with 42 points and Mishary Abou Shaibath third place with 38 points. In the MX2, al-Shatti with 50 points is leading his category, while Hassan Ahmed is second with 44 points.
The FIM MX1 / MX2 World Championship will be organised at the Losail Motocross Track on the on March 1 and 2.
“I managed to get the first postion after lap two, as in the first lap I was very cautions as the track was slippery because of the water. Then I managed to get the lead by staying calm,” said Stapleton.
QMMF President Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah was pleased with the way things turned out.
“I am very happy with the way the event was organised. We did this race as a rehearsal for the World Championship in a few weeks.
“It was a really tough for us to finish the track in two months, but we pushed very hard to have this come true. I would like to thank Talal Company and all the Losail International Circuit staff who really put in a lot of effort.”
