Sheikh Khalid Al Thani came into Round 2 of the Arabian Drag Racing League at the Qatar Race Club with nothing less than high expectations; and looking to put the Al-Anabi Racing Pro Extreme ’68 Camaro in the winner’s circle – regardless of the fact that it was only his second race at the controls of the near 4,000 horsepower hot rod.

“We had made such great gains in testing,” said Sheikh Khalid. “I knew a victory wasn’t out of the question; it wasn’t too much to expect.”

Sheikh Khalid Al Thani came into Round 2 of the Arabian Drag Racing League at the Qatar Race Club with nothing less than high expectations; and looking to put the Al-Anabi Racing Pro Extreme ’68 Camaro in the winner’s circle – regardless of the fact that it was only his second race at the controls of the near 4,000 horsepower hot rod.

“We had made such great gains in testing,” said Sheikh Khalid. “I knew a victory wasn’t out of the question; it wasn’t too much to expect.”

And his assertation was on the money, as the rookie driver earned his first Pro Extreme victory in the Arabian Gulf Region-based ADRL over Bader Ahli in an exciting final round confrontation. While Ahli was able to take a slight advantage off the starting line (.044 to .056), it wouldn’t be nearly enough to hold off the Frank Manzo tune-up that had Shiekh Khalid’s Camaro acting more like a freight train than a racecar. Sheikh Khalid blistered through the eighth-mile clocks at a stunning 207.02mph (327.49kph) in 3.677-seconds – resetting both ends of the Arabian Drag Racing League world records and taking the win over Ahli’s respectable 3.899-second effort.

“I’m your huckleberry,” an enthusiastic Sheikh Khalid said as he rolled his Tim McAmis Race Cars built Camaro into victory lane. “I suppose we bought that one, too?”

Crew chief Frank “Ace” Manzo, responsible for 101 Lucas Oil NHRA Drag Racing Series wins and 12 season titles as a driver himself, has seamlessly transferred into the tuner capacity with the Al-Anabi Racing super power, and has very similar expectations for Sheikh Khalid’s Pro Extreme effort.

“First and foremost, I have to say that it’s because of great people like Sheikh Khalid, Howard Moon and Tim McAmis that I have this opportunity,” said Manzo, checking in via cell phone from the Qatar Race Club outside the nation’s capitol city of Doha. “Just like football, where the quarterback gets most the credit, I tend to get most the glory for the success and performance we’re seeing with this Al-Anabi Racing program, but I want to say that I’ve got a great team here, I’ve got 5 guys out front blocking for me that make days like today possible.”

The veteran Top Alcohol Funny Car driver continued, “We are very satisfied with our performance here today, but we know there is still more in this combination. The car has been perfect and Sheikh Khalid has done a great job driving, making all the adjustments that we need him to make, adapting and learning a lot with every lap down the track.”

“This facility that Sheikh Khalid has created, the Qatar Race Club, is easily in the top three best racing surfaces in the world. The opportunity we’ve been given here is unbelievable, and I’m truly honored to have the opportunity to race at this level, on this scale, and do it on an international level.”

As for the world record-setting performance of the Al-Anabi Racing ’68 Camaro, which will go down in the history books as the second quickest and third fastest pass of all time for a door slammer, Manzo was obviously content, but didn’t hesitate to say that there is a lot left.

“It might not happen this season, but I don’t think it’s out of the question for these cars to run 3.50s at over 210mph within the next year to 18 months. The power is there.”

While the Arabian Drag Racing League is still in the early stages of development, the talent and performance of the cars, drivers and crew chiefs competing is second to none. With three back-to-back events slated for January and then two more races in February and March, it’s still anybody’s game when it comes to the Pro Extreme world championship.

“I can’t say enough about this team and this car,” said Sheikh Khalid. “it’s been a dream weekend and we’re looking forward to a few weeks off so that we can prepare for three straight races in January.”

Drivers from all points of the globe are scheduled to converge on the Qatar Race Club’s eighth-mile for Round 3 of the ADRL on January 7th and 8th.

Advertisement