While it’d be easy to overlook the opportunities presented by the three back-to-back races on the Arabian Drag Racing League schedule at the Qatar Race Club, Al-Anabi Racing team owner and driver, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani, is looking on the bright side of the situation. Rather than dreading the thought of the investment of time required to compete in such tightly scheduled events, Al Thani is seizing the opportunity to spend an extended amount of time with not only his own race team, but also his entire stable of Al-Anabi Racing cars, drivers and crew.

“Generally, as soon as we complete an event here at the Qatar Race Club, most everyone is headed back to their homes in the United States the following day,” explains Sheikh Khalid. “With these races so close together, everyone is staying here in Qatar between events, handling the necessary maintenance on the cars, testing, and continuing to jell as a team.”

While it’d be easy to overlook the opportunities presented by the three back-to-back races on the Arabian Drag Racing League schedule at the Qatar Race Club, Al-Anabi Racing team owner and driver, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani, is looking on the bright side of the situation. Rather than dreading the thought of the investment of time required to compete in such tightly scheduled events, Al Thani is seizing the opportunity to spend an extended amount of time with not only his own race team, but also his entire stable of Al-Anabi Racing cars, drivers and crew.

“Generally, as soon as we complete an event here at the Qatar Race Club, most everyone is headed back to their homes in the United States the following day,” explains Sheikh Khalid. “With these races so close together, everyone is staying here in Qatar between events, handling the necessary maintenance on the cars, testing, and continuing to jell as a team.”

Al Thani, who has already amassed one victory, one runner up finish and two number-one qualifying efforts in his brief career as a Pro Extreme driver, is making the most of the time between Round 3 and 4 of the ADRL season, spending the week days testing his Al-Anabi Racing ’68 Chevy Camaro with crew chief Frank Manzo and chassis-builder Tim McAmis.

“With every pass down the track, Sheikh Khalid is growing as a driver, and we’re gaining data,” said Frank “Ace” Manzo, speaking from the stunning Qatar Race Club, which is quickly gaining a reputation for having one of the best racing surfaces in the world. “Having the chance to test on a race-day surface and tweak on our combination between these few races is going to be invaluable to this team, and has already played a pivotal role in the success we’ve seen so far this season. At this point, we’re simply looking to make small adjustments, tweak and perfect our tune-up.”

Considering the performances displayed by the team’s potent Pro Extreme ride, any further tweaking will likely result in world record runs, which has surely been a goal of the team since the first race of the season. With the season approaching the halfway mark, both racers and fans alike are in anticipation of continually intensifying action in the Pro Extreme class as there is still plenty of time for any of the front runners to make a run at the championship.

Qualifying for Round 4 of the Arabian Drag Racing League series at the Qatar Race Club begins at 7:00 PM AST on Thursday, January 14th, with a second round scheduled for 9:00 PM. A final round of qualifying will take place at 5:00 PM AST on Friday the 15th, with eliminations getting underway at 7:00 PM AST.

Advertisement