With his American-based team busy running below the national record back in the States, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani had a need for speed that required his attention back in Qatar.

Al Thani, also rookie Pro Extreme driver, concluded qualifying for Round 4 of the Arabian Drag Racing League as the No. 1 qualifier headed into tomorrow’s elimination rounds..

Led by 12-time NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car champion Frank “Ace” Manzo and chassis specialist Tim McAmis, Al Thani drove his way to the No. 1 spot with a 3.710-second, 207.59mph pass in Thursday’s final session.

With his American-based team busy running below the national record back in the States, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani had a need for speed that required his attention back in Qatar.

Al Thani, also rookie Pro Extreme driver, concluded qualifying for Round 4 of the Arabian Drag Racing League as the No. 1 qualifier headed into tomorrow’s elimination rounds.

Led by 12-time NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car champion Frank “Ace” Manzo and chassis specialist Tim McAmis, Al Thani drove his way to the No. 1 spot with a 3.710-second, 207.59mph pass in Thursday’s final session.

“We’re happy with that,” said Al Thani, checking in his lounge at the QRC. “We’ve got a race car that will go consistently in the low 3.70s and high 3.60s, and that is going to make us pretty hard to beat on race day. Tomorrow we’ll get one more shot at the track and then it’ll be time to get after it.”

Taking the number-two position in the qualifying order is Alex Hossler, winner of Round 3 at the QRC, who posted a strong 3.755 at 203.71mph, followed by Von Smith’s 3.760/207.62mph effort, backing up his earlier 207.66mph speed, the fastest ever recorded by a doorslammer. The Todd Tutterow-tuned entry of Bader Alhi took the No. 4 spot at 3.785-seconds with Ali Aryan rounding out the field with an off the pace 4.786.

Canton, Illinois’ Alex Hossler summed up the intense competition in saying, “There are no chumps over here. They say in poker, if you sit down at the table and don’t know who the sucker is in 20 minutes – it’s probably you. It’s kind of corny, but that’s kind of how we feel. Every round is like the final round and every car over here is capable of running well enough to win the race, and probably set a record in the process.”

Final qualifying for Round 4 of the Arabian Drag Racing League series at the Qatar Race Club begins at 5:00 PM AST on Friday the 15th, with eliminations getting underway at 7:00 PM AST.  

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