DOHA: Kuwait’s Salem Al Sarraf won the first Runabout Stock race after beating Qatar’s Abdullah Naim Al Baker in the final of the first aqua bike Drag Race of the new season.
Hosted by the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), the event was held at the Katara cultural village yesterday, which attracted the Gulf’s (from Bahrain, UAE and Kuwait, as well as Qatar) top aqua bike riders in each of the categories.
Approximately 45 riders took part in the first round in Doha, yesterday.
The Runabout Stock race category winner Al Sarraf had already beaten fellow countryman Mohammed Ibrahim Burbaie in the semi-final and won his opening heat.
Al Baker had got the better of Qatar’s Khamis Al Housani in his semi-final and Kuwait’s Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq in his first race.
In the Runabout Super Stock final, the UAE’s Ali Al Lanjawi edged Kuwait’s Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq to clinch first place.
Al Lanjawi had beaten Qatar’s Muhsin Saeed Al Hajri in the semi-final and cruised through his first heat in yesterday’s session in Doha.
Al Abdulrazzaq had beaten Bahrain’s Bader Hassan Ali in his semi-final after pipping Kuwait’s Mohammed Jassim Al Baz in his first heat.
The format for yesterday’s racing consisted of a first set of heats for the Runabout Stock, Runabout Super Stock and Open classes.
The second series of heats took place after the lunch break.
Finals in each category brought proceedings to a close before the podium awards’ ceremony.
The next round of the QMSF aqua bike Drag Race competition will be held next Saturday on January 26.
THE PENINSULA
