Staff Reporter
Doha: The 2026 Qatar Off-Road Championship launched in spectacular fashion at Sealine, with the opening Baja round for motos and cars delivering intense competition across multiple classes.
In the motos division, Alex McInnes topped Class 1, ahead of Ethan Lane and Michael Anderson, while Rafic Eid dominated both the Veteran and Challenger sub-categories. Mansour Al Suwaidi secured victory in Class 2, with Hamdan Al Ali finishing second and taking Challenger honours, and Khalifa Al Bastaki placing third. Mohammed Al Shamsi claimed the Veteran title in Class 2.
The cars category saw Mohammed Al Marri and co-driver Pierre Delorme clinch overall and Class 1 victory. Camelia Liparoti and Erika Mingozzi finished second, followed by Ghanem Khaled Al Attiyah and Dmytro Tsyro in third.
In Class 2, Rashid Al Mohannadi and Mirko Brun led the field, with Mohammed Al Attiyah and Tamer Hijazeen second, and Alexander Whyatt with Baptiste Cerrato third. Omar Al Lahim and Faisal Al Suwayh won Class 3, ahead of Motab Al Shammari and Badr Alhamdan, and Hassan Al Blooshi with Ali Obaid.
Winners were awarded by Amro Al Hamad, Executive Director of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation, alongside Clerk of the Course Pedro Almeida.
