19/03/2023
7167 times read
19/03/2023
7167 times read
KUWAIT CITY, March 19: Mashari Al-Dhafiri, a rally champion from Kuwait, has emerged as the winner of the Qatar International 2023 Rally in the T3 light car category. The victory has placed him second in the overall standings of the FIA Baja World Cup Championship with 39 points. The three-day round saw Al-Dhafiri covering 841 km of desert roads with varying terrains. The championship comprises six international rounds, which will be held successively in Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal, the UAE, and Jordan.
Al-Dhafiri, who participated in Qatar for the first time, described the competitions as strong, citing the difficulty of navigating through the rugged desert lands. He achieved his first victory in the championship in this year's edition, with a difference of 7 minutes and 32 seconds from his closest pursuer. He further mentioned that he achieved the fastest times in three special stages of the rally out of the four stages. Al-Dhafiri competed alongside his Spanish navigator Oriol Vidal on board their car (MCE5).
Al-Dhafiri expressed his gratitude to the Kuwaiti International Club for Motorsports and Motorcycles, the club's president Imad Bu Khamseen, all the club members, and the national institutions sponsoring the event. He deemed his victory a greater success due to the ruggedness of the terrain and the difficulty of navigation. The championship will move on to its next round in Italy.