QRC
Jenkins Back On Track After Finals Appearance In Round Five At QRC
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – After falling to Khalid Al-Balooshi during the Round Four semifinals in the Arabian Drag Racing League due to a red light, Shannon “Iceman” Jenkins was determined to see a different outcome in Round Five at 
Qatar Racing Club (QRC).
Jenkins made up for that in one regard, advancing to the finals for the third time this season in Qatar after qualifying in the No. 3 spot in a 3.87. He also got another crack at Al-Balooshi in an exciting Pro Nitrous matchup, with Jenkins hoping for a different result than the previous week.
There was no red light, but this one was just as frustrating, as Al-Balooshi had a .007 reaction time and a run of 3.83, slipping past Jenkins’ 3.81 that came with a .047 reaction time.
“We had a great race car and were making the runs we have been looking at for a while, but we just came up a bit short in the final,” Jenkins said. “That’s just racing. That’s why they call it drag racing.”
Hossler’s Fortunes Finally Reversed After Winning Round Five In Qatar
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – After qualifying in the top spot for the second straight race in the Arabian Drag Racing League, Alex Hossler was eager to finish the job this time.
That it took some good luck in the finals was of no concern to the Pro Extreme standout who had suffered his share of mishaps through the first half of the eight-race season.
The second half of the year is quickly proving to be a different story as Hossler was the top driver on both days in Round Five at Qatar Racing Club (QRC), finishing the job on Friday with a fortune-filled win in the finals against Von Smith.
Hossler went 4.09 to beat Smith, who struggled to a 7.94.
“We had some good runs and turned those into rounds wins and then in the finals, we got lucky,” Hossler said. “We had a lot of luck in the bank from the first three rounds and we made a withdrawal for this one.”
Al-Balooshi’s Record Run Highlights Round Five Qualifying In Qatar
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – Khalid Al-Balooshi found another way to outdo himself on Thursday.
Less than a week after the talented Pro Nitrous driver recovered from a fire to his car to win the fourth race of the eight-race Arabian Drag Racing League series, Al-Balooshi raised the bar during qualifying of Round Five at Qatar Racing Club (QRC).
With near-perfect conditions leading the way, Al-Balooshi went a record 3.80 at 197 miles per hour, taking the No. 1 qualifying spot in PN with one session remaining on Friday before eliminations.
“My team has been working very hard this week to try and squeeze every bit of E.T. and mph out of each run as we can,” Al-Balooshi said. “I want to thank all of them for working so hard and giving me such a good car each week.”
Al-Balooshi Still Aiming High After Getting Second Win In Qatar
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – Khalid Al-Balooshi had an excited tone in his voice last week after picking up his second win in four races in the Arabian Drag Racing League.
But it was also obvious that Al-Balooshi and his Speedtech team aren’t nearly content heading into Thursday’s Round Five at Qatar Racing Club (QRC).
“We have laid down some solid runs over these last four races, but we really need to pick it up,” tuner Brandon Switzer. “There are a lot of tough Pro Nitrous teams over here and everyone has had about five weeks worth of testing and racing on the same track, which means it is only going to get harder to qualify and win rounds from here on out.”
Al-Balooshi and his team had their toughest challenge last week during testing before Round Four.
Matt Smith Prepping For Double-Duty In ADRL
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – Matt Smith has long believed he was capable of being a standout driver in a car and not just on a motorcycle.
As he’s quickly proven in the Arabian Drag Racing League, the Al-Anabi Racing talent is also able to do both at the same time.
Smith, the son of legendary driver Rickie Smith, has been one of the biggest stories at Qatar Racing Club (QRC) over the past month for his efforts both behind the wheel of a Pro Extreme car and on his Harley-Davidson Pro Extreme Motorcycle.
The latest headline-grabber came on Tuesday when Smith went 3.57 at 212.47 miles per hour during testing in KH Al-Thani’s PX Camaro, following it up with a 3.58 at an even faster 212.60 mph on his next pass.
It’s the most recent turn of events in a span that Smith has thoroughly enjoyed.
Jenkins Still Searching For Consistency in Qatar
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – During the two-week break from racing in the Arabian Drag Racing League, Shannon Jenkins spent most of his time in front of his laptop studying graph after graph, in search of the problems that had plagued his Al-Anabi Racing’s Camaro during the first three races in December at Qatar Racing Club (QRC).
Although Jenkins was confident he found what he was looking for, testing and qualifying produced nothing but tire shakes and headaches. Jenkins made the necessary adjustments on race day, but a red light in the semifinals ended his stay in Round Four last week.
During the round, the “Iceman” got the best of Isaias Rojas when he used an incredible reaction time of .006 and a stellar 3.88 at more than 195 miles per hour to advance to the semifinals. There he met points leader Khalid Al-Balooshi, and Jenkins’ second 3.88 was negated by the disappointing red light.
“I’m very disappointed with the red light for the Al-Anabi team and for my crew, but that’s just racing. We had a car that could have won this race, but we didn’t, so we’re just going to focus 100 percent on next week, and find a way to get the job done,” said Jenkins.
Mahana Al-Naimi, Jenkins’ teammate, wheeled his Al-Anabi Racing ’68 Camaro to a No. 2 qualifying spot, but eliminations yielded similar results as to what the “Iceman” experienced in his semifinal matchup.
Taylor Ends December With Round Three Win In Qatar
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – Earlier this year, Frankie “Mad Man” Taylor could not have envisioned traveling abroad to race in the Middle East, but after setting the world record and winning the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) title this
year in Pro Extreme, it was an easy decision for Frankie to keep his momentum moving forward by racing through the winter.
It’s already been a memorable time through three of the eight races in the Arabian Drag Racing League at Qatar Racing Club (QRC) in Qatar.
After setting two tracks records and advancing to one final, Taylor wrapped up his December with a win, going 3.63 at 210.41 miles per hour to beat Joshua Hernandez in the finals of Round Three. Taylor’s celebration was well-earned after beating a loaded field that included Mike Stawicki in the first round (3.67 at 193 mph) and J.R. Todd in the semifinals (3.64, 209 mph).
Hunnicutt Continues Success With Second Straight Win In Qatar
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – Like any competitor, Rob Hunnicutt has often wondered what it would feel like to be the frontrunner and the person everyone else was chasing.
Now that it’s happening, the Pro Extreme Motorcycle rider admits it feels quite amazing.
After winning for the first time in his American Drag Racing League (ADRL) and Arabian Drag Racing League career last week, Hunnicutt followed it up with his second straight win, taking Round Three at Qatar Racing Club (QRC) on Friday.
“I’ve never won this many round in probably five years of doing this,” Hunnicutt said. “This is like a dream come true.
“It makes me speechless when I look at these two trophies. I’m almost in awe. It makes all the hard work and time and money worth it.”
Jenkins Takes Round Three Victory In Qatar
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – After what happened during the first two rounds, Shannon Jenkins would have gladly taken any good fortunes in Round Three of the Arabian Drag Racing League at Qatar Racing Club (QRC).
Plenty came his way on Friday and Jenkins returned to a familiar perch – back on top in Pro Nitrous.
Jenkins got plenty of luck, but he did his part and took advantage, winning Round Three in Qatar, returning home after the three-race stretch in December with much some much-needed momentum.
“It’s great to finally get our first win of the season here at QRC,” Jenkins said. “My guys have done an outstanding job, and I’m very proud of them for their hard work and dedication to our team. I also can’t thank Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani and the people of Qatar enough for allowing us to be a part of such a great team.”
The American Drag Racing League (ADRL) PN standout had plenty of luck to get the win, but Jenkins likely felt like he was due for some.
In the opening round of eliminations, Jenkins defeated Khalid Mohammad from Bahrain Racing on a red light and he followed up with a semifinal win after Khalid Al-Balooshi was off his game.
Jenkins Not Happy With Rd 2, Ready To Find Consistency in Qatar
Courtesy of ADRL
DOHA, QATAR – After coming up just short of a win in Pro Nitrous during Round One of the Arabian Drag Racing League at Qatar Racing Club, Shannon “Iceman” Jenkins had very high expectations heading into Round 2.
Instead, Jenkins and his team took a disappointing step backwards. Jenkins qualified No. 1 with a 3.85, but the final outcome took away any of those good feelings, as he fell in the first round of eliminations in Qatar.
To put it mildly, Jenkins wasn’t exactly excited with the results.
“I’m really unhappy with the way this car has been acting lately. We have changed everything on this race car, and it just refuses to give the results that it should be giving,” Jenkins said.
“Qualifying ended on a good note but our main goal is always to put our Al-Anabi Racing Camaro in the winner’s circle, and we just didn’t get the job done.”
