Qatar's Racing Team Makes Debut at Famous 24-Hour Race
The small Middle Eastern country hopes to grow its motorsports program and develop local drivers.
Team Qatar will compete in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours race for the first time this weekend. The team from the small Middle Eastern country is working with an Italian racing group called Iron Lynx. They will drive a Mercedes-AMG car in one of the race classes. This is a big step for Qatar as it tries to build its motorsports program.
The Qatar team has three drivers working together. Abdulla Al-Khelaifi is from Qatar and will drive alongside German driver Julian Hanses. The third driver is Giuliano Alesi, whose father Jean was a famous Formula One racer. They will compete in the LMGT3 class, which is the third level of racing at Le Mans.
Qatar already hosts several major racing events in its country. The nation holds MotoGP motorcycle races, Formula One car races, and World Endurance Championship events. Qatar also owns part of the Audi Formula One team through its investment group. The country is home to Nasser Al-Attiyah, who won the famous Dakar Rally.
The goal is to help Qatari drivers reach the highest levels of racing. Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai is the president of Qatar's motor racing organization. He wants to see Qatari drivers picked up by top racing teams and car companies. The country started with small local races and now competes around the world.
We started very, very small in our national championships and now our regional, continental and now we're pushing to the worldwide stage.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. Which Italian racing group is Team Qatar working with?
2. How many cars total are competing in this year's Le Mans race?
3. What does 'endurance' mean in the context of racing?