In the running for his first world-title, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani is ready for his shot at drag racing glory this week at the Qatar Race Club during the seventh and final round of the Arabian Drag Racing League. Al Thani, who has been in the midst of a season-long points battle with teammate Von Smith, goes into the final event of the season less than one round win out of the lead.

“Frank [Manzo, crew chief] and the Al-Anabi Racing team have been working hard to make sure we have the best car possible going into this most important final round,” said Al Thani, from his office in downtown Doha. “With drag racing, though, there are no guarantees. It’s going to come down to who makes the best decisions on race day and me doing my job as a driver.”

In the running for his first world-title, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani is ready for his shot at drag racing glory this week at the Qatar Race Club during the seventh and final round of the Arabian Drag Racing League. Al Thani, who has been in the midst of a season-long points battle with teammate Von Smith, goes into the final event of the season less than one round win out of the lead.

“Frank [Manzo, crew chief] and the Al-Anabi Racing team have been working hard to make sure we have the best car possible going into this most important final round,” said Al Thani, from his office in downtown Doha. “With drag racing, though, there are no guarantees. It’s going to come down to who makes the best decisions on race day and me doing my job as a driver.”

Currently holding both ends of the Arabian Drag Racing League world records in the ultra-competitive Pro Extreme category, Al Thani has dipped into the 3.6-second zone on a number of occasions and continues to encroach on the 210mph mark. While the conditions during the winter months in the Arabian Gulf Region differ dramatically from those in the Western world, with temperatures expected to reach 90-degrees on race day, the Manzo-tuned Pro Extreme ’68 Camaro will be tuned up this week, as another record-setting performance may be what it takes to earn the world championship.

“We go into this last race focused on one thing – winning the championship,” said Al Thani, team owner and driver for Al-Anabi Racing. “We want to win the race and the championship for all the Al-Anabi Racing fans here in Qatar, but we are also excited that our teammate, Von Smith, in the Barwa Camaro is one of the teams in title contention.”

The Al-Anabi Racing Pro Extreme team will kick off the opening rounds of qualifying for Round 7 of the Arabian Drag Racing League series at the Qatar Race Club this week, with the first round slated for 7:00 PM AST on Thursday, February 25th, with a second round scheduled for 9:00 PM. A final round of qualifying will take place at 5:00 PM AST on Friday the 26th, with eliminations getting underway at 7:00 PM AST.

For more information on the Qatar Race Club and the Arabian Drag Racing League’s Round 7, log onto www.qrczone.com