LOSAIL (Qatar), 28 February 2013 – Youthstream President Mr Giuseppe Luongo, FIM/CMS Director Dr Wolfgang Srb and QMMF President Mr Nasser Khalifa Al Attya hosted a welcome press conference this afternoon where they presented the Grand Prix of Qatar to the national and international media. All the parties expressed their satisfaction of having made the Grand Prix of Qatar a reality and they are all looking forward to a bright long-term cooperation.
Mr Giuseppe Luongo explained that having a Grand Prix in Qatar is a very big step forward for the growth of the FIM Motocross World Championship and he thanked Mr Nasser Khalifa Al Attya and his crew for the fantastic job they have done to organize this Grand Prix in such a short period of time. Mr Luongo explained that he has full confidence on Mr Nasser Khalifa Attya and his team, as they have already proved how professional they are organizing the MotoGP for many years, so the Youthstream president said that he was sure since the beginning that the MXGP of Qatar would be a big success.
FIM/CMS Director Dr Wolfgang Srb summarized his feelings and thoughts with just one word “Thank You”. Dr Srb, as well as Mr Luongo, expressed his full gratitude to Mr Nasser Khalifa Attya and his crew for being so professional and for making this Historical event a reality. This weekend’s Grand Prix of Qatar will be the first one hosted in the Middle East, it will be the first one celebrated at night under the floodlights and it will also be the first one hosting the new Super Final format with both MX1 and MX2 classes racing together.
QMMF President Mr Nasser Khalifa Al Attya expressed his satisfaction for hosting this unique event and he is determined to help motocross to grow in Qatar by promoting the sport hosting national series and supporting young talents. Mr Nasser admitted that motocross is not a well-known sport in the Middle East, but he is confident that in the near future there will be young Qatari riders racing at the highest level, as there are now in road racing.
After the welcoming press conference, QMMF President Mr Nasser Khalifa Al Attya was surprised by the unveiling of a Kawasaki Racing Team motocross bike featuring the colours of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycling Federation. Mr Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni, owner of the KRT team, presented the bike to Mr Nasser Khalifa Al Attya and he expressed his satisfaction for wearing the colours of QMMF at the MXGP of Qatar and he hopes that the whole team makes a good performance this weekend. Gautier Paulin, third last year in the FIM MX1 World Championship, and Jeremy Van Horebeek, third last year in the FIM MX2 World Championship, gave two signed racing shirts to Mr Nasser Khalifa Al Attya as a sign of gratitude for supporting them at the Grand Prix of Qatar where they will both race in the MX1 class.
The media activities continued in a traditional Arabic tent where the top MX1 and MX2 riders had the opportunity to learn more about the Qatari culture. A traditional Qatari group welcomed the MXGP riders in the tent with a traditional dance with swords and after that, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker and Marchetti Racing’s Davide Guarneri were not scared to ride the camels that were taken there specially for them.
Mr Giuseppe Luongo and Mr Nasser Khalifa Al Attya joined the MXGP riders in the Arabic tent and they all had the opportunity to hold a falcon on their arms and they could see how a Henna lady tattooed some of the people present at the Media Event.
After this fantastic day everybody is looking forward to the start of the 2013 FIM Motocross World Championship tomorrow with the Qualifying races and on Sunday with the main event, where the best motocross riders in the world will be giving there best to win the first MXGP of the season.