DOHA • Qatar will be gripped by Formula One powerboat racing fever over the coming days when the finest single-seater racers in the UIM F1 World Championship arrive in Doha for a pair of back-to-back races that will constitute the fifth and sixth rounds of this year’s thrilling championship.

The series has already visited Portimao in Portugal, La Rochelle in western France and Xi’an and Shenzhen in China, before the circuit arrives in the Middle East for the two Doha races and the remaining two events in the calendar in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in December.

The two Qatar Grand Prix will take place on Saturday, November 24 and Tuesday, November 27, with Pole Position qualifying for the races taking place on Friday, November 23 and Monday, November 26, respectively.

As soon as the WPPA Class One World Powerboat Championship race had reached a dramatic conclusion in Doha Bay on Saturday afternoon, officials at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) switched their attention to setting up a new racing facility on the Corniche between the Sheraton Hotel and the original Class One pit.

Under the presidency of Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani and Mohammed Al Jaidah, head of formula racing at the QMSF, a new course has been devised to cater for the requirements of the high-speed F1 racing scene.

This challenging five-pin circuit will be located adjacent to the Corniche, near to the VIP area used at the Class One race meeting. QMSF officials have been setting up the pit area, media and officials’ offices and hospitality area over the last two days, as teams from as far afield as the USA, Australia, China, Finland, Sweden and the UK arrive in Qatar.

”I would like to extend a warm welcome to Doha to all members of the UIM Formula One racing fraternity and hope that they enjoy a safe and successful week of racing in Doha Bay,” said Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani, President of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation.