Qatar Cross-Country Rally – February 21-26, 2019
2019 FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup, round 1
For immediate release
Monday, December 10th, 2018
QMMF TO OPEN 2019 FIA WORLD CUP WITH FEBRUARY’S QATAR CROSS-COUNTRY RALLY
· Entries open for Qatar’s FIA and FIM World Championship on December 23rd
· Five special stages and live televised start and finish planned at the Pearl
DOHA (Qatar): Officials at the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) have announced initial plans for next year’s Qatar Cross-Country Rally (QCCR), the opening round of the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup. The event takes place over five stages on February 21-26, 2019.
The QCCR will be the first round of the prestigious FIA series for the first time since it joined the championship in 2012. It will feature live televised start and finish ceremonies on the Pearl and five demanding desert special stages.
“We are delighted that the Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally will be the opening round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies for the first time in 2019,” said Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, QMMF President and Chairman of the organising committee.
“We have great pleasure in inviting drivers and riders from around the world to enjoy the challenges and demands that our off-road terrain and difficult navigation throws up. We have again tweaked the format for the 2019 edition. Our start ceremony and prize giving will both take place at the fabulous location of the Pearl and will feature live television coverage.
“Our team has laid on a challenging five-day route through the remotest and most spectacular parts of the State of Qatar and we look forward to welcoming competitors and showing our traditionally warm Arabic hospitality and support.”
Rally headquarters and the media centre will be based at the new Losail Sports Arena, adjacent to the Losail International Circuit, and a bivouac will be located outside the main indoor facilities.
The ceremonial start will take place from 18.30hrs on February 21st and the five desert sections will take centre stage from February 22nd to 26th before the ceremonial finish on the Pearl.
Rally officials have put together a generous concessions package that includes free shipping from Europe with a 20ft container for each competitor, prize monies and other logistical support and an entry package as per the event regulations.
Further information is available from Davy Patterson, the QMMFs official co-ordinator, Email: davypatterson777@gmail.com.
The deadline for shipping equipment from the European ports of Rotterdam or Genoa is January 6th. Cars and equipment would then be available at the service park from February 14th with the fee paid by the QMMF for the Europe-Doha-Europe segment.
The Rotterdam option has a loading deadline of January 8th for a sailing date of January 18th and an arrival date of February 11th. The Genoa vessel will load on January 11/12 and sail on January 24th. It will also arrive on February 11th. Teams need to be registered with the QMMF before the shipping procedure.
Further shipping information is available from Sanjeev Menon at Carson Logistics WLL, the event’s official shipping partner. Contact details are as follows: PO Box 30706, Doha, Qatar, Tel: + 974 4423 1115, Fax: + 974 4423 1100 and Mobile: + 974 3386 7168. www.carsonlogistics.net.
Entries open on December 23rd and the closing date will be January 22nd.
Regulations and entry forms will be available for download from www.qatarcrosscountry.com and www.qmmf.com.
For further information about the 2019 Qatar Cross-Country Rally, contact Qatar Motor and Motor Cycle Federation (QMMF), Losail Circuit, PO Box 8708, Doha, Qatar, Tel: + 974 443 79885, Fax: + 974 443 79732, E-mail: info@qmmf.com.qa and website: www.qmmf.com
Ends
For further media information: Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, International Press Officer, 2019 Qatar Cross-Country Rally, UK Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: NDPPublicity@gmail.com, www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases). Facebook group: FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies. Twitter: @LordPerkins
www.qmmf.com
www.qatarcrosscountry.com