QRC Director General Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid Al Thani with the podium winners after the first round.
Doha, Qatar: The opening round of the 2026 Arabian Drag Racing League (ADRL) concluded at Qatar Racing Club, drawing a large crowd. The three-day event featured over 160 racers from the Gulf, the region and the USA, competing across 11 categories, with qualifying runs followed by single-elimination finals.
The competition is being held under the patronage of QRC Chairman H E Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani.
The quarter-mile Index classes attracted the largest participation, with fifty racers, the majority competing in the INDEX 9.0 category. In the end, qualifying leader Sulwaiman Al-Sanaousi claimed the title after defeating his qualifying runner-up Mohammed Khawari in the final race.
In the INDEX 8.50 category, Abdulrahman Kafoud and Rakan Ali Al-Ajmi reached the final race, which ended in Kafoud’s favour as he secured his first title of the season.
As for the eighth-mile Index classes, three categories were contested, with the strongest being INDEX 4.0. The reigning champion Badr Khorshid advanced to the final to face qualifying leader Rashid Al-Balushi, who went on to claim victory, leaving second place to Khorshid.
Meanwhile, Mubarak Al-Awad captured the INDEX 4.50 title after defeating Saeed Al-Balushi in the final, while Saeed Al-Balushi returned to the podium for the second time this round by winning the INDEX 4.80 category, overcoming Nawaf Al-Khaldi in the final.
This year’s championship witnessed the return of competition in the most powerful categories, led by the Pro Mod class, which delivered intense battles starting from the qualifying runs. 
Action during the first round of Arabian Drag Racing League.
The qualifying session saw the American J.R. Gray, the 2025 NHRA Pro Mod champion, take the top spot with a time of 3.717 seconds, followed by his compatriot Mike Stavrinos in second place, while third place went to another American, Mike Castellana.
After the conclusion of the first round, the event featured a high-caliber semifinal showdown between J.R. Gray and Castellana, with the latter emerging victorious to advance to the final race, where he faced Stavrinos. Stavrinos managed to prevail and claim the opening round title, leaving Castellana and Gray in second and third places respectively.
In the Super Street Pro category, last season’s champion Yousef Al-Ali secured his first title of the season after defeating Jaber Al-Maghribi.
The final race in the Super Street Outlaw category brought together qualifying leader Turki Al-Dhafiri and the second-fastest qualifier Mustafa Atat. The victory in this showdown went to Atat, who claimed his first title of the season.
The final showdown of the most powerful motorcycle categories, the Pro Bike class, brought together Bradley McCoy and Ahmed Al-Nakhailan, ending with victory for McCoy to record his first win of the event.
The Super Street Bike category also witnessed success for last season’s champion Mishari Al-Turki, who claimed the title of this round after defeating qualifying leader Mohammed Bourashed in the final race, while Mohammed Al-Salem captured the Street Bike category title after beating Dawood Al-Sharshani in the final.
QRC Director General Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid Al Thani honoured the podium winners of the opening round. The second round will begin on Wednesday.
