Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix
The Grand Prix of Qatar for Motorcycles is a motorcycle race that has been held since 2004 and since then is one of the motorcycle world championship. It takes place at the Losail International Circuit near Doha.
Record winner is the Australian Casey Stoner, who won the race in different classes, a total of five times.
The Grand Prix of Qatar is one of the few races in the Motorcycle World Championship calendar, for which no tobacco advertising ban.
History
In the 2008 season, the Grand Prix of Qatar was held in the evening under floodlights, the event thus was the first night race in the history of the Motorcycle World Championship.
The discharge in the evenings proved in the 2009 season as a major drawback. As created by the artificial illumination in wet runway conditions dangerous light reflections, a host of runs was excluded in the rain from the outset. The race of the 125cc class had to be canceled after only four laps due to the onset of rain, was not restarted and counted with half the number of points. The 250 cc race was shortened from 20 provided on 13 rounds, while the for midnight ( local time ) planned MotoGP race due to heavy rain and storm could not even be started, and was delayed for a day on the following Monday.
In 2010 took place at the Grand Prix of Qatar, the first Moto2 race in the history of the Motorcycle World Championship instead. This class had been held since 1949 250 - cc engine capacity category replaced with the beginning of the season. First winner of the new class of Japanese Shoya Tomizawa was on Suter ahead of Alex Debon of Spain ( FTR) and the Frenchman Jules Cluzel ( Suter also ).
On 8 April 2012, the inaugural Moto3 race was held in the history of the Motorcycle World Championship. This had replaced the discharged since 1949 125 - cc class. The winner was the Spaniard Maverick Viñales before the 16- year Italian debutants Romano Fenati (both FTR - Honda ) and the German Sandro Cortese (KTM).