For the Love of the Sport
Al-Anabi team owner Sheikh Khalid is fueled by a passion for drag racing
A t the risk of understating the
obvious, Al-Anabi team owner
His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin
Recently, Sheikh Khalid has
found success as a driver, winning
two of the first five events in the
Hamad Al-Thani is one of the most Arabian Drag Racing League. Under
influential figures not only in drag the guidance of his all-star crew,
racing but also in all of which includes 12-time Top Alcohol
motorsports. After all, how many Funny Car world champion Frank
racers have been profiled in The Manzo, crew chief Howard Moon,
Wall Street Journal? Or have had and chassis builder Tim McAmis,
the opportunity to pilot an exotic Sheikh Khalid has made a number
Formula One race car? A member of 3.6-second runs at speeds over
of the ruling family in the Middle 207 mph, which are some of the
East nation of Qatar, Sheikh quickest and fastest eighth-mile Pro
Khalid is an intelligent, motivated Mod runs ever recorded.
individual who has a clear-cut Helping drag racing continue
vision for the future of his country. its ascent as a global sport,
He is also true hot rodder at heart Sheikh Khalid also built the Qatar
with a deeply rooted passion for Race Club, a world-class racing
high-performance vehicles and a facility in the capital city of Doha,
keen interest in the mechanical which annually hosts a large
side of drag racing. number of successful events.
To most fans in the U.S., the With a long-range plan to help
most visible component of Al-Anabi grow the sport, including the
Racing (which loosely translated construction of the multipurpose
means “Go Team Maroon,” in Qatar Motor City facility, he says
reference to the official color of the best is yet to come.
Qatar) is the two-car nitro team run Sheikh Khalid doesn’t grant
by Alan Johnson in the NHRA Full many interviews, preferring
Throttle Drag Racing Series. The instead to allow the spotlight to
team debuted in 2009, in which driver Larry Dixon won five shine on his various teams and drivers, but he recently
events and came within two points of capturing his third Top took time from his busy schedule to talk with National
Fuel world championship, and the team’s Funny Car driver, Del DRAGSTER Senior Editor Kevin McKenna. Sheikh Khalid
Worsham, posted three wins and a respectable sixth-place was very candid about his passion for racing, the success
finish. The Al-Anabi team also includes a stable of Pro Mod of the Al-Anabi team, and his vision to use motorsports as
entries that compete at events around the world, including in the a platform to boost awareness and create business
NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. opportunities in the Middle East.
Q: I’d like to first know how you became interested
in high-performance cars and drag racing.
A: As a youngster I was always driven to
competition in all types of sports: football
[soccer], motorsports, and scuba diving, albeit
recreational. Several of my friends and I would
salvage cars together and race them out in the
ruins. Once I was in a position to have extremely
fast production cars I quickly decided that they
need to be raced on the dragstrip so I did my
homework and became involved with building the
QRC [Qatar Race Club].