[coverattach=1](2-3-2009) DOHA, QATAR – For AWESOME Al Anabi Motorsports driver and TEAM SPEEDTECH member, Mike Castellana, the 2009 racing season begins this weekend during the first round of the Qatar Race Championship Series held at the Qatar Racing Club outside of Doha, Qatar. Despite being nearly 7,000 miles from his hometown in New York, Castellana and the rest of the AWESOME Al Anabi Pro Mod ensemble, including Shannon Jenkins and Rickie Smith, feel comfortable on any quarter-mile stretch of concrete – especially one as extravagant and incredibly well prepared as that of the QRC.
“The track that Sheikh Khalid has built here is on par with any in the United States,” said Castellana, who receives additional support from Western Beef. “It truly is an amazing place, the racing surface is so smooth and we’re really excited to get after it this weekend – so it should be a lot of fun. We’re anticipating about 12-14 other cars and it’s a quarter-mile format with a mixed field of blown and nitrous Pro Mods, which always adds a little extra excitement.
“This should be a great event for the fans,” said Castellana, via cell phone from Doha, Qatar. “We anticipate a good crowd for the event, and considering the late-evening timeframe we race over here – it’ll be a good show for them. Everyone likes nitrous cars under the lights.”
Castellana, who has earned a number of event wins and an IHRA Pro Modified World Championship in his career, still is amazed at how far the sport has come in a relatively small amount of time.
“There was a time when it was exciting just to be going to Rockingham [Dragway], or to Indy, and it still is, but it’s amazing to think that we’re racing in Qatar this weekend. The facility and the caliber of racing that we’re going to be involved in over here is really a testament to Sheikh Khalid’s commitment to growing the sport of drag racing, especially Pro Modified, both in the United States and in the Arabian Gulf Region. We’re very happy and proud to be a part of this, and we’re looking to make a contribution to the cause this weekend in the form of a win at the inaugural Qatar Race Championship.”
At the controls of the “Raging Bull” Chevy Cavalier that carried Castellana to his 2005 IHRA Pro Modified World Championship, the veteran driver will have the advantage of familiarity in a field of strong competitors.
“It’s fun to get a chance to drive this car again,” said Castellana. “We have a bit of a history together, and I’m confident we’ll be able to translate that into a successful weekend here in Qatar for AWESOME Al Anabi, Sheikh Khalid and Speedtech Nitrous.”
Alongside Castellana on the track will be K.A. Balooshi, who has already captured three drag racing championships in the Arabian Gulf Region, and he will be looking for another successful outing in his homeland – possibly an all AWESOME Al Anabi final between the two competitors.
In a combined effort, Shannon “Iceman” Jenkins and Tricky Rickie Smith will be making the tuning calls on the nitrous Pro Mods at the QRC; considering their combined talent and experience, both Castellana and Balooshi’s chances for success increase exponentially.
Qualifying for the inaugural Qatar Race Championship Series begins February 5th with the final eliminations being held the following day.
ABOUT AL-ANABI/QATAR
At the forefront of Al Anabi Racing is His Highness Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani, who has set a goal of promoting the domestic and international awareness of motorsports in the nation of Qatar. The result of drag racing’s continually increasing popularity abroad, Al-Anabi Racing is based out of the country of Qatar in the Arabian Gulf Region. Qatar is widely-known for working with the United States military forces to build one of the premier U.S. air bases in the Gulf at Al-Udeid. The Qatari philosophy was to obtain the best defense by providing the best facilities for U.S. and coalition forces. The Al-Udeid Air Base was built at a cost of more than a billion dollars and can house nearly a hundred aircraft.
ABOUT AWESOME MOTORSPORTS
Created by world champion racers Mike Castellana and Shannon Jenkins, AWESOME Motorsports has a long running reputation of re-writing record books with the performance of their nitrous-assisted Pro Modified cars. With a combined seven world championships under their belt, the future looks bright for two of the most dominant racers in the history of the sport.
“The track that Sheikh Khalid has built here is on par with any in the United States,” said Castellana, who receives additional support from Western Beef. “It truly is an amazing place, the racing surface is so smooth and we’re really excited to get after it this weekend – so it should be a lot of fun. We’re anticipating about 12-14 other cars and it’s a quarter-mile format with a mixed field of blown and nitrous Pro Mods, which always adds a little extra excitement.
“This should be a great event for the fans,” said Castellana, via cell phone from Doha, Qatar. “We anticipate a good crowd for the event, and considering the late-evening timeframe we race over here – it’ll be a good show for them. Everyone likes nitrous cars under the lights.”
Castellana, who has earned a number of event wins and an IHRA Pro Modified World Championship in his career, still is amazed at how far the sport has come in a relatively small amount of time.
“There was a time when it was exciting just to be going to Rockingham [Dragway], or to Indy, and it still is, but it’s amazing to think that we’re racing in Qatar this weekend. The facility and the caliber of racing that we’re going to be involved in over here is really a testament to Sheikh Khalid’s commitment to growing the sport of drag racing, especially Pro Modified, both in the United States and in the Arabian Gulf Region. We’re very happy and proud to be a part of this, and we’re looking to make a contribution to the cause this weekend in the form of a win at the inaugural Qatar Race Championship.”
At the controls of the “Raging Bull” Chevy Cavalier that carried Castellana to his 2005 IHRA Pro Modified World Championship, the veteran driver will have the advantage of familiarity in a field of strong competitors.
“It’s fun to get a chance to drive this car again,” said Castellana. “We have a bit of a history together, and I’m confident we’ll be able to translate that into a successful weekend here in Qatar for AWESOME Al Anabi, Sheikh Khalid and Speedtech Nitrous.”
Alongside Castellana on the track will be K.A. Balooshi, who has already captured three drag racing championships in the Arabian Gulf Region, and he will be looking for another successful outing in his homeland – possibly an all AWESOME Al Anabi final between the two competitors.
In a combined effort, Shannon “Iceman” Jenkins and Tricky Rickie Smith will be making the tuning calls on the nitrous Pro Mods at the QRC; considering their combined talent and experience, both Castellana and Balooshi’s chances for success increase exponentially.
Qualifying for the inaugural Qatar Race Championship Series begins February 5th with the final eliminations being held the following day.
ABOUT AL-ANABI/QATAR
At the forefront of Al Anabi Racing is His Highness Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani, who has set a goal of promoting the domestic and international awareness of motorsports in the nation of Qatar. The result of drag racing’s continually increasing popularity abroad, Al-Anabi Racing is based out of the country of Qatar in the Arabian Gulf Region. Qatar is widely-known for working with the United States military forces to build one of the premier U.S. air bases in the Gulf at Al-Udeid. The Qatari philosophy was to obtain the best defense by providing the best facilities for U.S. and coalition forces. The Al-Udeid Air Base was built at a cost of more than a billion dollars and can house nearly a hundred aircraft.
ABOUT AWESOME MOTORSPORTS
Created by world champion racers Mike Castellana and Shannon Jenkins, AWESOME Motorsports has a long running reputation of re-writing record books with the performance of their nitrous-assisted Pro Modified cars. With a combined seven world championships under their belt, the future looks bright for two of the most dominant racers in the history of the sport.
