QMMF president and FIA vice president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah with the MX1, MX2, Veterans and Junior riders ahead of the Losail MX Championship season-opener yesterday.

By Sports Reporter/Doha

British rider Benjamin Menzies began his MX1 campaign with a victory in the opening round of the Losail MX Championship at Losail MX Track yesterday.
Menzies, riding a Honda CRF450, finished ahead of defending champion Mohamed Jaffar of Kuwait and South African rider Michael Anderson.
The opening round of the 2015-16 season kicked off yesterday with 39 riders.
For the British rider, this was his first participation in the Losail MX Championship, and he finished second in Race 1 and first in Race 2.
“This is my first time on this track, so I am constantly learning. The first race was a good start and I was racing with Mohamed Jaffar and it was very difficult but I like the soil here, so as I raced, I went faster and faster. In the second race, when I had a better understanding of the track, I was able to overtake Jaffar and go ahead.
Jaffar was happy and proud of his result in the first race of the season.
“It is a good start, I am very proud of my result in the first race of the season. I had two races in one weekend. I just raced in Dubai, and it was a tiring start for me, but it is good. I am second in the MX1 class and this makes me really proud because there was a good fight between me and Ben Menzies, one of the top riders in Dubai. I want to thank QMMF for their hospitality every time and the great job they are going here at the track. I would also like to thank Red Bull, Sand Garde, MX Academy, Adidas Kuwait and my new sponsor Drag 965 and hope to keep it up in high expectations.”
In the MX2 category, another Brit, Ryan Blair on a KTM, beat Kuwaiti riders Meshari Abou Shaibah and Moaath al-Ansari for the top spot.
“I made a mistake in the race 1, I went down in the first lap in race 1 and I made it difficult for myself again but in the second race, all was good, I just took the lead. I tried not to make any mistake, and the riders Meshari and Jaffar rode really well so it was a good fight. I am already looking forward to the next race,” Blair said after the second race.
This season will also see a new category — Veterans (for 40+ years old).
Emirati rider Ali al-Kubaisi was the first winner with Tomi Sarivaara of Finland and Enrico Barbagli completing the podium.
In the junior championship, the winner was Ahmed al-Nuaimi from UAE in the 65cc and Eugenio Barbaglia from Italy won in the 85cc.
Talking about the new start, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah said, “We are extremely happy to start 2015-2016 Losail Motocross Championship and this is an incredible sport that we are looking to improve year by year. We are very happy with the number of participants, also for the number of participants in the junior category and veterans for first time.”
The FIA vice president added: “We are looking to increase the level of our organisation, and improve the facilities we provide the teams. I have been getting good feedback from the families and they have been thanking us about how professional we are here in Qatar. We are looking to increase the number of juniors in the coming rounds and are happy to see the young blood involved in our championship. The fact that some parents are participating with them is a very healthy sign.”
Trophies were presented by QMMF general secretary Mohamed Saad al-Morraikhi, FIM Asia Zone 2 vice president Isa al-Awadi and KIAC representative Hamad al-Saif.