DOHA, QATAR (January 18, 2011) – After falling to Khalid Al-Balooshi during the Round Four semifinals in the Arabian Drag Racing League due to a red light, Shannon "Iceman" Jenkins was determined to see a different outcome in Round Five at Qatar Racing Club (QRC).
Jenkins made up for that in one regard, advancing to the finals for the third time this season in Qatar after qualifying in the No. 3 spot in a 3.87. He also got another crack at Al-Balooshi in an exciting Pro Nitrous matchup, with Jenkins hoping for a different result than the previous week.
There was no red light, but this one was just as frustrating, as Al-Balooshi had a .007 reaction time and a run of 3.83, slipping past Jenkins' 3.81 that came with a .047 reaction time.
"We had a great race car and were making the runs we have been looking at for a while, but we just came up a bit short in the final," Jenkins said. "That's just racing. That's why they call it drag racing."
"I can't thank my guys enough for their hard work and dedication to this team. I'm very proud of them."
It was the third win of the season for Al-Balooshi, who continued to stretch his points lead with the three-race schedule in February remaining.
The day started well enough for Jenkins who went 3.88 in the opening round to defeat Isaias Rojas. Jenkins got quicker in the semifinals, going 3.84 to beat Edward Wilson.
Jenkins' teammate, Mahana Al-Naimi, also made some impressive runs during Round Five in his Al-Anabi Racing Camaro, qualifying second with a 3.86.
But the good news stopped there, as Al-Naimi's run was aborted after he shut off on the starting line in the first round due to oil being pushed out of the overflow tank.
"It's very disappointing that this happened to Mahana. He did an outstanding job this weekend and had a great race car," Jenkins said. "We know what the problem was and we will have his car ready to pick up right where it left off, in the next race in a couple of weeks, no doubt."
Although both cars didn't make a finals appearance, Jenkins is happy he has found the problems that has troubled the team and yielded inconsistent performances in the past few races.
The 3.81 he ran in the finals proved to him that good things could be coming for Round Six at QRC, which takes place Feb. 3-4 in Qatar.
"I'm very confident in the way this car has come around. I just wish it had been sooner, but we can still get the job done," Jenkins said. "We are slowly getting the car dialed in, and once we get it where we want it, you will see the Winner's Circle change."
