From a press release issued by Dorna Sports:

Losail International Circuit of Qatar officially opened

The Losail International Circuit of Qatar was official declared open in a special ceremony on Friday. In the presence of dignitaries including the Prime Minister of the State of Qatar H.H. Abdullah Bin Khalifah Al Thani, all the Ministers of the Qatari Government, FIM President Francesco Zerbi and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, and watched by over 1,500 public spectators, former Grand Prix rider Randy Mamola completed the historic first laps of the circuit aboard the Ducati Desmosedici MotoGP machine.

After Mamola’s inaugurating laps, a further sixty Qatari riders got the chance to ride around the circuit, followed by two stunt riders in a special end to the ceremony which was signalled by a spectacular firework show. The Losail International Circuit will host the thirteenth round of the 2004 MotoGP World Championship, the Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar, on Saturday 2nd October.