Tribune News Network
Doha
Under the generous patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Racing Club, and amid fierce competition and a large crowd, the fourth and final round of the Qatar Free-Style Drift Championship for the 2024-25 season concluded. The event was marked by high levels of competitiveness and excitement.
The round kicked off on Thursday with registration and technical inspection, featuring broad participation with 44 contestants. The organizing committee had set several conditions and requirements for participants, some concerning the vehicles — such as the mandatory installation of a roll cage and secure battery placement — and others concerning the drivers themselves, mainly focused on safety elements like wearing sports gear, helmets, and having a functioning seatbelt, among others.
A pre-event briefing for the participants was held with the organizers and judging committee on Friday at 5.30pm, right before the competition began. During the meeting, several technical and procedural aspects were explained. As per the competition format, each participant was given one opportunity to enter the track and perform five maneuvers: drifting, reverse movement, the loop maneuver, and the “Rios” maneuver. These were to be completed within a total of four minutes. The faster the participant completed these maneuvers, the more points they received. Additionally, a score was awarded for the overall style and execution of the performance.
The competition lasted for more than four hours and concluded with Saoud Al Marri winning his first championship title and achieving his first podium finish. His previous best result was a fourth-place finish in the opening round. Meanwhile, Abdullah Al Qahtani, the winner of the previous two rounds, finished second in this round. Notably, Al Qahtani was the only competitor to finish all the season’s rounds on the podium, having placed third in the opening round. Third place in this round went to Rashid Al Banna, winner of the opening round.
On the other hand, Mohamed Al Mohannadi, who had finished second in the past three rounds, missed out on the podium this time, finishing fourth ahead of Ahmed Al Banna, who came in fifth.
HE Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid Al Thani, Director General of Qatar Racing Club, crowned the top three winners on the podium.
