A file photo of action during the first round of the Qatar Drift Championship.
Doha: Following the huge success and fierce competitions in the first round two weeks ago, the second round of the Qatar Drift Championship will start tonight, held under the patronage of Qatar Racing Club (QRC) Chairman H E Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani.
Yesterday, the club opened the track for a four-hour open day, allowing participants to test their cars in preparation for this round.
According to the competition schedule, technical inspection will begin this evening at 4:00 p.m., followed by practice at 5:00 p.m. for an hour and a half. Afterwards, the qualifying trials commence, with each driver given two attempts on the designated track. Competitors will navigate the course according to points set by the judging panel before the round. Attempts will be evaluated, with each driver’s best attempt used to determine placement in the tandem knockout bracket.
Tomorrow, Friday, there will be a briefing for the drivers at 4:30 p.m., followed by a 1 hour and 30 minutes practice session before the start of the first round of the knockout stage. The knockout rounds will proceed through eliminations until the final races, which will determine the top three in both the overall and local categories.
Currently leading the overall championship standings is Kuwaiti driver Ali Mukhseed, with 28 points, after winning the last round and finishing second in the qualifying. Last season’s champion, Omani driver Ahmed Al Amri, is in second place with 20 points, having finished third in the previous round and topping the qualifiers. Kuwaiti driver Salem Al Sarraf holds third place in the overall standings after finishing second in the previous round.
In the local category, Yazan Al Jabsha leads with 27 points, 7 points ahead of his closest competitor, Saud Al Attiyah. Khalid Al Shafai is in third place with 18 points, while drivers Mohammed Al Jaber and Abdullah Al Muhtasib occupy fourth and fifth places, respectively.
