Alkass Digital
Intense competition, exciting results, and new faces on the podiums, alongside a stellar performance by local racers—these were the highlights of the second round of the Qatar Drift Championship (QDC), held under the auspices of Qatar Racing Club Chairman H E Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani. The competition featured a wide array of champions, some making their debut in the championship, while others had competed in the previous round.
Qatari driver Abdullah Jawad Al Abdullah put up an impressive performance throughout the round and went on to seal a double glory when he defeated the two-time champion Ahmed Al Amri in the final, becoming the champion in both overall and local categories.
Abdullah and Al Amri booked their place in the final showdown after defeating Mohammed Al Jundi and Riyadh Al Mabassali in the semis-final runs respectively. Al Mabassali later made a comeback, defeating Al Jundi in the third-place determination match.
Earlier, the competition began with qualifying trials held over two sessions on Thursday.
Ali Al Jabshah secured the first position and repeated his success from the previous round. Newcomer to the championship, Omani's Al Mabassali, claimed the second position, while Al Amri secured the third position - having been the runner-up in the previous round. Kuwait's Salem Al Sarraf took the fourth position, the same position he held in the trials of the previous round. Other results showed Qatar's Abdullah Jawad Al Abdullah in the fifth position, surpassing his compatriots Saud Al Attiyah and Abdullah Al Muhtasib, a driver for the “Brothers” team.
The podium winners pose for a photograph with officials.
The round also witnessed some surprises, notably the inability of the champion of the previous round, Haitham Al Hadidi, to participate in the qualifiers due to a mechanical issue. This was also the case for Alaa Al Din Zareef and Walid Salem, who missed the qualifying trials – Al Zareef due to a mechanical problem and Salem due to an accident before the start of trials.
Local drivers shine in elimination rounds
In the first round of the tandem matchups, Al Jundi defeated his opponent Yazan Al Jabshah. Al Sarraf also advanced by defeating Yasser Mustafa, while Al Abdullah surpassed racer Khaled Al Shafei.
The most notable surprise was the early exit of the top qualifier Al Jabshah, who lost to Ahmed Al Ghanim. The second part of the tandem matchups witnessed the victory of the second-place qualifier Al Msbassali over Mazen Nasr. Additionally, Abdullah Al Muhtasib and Ahmed Al Amri continued their journey to the second round. The former defeated Mubarak Al Dosari, while the latter triumphed over Mohammed Al Jaber. Saud Al Attiyah, having no opponent due to the absence of his Kuwaiti competitor Mohammed Khurshid due to mechanical issues, also advanced to the second round.
In the semi-finals, Al Jundi defeated Al Ghanim, Abdullah overcame Al Sarraf, Al Mabassali beat Al Muhtasib, and Al Amri outclassed Al Attiyah.
Qatar Racing Club General Manager Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid Al Thani, Kuwait’s Basil Salem Al Sabah Club General Manager Saif Awad Al Mutairi, and the Kuwaiti club’s General Secretary Fahad Al Ilaj crowned the top three winners as the third round of the championship concluded on a high note. The third round is scheduled for the end of next month.