The first round of the 2023-2024 Qatar Drift Championship concluded over the weekend at Qatar Racing Club (QRC). The event was held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad al-Thani, the club’s chairman, with participation of champions from Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Oman and Egypt.
From the qualifying trials, held over two sessions on Thursday, resulted in Jordanian contestant Ali al-Jabsheh surpassing last season’s Ahmed al-Amri of Oman. Kuwait’s Salem al-Sarraf and Oman’s Haitham al-Hadidi secured the third and fourth qualifying positions respectively.
Based on these results, the competitors were placed on the ladder for the dual tandem competitions, which took place on Friday. In the first round, Qatar’s Saud al-Attiyah and Oman’s Ahmed al-Amri advanced directly to the next round with a “bye”.
The remaining races in this round saw the leader of the qualifying trials, Ali al-Jabsheh, defeating teammate from the “Brother Team” Khaled al-Shafei. Additionally, Kuwait’s Salem al-Sarraf beat Qatar’s Abdullah Jawad, while Egyptian Walid Salem triumphed over Syria’s Alaaddin Zareef.
On the other side of the ladder, Kuwait’s Ahmed al-Ghanim, Oman’s Haitham al-Hadidi and Jordanian Abdullah al-Muhtaseb joined the qualified contestants for the second round. The first defeated Yaser al-Mustafa, the second overcame Yazan al-Jabsheh, and the third defeated Oman’s Ali al-Shihani.
Al-Jabsheh, Al-Muhtaseb and
Al-Attiyah emerge victorious in The National Category
The opening round of the racing championship witnessed Ali al-Jabsheh, Saud al-Attiyah, and Abdullah al-Muhtaseb securing top honours in the national category. The podium contenders crystallised after eight formidable contestants battled their way into the quarter-finals, ultimately narrowing down to the final four.
Introduced in the current season under the guidance of the club’s director, Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, the National category showcased exceptional talent. Ali al-Jabsheh, seized victory over Saud al-Attiyah in the initial encounter and secured a spot in the semi-finals. He faced Kuwait’s Salem al-Sarraf, who triumphed over Walid Salem. On the opposing side of the ladder, defending champion Ahmed al-Amri triumphed over Kuwait’s Ahmed al-Ghanim, setting the stage for an all-Omani semi-final against Haitham al-Hadidi, who advanced by defeating Abdullah al-Muhtaseb.
In a dramatic turn of events, Ali al-Jabsheh clinched the national category title, while his “Brother Team” companion Abdullah al-Muhtaseb secured second place, beating Saud al-Attiyah.
Heavyweight clashes in Semis
The semi-final matchups intensified the competition, with last season’s champion Ahmed al-Amri of Oman facing compatriot Haitham Hadidi. Hadidi emerged victorious, earning a coveted spot in the final showdown for round one title.
However, the second semi-final took an unexpected turn as Ali al-Jabsheh encountered an accident during the face-off with Salem al-Sarraf. This unfortunate incident propelled al-Sarraf into the final against Hadidi, determining the first and second positions. In the final face-off between Hadidi and al-Sarraf, the former emerged victorious, claiming opening round of the championship. At the award ceremony, Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, the general manager of QRC, crowned the top three on the podium.
The winners in the National category were also honoured, with a total prize pool of up to QR100,000.