Qatar Free-Style Drifting Championship: Al-Qahtani emerges as opening round winner

Abdullah al-Qahtani won the opening round of the Qatar Free-Style Drifting Championship for the 2025-2026 season held on Friday.After nearly three hours of thrilling action, Al-Qahtani with a total of 44 points edged out Saud al-Marri by just three points, while Ahmad al-Musnad secured the third place, surpassing Ahmad al-Banna by a single point. Rashid al-Banna claimed fifth place. The round was held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, chairman of Qatar Racing Club (QRC) and in the presence of a large crowd that filled the stands.Registration and technical inspection took place on Thursday to check the cars and ensure their readiness for competition. The organizing committee set a number of standards and requirements that all participants had to meet in order to compete in this round — some related to the vehicles, such as the necessity of installing a roll cage, properly securing the car battery, and having a functional seat belt, among other points; and others related to the drivers, focusing on safety elements such as wearing a racing suit, helmet, and using a proper seatbelt, among similar conditions.Before the start of Friday’s competition, a briefing session was held between the drivers and the judging panel, during which several important technical and procedural points were clarified. According to the competition’s structure, each driver was given one chance to enter the track and perform a set of required maneuvers — including drifting, reverse driving, figure-eight spins, and reverse maneuvers — within a total time limit of four minutes. There was also a specific score allocated for the overall style in which each driver performed their routine.At the conclusion of the event, Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, Director General of QRC, crowned the winners. The second round is scheduled to take place on December 26.