Friday 15 / November / 2024
Muscat: Sami Al Shaibany has won first place in the qualifiers for the pre-quarter finals of the Oman dual drift tournament, followed by Aref Al Balushi and Haithm Al Hadidi.
The event saw 22 competitors take part under the patronage of retired Brigadier General Salim Al Maskari, chairman of the association. Three contestants withdrew due to technical problems in their vehicles before the start of the championship qualifiers, but the 19 remaining contestants participated, using their skills and experience with sports cars around the tracks of the tournament ground, drawing cheers from the enthralled audience.
Contestant Arif Al Balushi said to Times of Oman, “I started practicing this sport in 2012 and my first championship was in the same year. I achieved second place at the age of just 22 years. The feeling of winning is really beautiful, especially after facing a strong opponent. I dedicate this victory to my team, Sub Zero Motorsport, and to all the fans.”
“I aspire to participate and win the world championships and offer better and better results in the upcoming races,” he added. “And yes, I will participate in the championship that will be held in January 2020 and I will strive harder to provide the best performance and proudly represent my beautiful Oman.”
Haitham Al Hadidi said, “The third round was the most difficult, compared to the first and second rounds that were held in February 2019 and October 2019. The competitors are also stronger than in the previous rounds, while the race track is more difficult than in previous rounds. While each round has a different path, the third round, was one of the most difficult.”
“I started this sport in October 2016, and my family encouraged me, because they used to participate in Oman’s rallies,” he added. “My family's love for cars made me love cars from a young age. My first competition was in 2016, after obtaining a driver’s licence just two months earlier. I won the title of Middle East Champion in Oman in the Red Bull Car Parking championship in Muscat.”
“I will participate at the next international tournament in January 2020 and prepare the car to offer the best possible result for me during this event,” he added. The tournament started on Friday evening, at 4:30 pm with a massive audience that interacted extensively during the tournament and expressed their happiness and a sense of joy and excitement during the playoffs and competitions between the 19 Omani contestants and three participants from the United Arab Emirates.
Habib Al Zawawi, a member of the media team at the Oman Automobile Association (OAA), and a motorsport commentator for cars race said, “The Oman Dual Drift Championship started on Friday evening at 4:30 pm with 19 contestants, although there were supposed to be 22 contestants, where three contestants withdrew due to technical problems in their cars before the race.”
He confirmed, “Every car registered for the race enters a technical check, examination, and if it is proven that there are technical problems in the car, the contestant is been prevented from participating in the championship. The contestant cannot use another person’s car or replace it when he enters his car into the examination. A contestant’s car is assigned a particular place on the race track in the championship.”
“The 19 contestants were ranked individually, and the event began at 4:30 pm, with competitors ranked in terms of the number of points obtained on the race track and the time it took for entering the track. Contestants that take less time to win more points qualify for the next round. Each contestant enters his car on the race track, and attempts to run his rear wheels over each of the 10 squares placed on the track.
"Each correct placement gives you 10 points. The driver has to control his car to pass the rear tire of his car over these squares, and here lies the skill and expertise of each contestant,” he added.
“If the competitor does not clear any square, he loses 10 points, and if he leaves the race track, he loses points then as well, He also loses points if he collides with one of the objects installed on both sides of the race track for the race.”
“The good thing at this tournament was that there were new players who qualified for the final, for the first time in this tournament. They are who are Sami Al Shaibani, the winner of the third round, and Aref Al Balushi in second place. This is actually the first time they’ve reached the final.
"They both work as pilots and because of their frequent flights, they do not find time to train and practice this sport, although they are very skilled and have the talent and financial requirements for motorsports.” Al Zawawi concluded.
