Oman’s Refaat al Yahyai eyes regional glory in Beirut

MUSCAT: Refaat al Yahyai, the Sultanate’s ‘King of Drift’, will fight it out for the regional honours in Beirut in the Red Bull Car Park Drift on September 23. Al Yahyai has claimed the Oman title after three gruelling rounds at the Oman Automobile Association in January earlier this year. Refaat had dominated the field in front of second placed Tariq al Shaihani and third placed Younis al Abri. Red Bull Car Park Drift is once again back to its city of origin, Beirut, where everything started more than a decade ago. The grand finale is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 23, starting 2 pm, in the parking lot adjacent to Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square. The Lebanese capital will host 17 drifters from 15 countries; namely the champions of the local qualifiers that were held in various cities in the region. All of them, however, are aiming for the prestigious ‘King of Drift’ title, though only one will be crowned. Over ten thousand motorsport lovers are expected to flow to Beirut to witness this unique event. The Lebanese in general are known for their passion for drift shows, and the capital is usually full of tourists of Arab and other nationalities during this time of year. All of them will have the opportunity to enjoy the outstanding shows from the free standing places on the public platform, or by booking their seats on the grandstand. The ticketing modality will be announced soon. The local qualifiers in the various participating countries had kicked off in Muscat, Oman, on the 26th of January, before moving to Abu Dhabi, and from there to Cairo, Doha, Kuwait, Marrakesh and Amman, all the way to Port Louis, the Mauritian capital, Algeria, Istanbul, Tunis and Lebanon. OMANI DRIFTERS SHINE Oman’s drifters have dominated the regional scene in the past couple of years. In 2016, 18-year-old Haitham al Hadidi took home the regional title in front of a home crowd, leading an all-Omani podium finish. In the Series Final in Kuwait last year, Oman drifted to victory once again as Refaat Al Yahyai snatched the crown. So all eyes will be on Refaat in Beirut as he battles with contestants from the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey, Algeria, Jordan, Mauritius and Lebanon, at the Series Final in Beirut. “Today I was able to take home first place and qualify for the Final. I can’t wait for Lebanon and the chance to once more bring back the ‘King of Drift’ Title to Oman,” Refaat said after winning the Oman title.