SALALAH: The Oman Automobile Association (OAA) presented the popular international drift competitions, Car Park Drift and Tandem Drift, as part of its 'Khareef Dhofar' series recently.
The drift events, which took place at Salalah’s Celebration Square on August 24 and 27, proved to be a great achievement, with the crowd admiring and enjoying the races as the drivers showcased their skills on the track.
Drift Manager Fahmi al Busaidy said: “There were many memorable moments we can take out from this series and the audience were very supportive and cheerful all throughout as they turned up in large numbers.”
He added: “We had clear objectives set, which we achieved through proper planning and support from all our team members and management, which lead to two successful drift competitions.”
The 16 drivers from both the Car Park Drift and Tandem Drift held a terrific performance, with the latter delivering fascinating battles.
Prior to the start of the championship, driver Hussein Messelmani from Lebanon, shares his thoughts on the drift tournaments.
He said: “Since our last competition in Muscat we have been waiting for another opportunity to compete in a drift event held by Oman Automobile Association, so we are very happy and excited to be a part of this series. I was also impressed with the beauty of the nature in Dhofar as it made me think I was back in Lebanon with the greenery and the ambience.”
The contestants of Car Park Drift, on August 24th, showed off their skills throughout the obstacle course, skidding at corners and bends as they strategically avoided the cones on the track.
Race Director Ali al Balushi said: “I created a difficult race track for the contestants, but they dealt with the challenge very professionally, which proved why they are amongst the best drift drivers within the Arab region and from around the world.”
Omani driver Rafaat al Yahyai was all smiles as he was earned first place in the Car Park Drift tournament.
He said: “I am really happy to be standing here on this podium. I was excited to be competing amongst really great drivers and to participate in this event in Salalah.
“The competition was tough as this time it was not based on the car look and the smoke produced but only on the skills we performed on the course. This was a difficult track as it was quite tight compared to the arena in Muscat but the crowd and the weather here made up for it.”
The battles on August 27 were one of the best OAA had managed due to the smaller size of the track compared to Muscat’s Drift Arena. The crowd reacted to every moment of the event, including kids cheering at the top of their voices.
Tandem Drift winner, Nikolas Solomon from the USA, said: “I feel great, I feel over the moon. I’m so happy I was able to take the first place here in Salalah, especially in such a beautiful place with beautiful weather with such great people.
“The track is amazing and to be honest I feel it has better potential and more grip than Muscat. And I want to say thank you to everybody from Salalah, I love this place and hopefully we come back for next season.”
The winners of Car Park Drift were: Rafaat al Yahyai from Oman (1st Place), Ahmed al Amri from Oman (2nd Place) and Mohammed al Mansori from UAE (3rd Place).
The winners of Tandem Drift were: Nikolas Solomon from USA (1st Place), Mohammed Chehab from Lebanon (2nd Place), Mohammed al Mansori from UAE (3rd Place).
The Khareef Dhofar series has been partnered with and sponsored by the following organisations: Sohar International, Sohar Bank, Oman Airports, Redbull Mobile, Motul Oman, Mohsin Haider Darwish, Salam Air, Ministry of Sports Affairs, Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Salalah Municipality, Tulip Inn, Gang Plank, Salalah Grand Mall, View Park and Khareef Dhofar.
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