Muscat, Feb 27 - Irish drift champion James Deane claimed the top spot of the Oman Oil international drift championship and lifted the title for the second consecutive year at the Oman Automobile Association’s Muscat Speedway arena recently. Piotr Wiecek from Poland came second while Andrius Vasiliauskas from Lithuania finished third. At domestic level, Sami al Shibani secured the first place while his opponent Haitham al Hadidi was positioned second. Ali al Balushi bagged the third place.
The tournament, which recorded high level competitions among the participants, featured participation of 36 racers from 17 countries including local top drivers. HH Sayyid Mohammed Thuwaini al Said was the chief guest in presence of HH Sayyid Fahar bin Fatik al Said, Dr Mohammed Saleem, vice-chairman of FIA, dignitaries and officials.
In the third and last round of competitions, the fans of drifting had an incredible time with excitement at the OAA’s drifting arena.
As many as 24 drivers had secured their qualification tickets to the final round which witnessed participation of top racers from different parts of Middle East. The last round of Oman Oil International Drifting tournament was divided into three stages. In the first phase, 16 racers competed for the eight spots in the second stage.
In the second stage, the eight drivers challenged each other to book their slots for the third and last lap. Four opponents out of 16 racers reached to the final stage and competed for the podium.
James Deane from Ireland, Piotr Wiecek from Poland, Andrius Vasiliauskas from Lithuania and Ahmed Daham from Jordan were the four opponents for the podium. Deane clinched the top place with 92 points while Wiecek from Poland placed second with a credit of 78 points and Vasiliauskas finished third with 55 points.
At the local competitions level, Sami al Shibani recorded 30 points and claimed first place. Haitham al Hadidi came second with a difference of one point compared to Al Shibani. Third place award went to Ali al Balushi as he scored 24 points.
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