Makhseed, Jabsheh emerge as champions

With the participation of a strong line-up from the Gulf and the surrounding regions, the first round of the Qatar Drift Championship for the 2024/2025 season comes to a thrilling end at the weekend.
Spectators packed the stands at the dedicated drift track of Qatar Racing Club (QRC) marking a successful start to the season. The event, held under the patronage of QRC Chairman HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, spanned two days. The first day was allocated for qualifying trials, divided into two sessions where each competitor was given a single run to complete the track based on points set by the judging panel before the round began. Each run was evaluated, and the best attempt for each competitor was taken into account.
At the end of the first round, Kuwaiti driver Ali Makhseed led the standings with an impressive score of 88.67 points, only to later fall to second place as last season’s champion, Ahmed al-Amri from Oman, took the lead with 93 points on his second attempt. This secured him the top spot in the qualifying round, earning him five points, while Makhseed received three points for second place. Kuwaiti driver Mohammed Khorshid took third place with two points, and the Omani driver Riyadh al-Mabsali claimed one point for finishing fourth. As for the standings in the local category, Qatari driver Saud al-Attiyah led, followed by his fellow countryman Mohammed al-Jaber, while Jordanians Yazan Jabsheh and Abdullah al-Muhtaseb finished in third and fourth places, respectively.
Based on the results of the qualifying trials, drivers were placed in a tandem battle bracket held on Friday. The first round saw intense head-to-head matches, with Ahmed al-Amri, the qualifying leader, advancing after his opponent Fahad al-Jadai faced issues. Nasser al-Mutairi managed to defeat al-Jaber, and Salem al-Sarraf overcame al-Muhtaseb. Khalid al-Shafai, who placed 13th in the qualifying, succeeded in eliminating the 4th-placed Riyadh al-Mabsali.
On the other side of the bracket, Makhseed won against Mazen Nasser, while Jabsheh outperformed Louay Abu Ayyash. Completing the lineup for the second round were Mohammed Khorshid and Hamza al-Naamnah, who defeated Mohammed al-Azmi and Saud al-Attiyah, respectively.
As a result, Jabsheh was crowned champion of the local category, with al-Shafai taking second place while the third spot on the podium went to the local qualifying leader al-Attiyah. Last season’s champion for this category, Ali Jabsheh, did not participate in this round.
In the second-round battles of this round, both al-Amri and al-Sarraf secured their spots in the first semi-final. Al-Amri advanced by defeating Nasser al-Mutairi, while al-Sarraf moved forward by overcoming Khalid al-Shafai. Makhseed also advanced to the last four stage defeating Ali Jabsheh, with Khorshid completing the semi-final lineup by winning his battle against Hamza al-Naamnah.
Salem al-Sarraf defeated last season’s champion Ahmed al-Amri in the first semi-final, while Makhseed defeated Mohammed Khorshid in the second semi-final. The much-anticipated final showdown between Makhseed and al-Sarraf, however, was cut short due to issues faced by al-Sarraf, who settled for second place, while Makhseed claimed victory in the first round after years of absence from competition.