Al-Banna, al-Muhanadi and al-Qahtani emerge as first-round winners

The Qatar Freestyle Championship for the 2024/2025 season got underway in style as the opening round featured thrilling action drawing a large number of spectators at Qatar Racing Club (QRC)’s designated freestyle arena.The championship is being held under the patronage of QRC Chairman HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani.Registration and technical inspection were initially scheduled for Thursday. However, at the request of participants and under the directives of the QRC Director Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, registration was extended to Friday, allowing everyone the opportunity to participate. The championship’s organising committee set specific standards and requirements that all competitors needed to meet to join this round.These requirements included vehicle modifications such as installing a roll cage, securing the battery, and ensuring a functional seat belt, among other conditions. Competitor requirements emphasised safety measures, including the use of sports attire, a helmet, and a properly functioning seat belt.After registration concluded, a briefing was held for the participants with the organizers and the judging committee, where key technical and logistical details were clarified before the race began.According to the competition’s structure, each competitor is given one opportunity to hit the track and perform five manoeuvres: drifting, reverse drift, the "knot” move, and a reverse move, all to be completed within a total time limit of four minutes. The faster a participant completes these manoeuvres, the more points they earn. Points are also rewarded based on the style in which the competitor performs their overall freestyle and individual moves.The competition, which lasted over four hours, concluded with participant Rashed al-Banna securing first place, while Mohammed al-Muhanadi came in second. Abdullah al-Qahtani finished third and Saud al-Marri and Saud al-Kuwari, came fourth and fifth, respectively. Head of Marshals at the Qatar Racing Club Khalifa al-Khayarin awarded the winners. The second round will be held on December 12 and 13.