Kuwait’s Salem al-Sarraf and Qatar’s Ali al-Jabsheh emerged champions in the second round of the Qatar Drift Championship 2024-2025 held at the drift track of the Qatar Racing Club over the course of two days last week.
In the local category, this was al-Jabsheh’s the second consecutive win in as many rounds, with Yasser Mustafa finished second and Ahmad Abu Rshaid came third.
The round event was held under the gracious patronage of HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, the club’s chairman, and attended by Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, the club’s general manager.
The round also saw participation from elite drift champions from across the Gulf and the region, along with an official delegation from Kuwait’s Basil Salem al-Sabah Motor Sports Club, represented by club director Saif Awadh al-Mutairi, Secretary Fahad al-Elaaj, Khaled al-Ajeel, head of the drag racing committee, and Nawaf al-Safi, head of the drift committee.
Thursday’s test sessions were topped by Ali Makhseed, the previous round’s champion, while Mohammed Khourshid finished second, followed by Ali al-Jabsheh in third place. In the local category, Ali al-Jabsheh claimed the top position ahead of Qatari driver Saud al-Atiyah, with Yasser Mustafa and Abdullah al-Muhtasib finishing in third and fourth, respectively. Salem al-Sarraf, who suffered a severe accident just before the qualifying sessions during the tests and made a dramatic comeback, secured 13th place.
Following the qualifying trials, Friday’s first round featured intense matchups which saw qualifying leader Ali Makhseed, Mesyer Abu Shaibah, Salem al-Sarraf and Ahmad Abu Rshaid advance. On the other side of the bracket, Mohammed Khourshid, newcomer Yasser Mustafa, Yazan al-Jabsheh and Ihab Falah also secured spots in the second round.
Al-Jabsheh was crowned champion of the local category for the second consecutive round, with Mustafa finishing in second place and Ahmad Abu Rshaid taking the third spot on the podium.
The second round saw Mesyer Abu Shaibah, al-Sarraf, Mohammed Khourshid and Ihab Falah advancing to the semi-finals. In the first semi-final, al-Sarraf went head-to-head with Mesyer Abu Shaibah, securing his spot in the final for the second round in a row. Ihab Falah, who defeated qualifying runner-up Mohammed Khourshid in the other semi-final, also advanced. Khourshid claimed victory over Abu Shaibah, securing the third podium position.
Unfortunately Falah encountered car issues that prevented him from competing in the final, leaving him in second place, while al-Sarraf claimed the title, marking his second podium finish of the season after placing second in the opening round.
QRC General Manager Sheikh Jabor and Basil Salem al-Sabah Motor Sports Club Director al-Mutairi, along with the accompanying delegation, presented trophies to the winners.
