Amid the largest participation this season from Qatar’s drift champions, Gulf drivers, and regional talents, the fourth and penultimate round of the 2024/2025 Qatar Drift Championship concluded with thrilling battles.The championship is held under the gracious patronage of HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, Chairman of Qatar Racing Club (QRC), and attended by Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, the club’s director.The competition kicked off on Thursday with two-hour qualifying sessions. Each driver was given two attempts on the track, with their best score recorded. These sessions concluded with Ali Makhsid, the winner of the opening round, leading the standings.He outperformed Salem al-Sarraf, who had won the previous two rounds, while Ahmed al-Amri secured third place after missing the last two rounds.Ihab Falah, runner-up in the previous two rounds, finished in fourth.In the local category, Abdullah al-Muhtasib topped the standings, surpassing Saud al-Attiyah. Yazan al-Jabsha, the category leader, came in third, followed by Khalid al-Shafai in fourth.Based on the results of the qualifying sessions, the top 16 drivers advanced to the head-to-head knockout stage. The first round featured only six matchups instead of eight, as Nasser al-Mutairi and Khalid al-Shafai were unable to compete due to issues with their cars. As a result, both Mohammed Khorshid and Abdullah al-Muhtasib advanced directly to the second round.In the opening round, top qualifier Makhsid overcame Mohammed Jaber, while Mazen Nasser defeated Mesyer Abu Shaiba. Similarly, Ihab Falah secured a spot in the second round after beating Louay Abu Shaiba. On the other side of the bracket, there was a major upset as the championship leader and double-round winner Salem al-Sarraf was eliminated in the first round by Fahad al-Jadaei. Local category leader al-Jabsha defeated Saud al-Attiyah, while Ahmed al-Amri completed the lineup for the second round by beating Saud al-Abd al-Hadi.In the second round, both Ali Makhsid and Mohammed Khorshid advanced to the semifinals, with Makhsid defeating Mazen Nasser and Khorshid triumphing over Ihab Falah.Al-Jabsha joined them in the semifinals by beating Fahad al-Jadaei, while Ahmed al-Amri completed the quartet after defeating Abdullah al-Muhtasib in their head-to-head matchup.The local category saw al-Jabsha crowned champion for the fourth consecutive time, securing the season title regardless of the final round’s results. His teammate from the Brothers Team, Abdullah al-Muhtasib, achieved his first-ever podium finish in the championship by taking second place. Qatari driver Saud al-Attiyah claimed third place.The semifinals of the fourth round delivered a thrilling spectacle. The first showdown between al-Jabsha and Ahmed al-Amri ended in a tie, prompting the judges to order a rematch. Al-Amri emerged victorious in the replay, advancing to his first final of the season. In the second semifinal, Ali Makhsid defeated Mohammed Khorshid to secure his spot in the final. Khorshid went on to claim third place after defeating al-Jabsha in the battle for the final podium spot. This marked Khorshid’s second podium of the season, having previously finished third in the second round.The excitement reached its peak in the final, where Makhsid faced Ahmed al-Amri. Makhsid clinched his second victory of the season, adding to his win in the opening round, while al-Amri settled for second place. The final round of the championship is scheduled for March 2025.