Red Bull drift UAE winner to be crowned in Ajman

Sport360 staff 17:07 17/11/2016
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  • The Red Bull car park drift returns to the UAEs for the sixth year in a row with Ajman hosting the final qualifier of this year’s series.

    As in previous years, the winner of the UAE Qualifier will earn themselves a spot in the tournament final that will take place in Oman on December 9 and will represent the UAE.

    After visiting Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Mauritius, Tunisia, Lebanon, Morocco, Jordan, Oman and Bahrain, the event comes to the final qualifier in Ajman on November 25 with all eyes on Ahmad Daham, who has won it for the past two years in a row and is the reigning UAE King of Drift.

    While the pressure is on Daham to make it a hat-trick of victories so he can once again take his Nissan Silvia to represent the UAE at the final in Oman, there’s no shortage of quality competition keen to remove his crown and win the day.

    To make it to Ajman, competitors have already topped the leaderboards in their respective qualifiers so the talent is strong and it’s often just a few points that determines who makes the cut, eventually competes in the final, and who is crowned King of Drift.

    Judges have a total of 400 points to award with 160 going towards drifting skills, 40 for car sound, 40 for tyre smoke and 40 for drifting into the box without hitting the cones. A further 60 points is awarded for the presentation of the car and a final 60 is for the driver’s skills in apexing the clipping points.

    Points can be deducted if a driver spins, travels the wrong way or hits an obstacle and if they accrue three penalties in one round, that’s their day finished and they’re disqualified.

    “After six years of the Red Bull Car Park Drift qualifiers, and three consecutive Finals in the UAE, the competition keeps getting tougher and so the track is even more difficult than last year,” said Abdo Feghali, Race Director and regional drifting legend. “Red Bull Car Park Drift is a home-grown success that started here in the Middle East and continues to grow from strength to strength thanks to our partners.”

    The Red Bull Car Park Drift traces its roots back to Lebanon in 2008 when it took place for the first time at the City Mall car park, allowing underground drifters to put their skills to the test.

    Its stadium-style format quickly brought crowds and competitors who had a place to take drifting off the streets and in to a controlled environment.

    At the UAE Qualifier Round in Ajman, drifters will begin the day with two pre-qualifying runs through a course of between 800 metres and 2000 metres in length that are marked out by cones and obstacles.

    The Red Bull Car Park Drift format is tough on cars due to the tight boundaries between walls and pylons and is a test of skill and showmanship alike.

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