Emirati drifter Mohammed Al Mansoori has qualified for the 2021 World Championship of Red Bull Car Park Drift. The 30-year-old national secured his spot in the grand finale of the tournament after emerging victorious during the UAE qualifiers that took place Friday 2 April at Souk Al Marfa, Deira Islands, Dubai.
In his Nissan Silvia, Al Mansoori beat 35 other participants to make it to the final heat; his next mission is to take on the other national finalists from across the globe at the Red Bull Car Park Drift World Championship 2021, scheduled to take place in Cairo, Egypt later on this year.
Narrowly missing out on the top spot was Lebanon’s Amir Mohammad Shehab, 24, who secured second place. In third was 2019’s UAE winner, Egyptian drifter Ahmed Sameer Al Adl, 34.
Al Mansoori will be joining last year’s UAE titleholder, Mohammad Shaker in Cairo. Shaker, from Jordan, qualified for the World Championship during the 2020 UAE qualifiers of Red Bull Car Park Drift at Dubai Festival City in November.
2021 PANEL
Four big names from the world of motorsport – Jordanian drift king Ahmad Daham; Emirati motocross champion Mohammed Al Balooshi; Lebanon’s Yousif Basil, and Yemeni Wadhah Abdullah Ali – were back on judging duty this year.
Also returning was Lebanese drifting legend and Red Bull athlete, Abdo Feghali, as event director.
For each round, drifters had to expertly navigate their way round a challenging course in Souk Al Marfa – avoiding obstacles along the way. Each competitor was judged according to a set of nine criteria for a total of 400 points.
In terms of scoring, a maximum of 120 points is allocated towards drifting skills, while the flipper and pendulum challenges account for up to 60 and 50 points, respectively. Meanwhile, a car’s design makes up 40 points, while tyre smoke, car sound, the gate and spiral tasks each contribute a maximum of 20 points towards the score. The final ‘Box’ – a tight enclosure the drifters need to do a ‘doughnut’ in – is worth 50 points.
Drifters lose points if they hit obstacles, drift the wrong way, or spin their car. Three penalties in one round, and its disqualification!
SAFETY FIRST
As the United Arab Emirates proceeds with slowly and safely hosting more events in the country, Red Bull Car Park Drift 2021 took place in line with government directives. All the necessary precautions were taken, and the crews and drivers involved were all following strict guidelines in order to participate in this unique occasion.
RED BULL CAR PARK DRIFT 2021: UAE QUALIFIERS
Participants (in no particular order):
Visit redbullcarparkdrift.com to keep up to date with the competition’s latest news, features and interviews. *Due to the pandemic and lockdown measures in most countries, the 2020 Red Bull Car Park Drift series resumed events as of August 2020 and will extend the series until October 2021. Event dates in each country are updated once approved by local authorities.
