Doha, January 03 (QNA) - The third, penultimate round of the 2025-2026 Freestyle Drifting Championship capped off with great fanfare.

Organized by the Qatar Racing Club, the three-day tournament featured strong competition and a record audience turnout.

The action spanned three hours, at the end of which Saud Al Marri, runner-up in the first and second rounds, clinched his first title of the season by securing the highest points for this round.

Rashid Al Banna claimed his first podium of the season, finishing second in this round, while the champion of the previous two rounds, Abdullah Al Qahtani, settled for third place.

Ahmed Al Musaned, who had finished third in the previous rounds, missed the podium this round, finishing fourth, leaving Ahmed Al Banna in fifth.

The contest began with registration and technical scrutineering to ensure that all cars were ready to compete in accordance with the championship’s safety and technical regulations.

Requirements included a properly installed roll cage, securely mounted battery, effective seat belt, and other essential vehicle checks, as well as driver safety equipment such as racing suit, helmet, and related gear.

Under the competition format, each driver had one run on the track to perform specific maneuvers, including drift, reverse maneuver, figure-eight knot, and reverse spin, within a maximum duration of four minutes.

An additional style score was awarded for the overall execution of the run.

In the end, the top three finishers were awarded their positions in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd, capping off the third round of the championship.

The series will go into hiatus before resuming with the final round at the end of April. (QNA)