Deane dominates; Oman’s Shaihani on podium
OMAN INTERNATIONAL DRIFT CHAMPIONSHIP
Ireland's James Deane showed glimpses of his brilliance, which had made him a previous winner, as he claimed the top honours in the opening round of the Oman International Drift Championship 2020 that concluded at the Muscat Drift Arena on Friday.
Deane edged past the Netherlands' Sebastian Fontijn in the final of the first round of the championship, organised by the Oman Automobile Association (OAA).
Oman’s Tariq al Shaihani gave the local fans reasons to cheer as he bagged the third place.
Speaking after the win, Deane said, “The contests were very competitive and challenging. Sebastian gave me a close fight in the final. I’m happy to get through it.”
He also appreciated the performances of Omani drifters, especially Tariq and Sami al Shaibani (fourth place).
Sebastian, who beat Alan Hynes of Ireland in the semifinal after Alan retired due to a gear box issue, said he was satisfied with his performance on his debut in Oman.
“It is satisfying to finish second. Credit to all the drivers who made this a high-standard championship,” the Dutchman said.
The Omani drivers had an impressive day with two of them reaching the semifinals from the total of 48 drivers. Three Omanis had entered the quarterfinal twin-drift battles.
Omani drivers dominated the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) category. Shaihani clinched the first position while Shaibani was second and Haitham al Hadidi claimed third spot. The podium positions were the repeat of the national category results.
“I am really happy to win three trophies tonight. I tried my best in the semifinal against Sebastian but missed out closely,” said Shaihani.
Shaibani said it was a learning experience. He said, “The presence of top drivers has made the competition challenging. It helped us to bring out our best. I look forward to more challenging performances in the coming rounds.”
On Thursday, two official free practice sessions and qualifying session were held. Out of total 48, the last-32 lineup was finalised. The top-32 twin-drift battles were held on Friday evening and later the last-16 was staged.
In the quarterfinals, Deane beat Ahmed Daham of Jordan, Hadidi lost to Shaibani, Shaihani edged past Deigo Saito of Japan and Fontijn defeated Hynes.
Deane then got the better of Shaibani and Shaihani went down to Fontijn in the semifinals. In the third-place playoff, Shaihani outclassed Shaibani.
The second round will be held on February 13-14 while the third round will be held on February 20-21.