Omani drifter Ali secures spot in Lebanon finals

Oman’s drift champion Ali al Balushi secured a spot to compete in the finals of Driven Challenge in Lebanon on September 28.

Al Balushi, fondly called ‘Lalou’ managed to book a ticket in the finals after finishing first in the qualifier last month. He earned 76 points from 100 and topped the group which featured participation of top’s drifters in the Middle East.

The former ‘King of Drift’ in the Sultanate will be the only Omani and GCC representative in the finals of Driven Challenge at Pit Stop Karting venue in Lebanon on September 28. Many top drifters will take part in the event including champions from Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. The participants will use the same route and vehicle that was used in the qualifiers, during the championship.

“It is a great start to the drifting events after a suspension of the sporting activities due to the

Covid-19 pandemic. I am glad to represent my country in this highclass drifting event. I will deliver my best as I performed during the qualifier. I am adopted with the track and looking forward for a good show and aim for the title,” he said.

The Driven Challenge Championship is part of a programme broadcast at MBC

Action channel and presented by World Rally Champion Abdo Feghali. The ‘Driven’ programme is one of the top programmes specialised in the motor sports, racing, speed, modified cars and engines. Many seasons of the programme were broadcasted including the first, second, third and fourth seasons.

The Oman Automobile Association (OAA) had hosted the Oman International Drift Championship in February 2020 in presence of many domestic, GCC and international top drifters.

In the national level, Ali al Balushi bagged the third place while Sami al Shibani secured the first place and Haitham al Hadidi was positioned as the runner-up.

‘Lalou’ became Oman’s ‘King of Drift’ for three consecutive times from 2013. After his performance in the drift events, OAA appointed him as in charge of technical affairs for Muscat Speedway arena.

Ali is also involved in designing the drifting routes besides managing many motor sports events.