The art of Saudi drifting culture

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Abdulhadi Alqahtani, a professional Saudi drifter, seen drifting in a tuned Ford Mustang with his own Al-Jazirah Racing Team. (Supplied)
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Abdulhadi Alqahtani, a professional Saudi drifter, seen drifting in a tuned Ford Mustang with his own Al Jazirah Racing Team. (Supplied)
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Updated 06 February 2022
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The art of Saudi drifting culture

  • More support from government would prevent people from engaging in illegal drifting on public roads and bring them to the track, says Saudi drifter Abdulhadi Alqahtani

RIYADH: Drifting, or “tafheet,” has been a common phenomenon among Saudi youth for decades. Young locals take to the streets and engage in high-speed drifting, often exceeding a speed of 100 kph with little concern for public safety or themselves.

Tafheet involves driving cars at high speeds across wide highways, throwing the vehicle left and right to mimic the appearance of drifting.
Abdulhadi Alqahtani, a professional Saudi drifter and business owner, spoke to Arab News about the community that spread the culture and love for drifting.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The first official large-scale drifting competition in Saudi Arabia took place in 2013. It was managed by Abdulhadi Alqahtani, who wanted to see the sport develop into something more and to play a role in making that happen. 

• Throughout his career spanning more than 10 years, Alqahtani has raced in more than 120 international competitions and received several accolades for his prowess in drifting and racing under his banner of the Al-Jazirah Ford Racing Team.

• Most recently Alqahtani took part in the 2022 Saudi international motor show, Autoville, where he drifted in style under his banner once again.

“There is a big passion for drifting here in Saudi Arabia and everyone knows that it is very common,” he said.
Considered a legend in the sport and an original FIA drifter from the MENA region, Alqahtani said that drifting was always a part of who he was.
“Growing up as a petrolhead in Alkhobar, I found love in motorsports that was unmatched to any other hobby or profession. When I close my helmet just before starting a race, I’m in a different state of mind; I forget everything.”


Throughout his career spanning more than 10 years, Alqahtani has raced in more than 120 international competitions and received several accolades for his prowess in drifting and racing under his banner of the Al-Jazirah Ford Racing Team.
However, in the beginning, there wasn’t any way for him to do what he loved — legally.
Over the years, Saudi Arabia, along with some Gulf countries, has had a reputation for illegal drifting, often resulting in accidents when drivers practice on public roads, endangering themselves and those around them.
“I had a love and passion for speed, and there was no place to do it,” Alqahtani said. “I had to find something that was safer than what I used to see taking place here.”




Abdulhadi Alqahtani lifts his second place trophy at the King of Desert drifting competition in Bahrain.

Even as a youngster, Alqahtani avoided taking to public roads and highways as much as possible, instead opting for empty plots of land away from bystanders to avoid causing them harm.
He entered his first official tournament, Autocross, which took place on Saudi Arabia’s first motorsport track at the Reem International Circuit in Riyadh.
At the tournament, drifting around cones in a parking lot under official drifting rules and judges, Alqahtani experienced a love and thrill for the sport that drew him to the competitive side of the activity.  

I found love in motorsports that was unmatched to any other hobby or profession. When I close my helmet just before starting a race, I’m in a different state of mind; I forget everything.

Abdulhadi Alqahtani

“Ever since my first competition, I stopped driving fast on (public) roads because I didn’t need to be a daredevil anymore,” he said. “I can have this feeling on the track and at the competition,” he said.
“Every Saudi professional driver you know comes from small competitions,” he said.
The first official large-scale drifting competition in Saudi Arabia took place in 2013. It was managed by Alqahtani, who wanted to see the sport develop into something more and to play a role in making that happen.
“There were small competitions but nothing like this,” he said. “This was the first local competition with international standards.”
“Drifting is not about who finishes the course first,” Alqahtani said. After qualifying, a drifting competition comes down to a battle between two drivers in a tandem race.




Reem International Circuit in Riyadh is Saudi Arabia’s first motorsport track.

Each driver takes one turn leading and one turn chasing. A panel of three judges assesses the drivers on different elements of the drift such as a good amount of slip angle throughout the course, a clean run and even flashiness, which is known as impact. The judges then tally the scores to decide the winner.
“The judges have certain parameters they score drivers on both in qualifiers and battles,” he said. “In qualifiers, if you win in your bracket you proceed to the next and this is how the championship goes until a winner is declared.”
Alqahtani said that more support from the government would prevent people from engaging in illegal drifting on public roads and bring them to the track, where they can drift freely, improve their skills and compete for tournament prizes and accolades.
Academies and leagues have since been established by professional racers in an effort to mitigate illegal street drifting incidents and to educate youngsters about its dangers while encouraging them to instead participate in officially sanctioned events.
“I started a drifting school in 2015 called Mahara at Dirab Motor Park in Riyadh,” he said. “We provide the cars, teach people how to drive and drift on our track, but some of the kids that come in already know from their previous experience out there.”
Unfortunately, there has been a “freeze” on drifting since 2018, according to Alqahtani. He believes that the authorities concerned, such as the Saudi Arabian Motorsports Federation and the Ministry of Sports, are focusing more on international motorsports that draw large crowds, such as Formula One, Formula E and the Dakar Rally.
However, drifting has decreased over the years as Saudi Arabia has developed into a haven for investment and business to flourish in areas such as recreation, sports and entertainment. The need to go drifting no longer exists as people have found other ways of occupying their time recreationally.
The Saudi drifter, however, has not not passed up on opportunities to get back on the track. Most recently Alqahtani took part in the 2022 Saudi international motor show, Autoville, where he drifted in style under his banner once again.


Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge

Updated 3 sec ago
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Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge

Villa had led the 36-team Champions League standings after three straight wins without conceding a goal
The loss leaves Villa in fifth place in the standings now led by Liverpool

BRUGES, Belgium: A strange penalty for handball ended Aston Villa’s winning run in the Champions League on Wednesday as the English team lost 1-0 at Club Brugge.
In the other early game, Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Heorhiy Sudakov had a fine assist and an even better goal in a 2-1 win for the Ukrainian champion against Young Boys.
Villa had led the 36-team Champions League standings after three straight wins without conceding a goal — and they took a bizarre incident before goalkeeper Emi Martínez was eventually beaten.
Villa defender Tyrone Mings was punished for picking up the ball when Martínez seemed to restart play with a goal kick passed short to his teammate.
Mings walked forward a couple steps to gather the ball with his left hand and returned to place it at the corner of the six-yard box.
The penalty kick was awarded and Brugge captain Hans Vanaken scored in the 52nd minute, placing the ball to Martínez’s left as the World Cup-winning Argentina goalkeeper dived to his right.
Martínez tried to persuade German referee Tobias Stieler after the game that he had made a mistake.
The loss leaves Villa in fifth place in the standings now led by Liverpool, with Inter Milan, Arsenal and Brest all able to rise above coach Unai Emery’s team with a win later Wednesday. Inter were hosting Arsenal at San Siro.
Club Brugge have six points, from two wins and two losses and were provisionally in 20th place, which after all eight rounds in January would earn a place in the knockout playoffs round.
Shakhtar’s Sudakov showed against Young Boys why he is expected to be the club’s next big-money sale.
Both teams came into the game without scoring a goal in the first three rounds of the new league phase format.
Swiss champion Young Boys are struggling in 10th place in their domestic title defense and took an unexpected lead in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, where Shakhtar are playing their Champions League home games during the military invasion by Russia.
After the Shakhtar defense was caught in the 27th minute playing short passes deep in their own half, Kastriot Imeri struck with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Shakhtar was level four minutes later when Sudakov’s precise pass into the goalmouth eluded a circle of five Young Boys players to find Oleksandr Zubkov for a tap-in.
Sudakov cleverly created space in the 41st to stride forward and fire a low shot from 20 yards (meters) into the far corner of the net past diving goalkeeper Marvin Keller.
Shakhtar are outside the playoff places in 26th, with four points, and Young Boys is 35th and among six teams with zero points.

Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini

Updated 24 min 13 sec ago
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Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini

  • The Olympic gold medalist, seeded 7th, sweeps aside 4th seed Paolini 6-1, 6-1 in just 67 minutes, her 30th win in 35 matches
  • Already eliminated Rybakina claims consolation 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over world No. 1 Sabalenka, who secured semi-final spot on Monday

RIYADH: Zheng Qinwen continues to deliver in her breakthrough season, as she advanced to last four of the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Wednesday with a victory over Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini.

The Chinese Olympic gold medalist swept past fourth seed Paolini 6-1, 6-1 in a mere 67 minutes. It was her 30th victory in 35 matches.

Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina claimed a consolation 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who had already secured her semi-final spot as group winner on Monday.

Rybakina, who was already out of the competition after losing her first two matches, finally found form against Sabalenka. It was a much-needed confidence boost for the world No. 5, who missed most of the second half of the season with allergies, insomnia and a back injury.

“It was a tough match and I’m really happy that I managed to win,” said Rybakina, who shared a warm embrace with Sabalenka at the net. “I think it’s nice to finish the year at least with one win against the world No. 1.”

The loss was only Sabalenka’s second in 24 matches. She was yet to learn who she will face in Friday’s semi-final but whatever happens, she has reason to celebrate as she clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking when Iga Swiatek was defeated by Coco Gauff on Tuesday.

However, the Belarusian does not intend to let that achievement distract her from the task at hand, which is to lift the WTA Finals trophy for the first time in her career.

“It’s a really great feeling but I figured that last night and it didn’t work really well tonight for me, so I just want to focus on the current tournament, to stay hungry and stay motivated, because it’s a big tournament and it’s also one of my goals, so I’ll focus on this goal,” Sabalenka said on Wednesday.

In the last day of round-robin action in the Purple Group, Zheng and Paolini were fighting it out for the second qualification spot behind Sabalenka.

Zheng, seeded seventh, locked down her place in the last four with a dominating performance as she became the first Chinese player to make it out of the group stage at the event since Li Na in 2013.

“That was 11 years ago; I’m really proud I could make it,” said the 22-year-old. “I didn’t know what to expect coming to these WTA Finals for the first time. I was in a very difficult group.

“It’s one of the best performances I’ve had during this year. Really good percentage of first serves. I felt really good on my groundstrokes and I made a couple of good volleys. I really enjoyed it.”

An aggressive return earned Zheng her first break of the match in game three and then she broke again and held her serves to go 5-1 up. Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam finalist this season, saved one set point on her own serve in game seven but Zheng kept her foot on the gas to close out the 32-minute set on the second opportunity.

Zheng was just as impressive in the second set, and after saving a break point while serving for the match at 5-1 she closed out the win with her 12th ace of the match.

“I finally feel that my serve has started to be a bit more consistent,” said Zheng, who leads the tour in aces and first-serve points won this season.

This was her fourth victory in as many meetings with Paolini, who will remain in Riyadh to battle for a semi-final spot in the doubles competition alongside fellow Italian Sara Errani.

Since Wimbledon in July, Zheng has recorded the most wins of any woman on the tour. Besides taking gold in the singles at the Olympics, she defended her Palermo title, reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, the semi-finals in Beijing, the final in Wuhan, and lifted the trophy in Tokyo. Three of her five defeats during that run were at the hands of Sabalenka and she said she has been impressed by the Belarusian’s form this season. Zheng’s record against Sabalenka is 0-5, and she said this is a big source of motivation for her.

“She won two slams,” Zheng said. “This is really big achievement for her. And I remember last year, she won her first Grand Slam in the Australian Open. And then she kept going, kept working.

“But you know, both slams that she won this year, I lost against her on the way. Which means if I want to win a slam, I have to be able to beat her. And I’m quite excited for that day.”


Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury

Updated 06 November 2024
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Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury

  • Pegula lost her opening two matches in Saudi Arabia in straight sets and had no chance of advancing to the semifinals
  • US Open finalist was due to face defending champion Iga Swiatek and will now be replaced by alternate Daria Kasatkina

RIYADH: American sixth seed Jessica Pegula has withdrawn from the WTA Finals in Riyadh with a left knee injury, the tournament announced on Wednesday.

A runner-up at the WTA Finals last year, Pegula lost her opening two matches in Saudi Arabia in straight sets and had no chance of advancing to the semifinals.

The US Open finalist was due to face defending champion Iga Swiatek in the last day of round-robin action on Thursday and will now be replaced by alternate Daria Kasatkina on the schedule.

“I’ve just been struggling with a little bit of an injury and for whatever reason, it really flared up this week. Not really sure why,” Pegula, 30, said.

“In the few days before practice, it felt really, really good, but it started creeping up right before my first match, and just feel like I’m not feeling comfortable moving on court, so I just wanted to make the decision to unfortunately pull out.”

Kasatkina is ranked No. 9 in the world and recently clinched the WTA 500 title in Ningbo.

She is 1-5 head-to-head against Swiatek, losing her last five consecutive clashes with the Pole. 

Coco Gauff is the only player in the Orange Group in Riyadh to have secured passage to the semifinals.


Red Bull Car Park Drift returns to Riyadh with Red Bull Mobile

Updated 06 November 2024
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Red Bull Car Park Drift returns to Riyadh with Red Bull Mobile

  • The championship returns with Red Bull Mobile as the event’s connectivity partner
  • A panel of expert motorsport judges will evaluate each competitor, awarding points based on specific technical criteria

RIYADH: Riyadh will host the national competition of Red Bull Car Park Drift on Nov. 16, 2024, at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex (Green Halls).
The championship, which first held its world finals in Jeddah in December 2022, returns with Red Bull Mobile as the event’s connectivity partner, providing unique services to enhance the fan experience.
In partnership with the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation and Nissan, 22 skilled drivers will compete to claim the title of Saudi champion and secure a spot in the Red Bull Car Park Drift World Finals in Oman on Dec. 6.
Fans can enjoy the event and all the shows for free, with doors opening at 2 p.m. on Nov. 16, according to a media statement issued on Wednesday.
Red Bull Car Park Drift uniquely blends car speed, engine power, driving precision, and drifting artistry, set against a backdrop of special effects and dynamic show elements.
A panel of expert motorsport judges will evaluate each competitor, awarding points based on specific technical criteria.
Lebanese drift icon and rally star Abdo Feghali will return to elevate the competition with new twists on the track layout, ensuring an even higher level of challenge.
Alongside the thrilling main event, fans will get a behind-the-scenes track tour with Feghali, while they cheer on top drivers in Saudi Arabia.
Red Bull Car Park Drift is a competitive drifting event where both amateur and professional drivers tackle a track full of obstacles and challenges. Competitors aim to score high in each round to move forward in an elimination-style format.
Judges evaluate performances based on skills like drifting ability, car smoke, and overall appearance, awarding up to 400 points.
Red Bull Car Park Drift also gives amateur drivers the chance to compete internationally, showcasing their skills in front of thousands of motorsport fans.


Mideast’s first baseball league announces completion of Dubai ballpark

Updated 06 November 2024
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Mideast’s first baseball league announces completion of Dubai ballpark

  • Baseball United Ballpark at The Sevens will be unveiled with the Arab Classic International Baseball Tournament running Nov. 7-10

DUBAI: The Middle East’s first professional baseball league has completed the construction of a Dubai ballpark in just 38 days.

The Baseball United Ballpark is the first baseball ground in the region. It will debut to the public beginning this week with the Arab Classic Tournament, which will see nine nations from the GCC and South Asia take part in the largest international baseball tournament in the region’s history.

Baseball United Chairman and CEO Kash Shaikh shared the news of the ballpark — as well as several other record-setting milestones — at a press conference held in partnership with Dubai Sports Council and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.

Prominent figures attended, including Baseball United co-owners and Major League Baseball legends Barry Larkin, Mariano Rivera, Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus. Government officials from the UAE, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic were also present.

“We have come a long way in a short time,” said Shaikh. “In just two short years — fueled by the belief and support of the Dubai government, regional baseball federations, baseball legends, baseball fans around the world, and the will and resilience of our own Baseball United team — we’ve all made history. And we’ve made that history over and over again. I say that with no exaggeration or hyperbole, because everything we are doing together has truly never been done before.

“Together, we’ve transported a completely new sport to a completely new part of the world, and we’ve built another bridge to connect people to Dubai as one of the world’s greatest sports and entertainment destinations.”

Baseball United’s historic milestones include:

- The expansion of its ownership to 20 baseball legends. In addition to Larkin, Rivera, Beltre and Andrus, top players such as Albert Pujols, Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Robinson Chirinos, Ryan Howard, Bartolo Colon and Ronald Acuua Jr. are part of the investment group. These players have more than 300 years of combined professional baseball experience, 80 MLB All-Star appearances and 15 World Series Championships titles.

- The launch of Baseball United’s official merchandise line in Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and The Galleria Mall (Abu Dhabi) in partnership with GO Sport. Official baseball jerseys will be available for sale for the first time, including the jerseys of all four inaugural Baseball United franchises: Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Mid East Falcons and the Dubai-based Arabia Wolves.

- The formation of the first-ever UAE National Baseball Team in partnership with Emirates Cricket Board. The new UAE team will play its first-ever match at 1 p.m. GST on Thursday against India. It will also face off against Pakistan at 8 p.m. GST the same day.

- The completion of the first-ever professional baseball field in the history of the region. Baseball United Ballpark, with field dimensions mirrored after the iconic Yankee Stadium, is the only professional field within 10,000 km of Dubai. The field will be home to all Baseball United events, tournaments and its upcoming league season, as well as serve as a launchpad for international events with top baseball teams from around the world.

- The opening of the Arab Classic International Baseball Tournament from Nov. 7-10 at Baseball United Ballpark at The Sevens. Nine nations from the GCC and South Asia will take part in the largest and most competitive international baseball tournament in the history of the region with four consecutive days of baseball at the new Baseball United Ballpark. Twenty-one games will be played in morning and evening sessions, with the championship held on Nov. 10. Evening games will be streamed for free at baseballunited.com.

Tickets for all sessions are available via Platinumlist. Ticket prices begin at AED49 ($13).

“We are so excited that — for the first time in history — all these national baseball teams from the subcontinent and the GCC will finally have a stage to showcase their passion, their talent and their development,” said Shaikh. “Growing the game at the grassroots and national team levels is so important to our mission at Baseball United. We know that this is where and how we build the foundation of this sport in the region. We transformed an empty oval of dirt and dust into a world-class baseball field in just 38 days so that these national teams and their players would be the first to play at our new ballpark.

“Our new field will enable so many other opportunities like this one for so many countries, communities and athletes,” he added. “It is truly a game-changer for Dubai and the region. We can’t wait to host everyone at the ballpark.”