Over 50 pro drifters to compete at OIDC 2025 from tomorrow
Over 50 professional drivers from 18 countries will compete in the Oman International Drift Championship (OIDC) 2025. The Oman Automobile Association's (OAA) Muscat Drift Arena will host the first round of the famed competition on January 30 and 31.
Suhar will host the second and third rounds on February 13, 14 and February 20 and 21 respectively at Suhar Arena.
Recognised as one of the most successful and widely attended drift events in the world, the championship has been a global highlight since its inception in 2018. The OIDC's seventh edition will feature over 50 professional drivers from 18 countries, including renowned world champions.
Action from the previous edition of Oman International Drift Championship.
Former winner Ali Makhseed of Kuwait, Ahmad Daham of Jordan, Dutch drivers Sebastian Fontijn and Clint van Oort and Lithuanian sensation Benediktas Cirba are some of the top drifters in action in the seventh edition.
As one of the largest and most significant drift events in the region, the OIDC provides a valuable platform for Omani champions, offering them the opportunity to compete against the best drivers in the world.
Tariq al Shaihani, Ali al Balushi, Ahmed al Amri, Ali al Shaihani, Hazaa al Hosni, Zahir al Shaqsi and Riyadh al Mabsli will lead local challenge at the OIDC 2025.
The qualifying for the first round will be held on Thursday evening while Friday evening will witness the finals of Round 1.
Competitions will be held in National (Oman), Middle East and North Africa and International categories.
The drifting scene will shift to Suhar for the second and third rounds. The overall winner of OIDC 2025 will be crowned at Suhar Arena after the third round action.
In OIDC 2024, Irish driver James Deane clinched his fourth title in Muscat with a clinical display. It was Deane's return to the top podium after bagging a hat-trick of championships in the first three editions in 2018, 2019 and 2020 editions. However, Deane is not coming to Muscat for the OIDC 2025.
The championship also plays a vital role in promoting Oman as a distinguished tourist and sporting destination on the global stage.
The event is being run under the chairmanship of Brigadier Jamal bin Said al Tai, managing director Suleiman al Rawahi and race director Fahmi al Busaidy.
With a strong reputation for delivering thrilling competitions, the OIDC 2025 promises top-tier performances from the world's best drifters. It is an open invitation for fans and visitors to enjoy the electrifying competition and cheer on their favourite drivers as they race for the top spot at the OAA's Muscat Drift Arena.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Oman athletes shine at FISU Games
MUSCAT: Oman's beach volleyball team made a strong impression at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games as the men's duo of Yousef al Abri and Al Yaqdhan al Saadi concluded their journey in the Round of 16. The global multi-sport event, hosted in Germany, featured top university athletes from around the world competing at elite levels. The Omani pair faced off in the knockout stage against Lithuania's strong duo Danielius Cumakas and Karolis Paubinskas. Despite a spirited performance, the Omani team suffered a 2-1 defeat. The Lithuanian side took the opening set 21-17, but al Abri and Al Saadi showed remarkable resilience by claiming the second set 21-13. The decisive third set saw the Lithuanian duo regaining control and sealing their victory with a 15-13 scoreline, thus ending Oman's impressive run in the tournament. Oman's campaign began with a thrilling group stage encounter in group D against world leaders Australia, represented by Jed Walker and Oliver Merritt. Despite falling behind in the first set by 21-15, the Omani team made a strong comeback in the second set to win 21-18. In a nail-biting decider, the Australian pair narrowly edged past with a 15-13 victory. Part of Oman's beach volleyball participation at FISU World University Games In their second group stage match, Oman's al Abri and al Saadi bounced back in style by defeating Hungary's Boldizsar Borbely and Domonkos Doczi. Both sets were closely contested, but the Omani duo held their nerve to win 21-19 in both sets, securing a key victory in their qualification campaign. The final group stage match saw Oman secured their place in the Round of 16 with a default win over Moldova's pair Maxim Korsakov and Egor Dobcis, who withdrew from the competition. In athletics, Oman also recorded a significant milestone through sprinter Mohammed bin Hamdan al Suleimani in the men's 800m event. Competing in heat 4 of the opening round, al Suleimani clocked a season best time of 1:49.34, finishing fourth and advancing to the semifinals. His performance marked a promising step forward for Omani athletics at the university level. Oman's participation in the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 Games was represented by Oman University Sports Committee (OUSC) and it led by its chairman Dr Salim al Oraimi. The event provided a valuable platform for the Sultanate of Oman's student athletes who managed to gain international experience and compete among the best in the world. Oman's athletes delegation took part in different sports discipline including: table tennis, swimming and Taekwondo.
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Verstappen starts new era with Spa sprint win
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium: Formula One champion Max Verstappen won a "cat and mouse" Belgian Grand Prix sprint on Saturday in Red Bull's first race under the leadership of Laurent Mekies following Christian Horner's dismissal. McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri finished second, after taking a dominant pole position for the 100km race, with the Australian increasing his advantage over teammate Lando Norris to nine points. Norris ended up where he started, in third place on a bright afternoon at the longest and second fastest track on the calendar. Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari with Haas's Esteban Ocon fifth and Carlos Sainz sixth for Williams. Haas's Oliver Bearman and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar completed the scoring positions. The win was Verstappen's first, in either a sprint or grand prix, since Imola in May and it was knife-edge all the way. "I knew of course it was going to be very tough to keep them behind. So it's just playing like cat and mouse, DRS, battery usage," he said as the large contingent of Dutch fans celebrated. "The whole race was within seven tenths, so I couldn't afford to make big mistakes. I had one tiny lockup in the last corner, but apart from that it was, for us, a great result to keep them behind. "You have to drive over the limit of what's possible. Tyre management goes out of the window. I did 15 qualifying laps to keep them behind on a track where tyre management is important." PIASTRI FRUSTRATED Piastri had few real chances — close enough to hope but too far to make a move stick. "I tried my best to snake my way through the straights and not give too much of a tow but didn't have enough straight-line speed and then obviously didn't have enough speed for the next 15 laps either," he said. "I wasn't going to get past anyone unless Oscar got past Max. They drove good races," said the Briton. "I was hoping for a bit of battling but the Red Bull was too quick in the straight for us to catch up." The sprint was a disappointment for Mercedes, with George Russell 12th and Kimi Antonelli 17th. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also had a tough time, last year's grand prix winner with Mercedes finishing a distant 15th after starting 18th.. — Reuters
Observer
15-07-2025
- Observer
England midfielder Henderson joins Brentford
LONDON: England midfielder Jordan Henderson insists he can still thrive in the Premier League after joining Brentford on a free transfer on Tuesday following his exit from Dutch side Ajax. Henderson agreed a two-year contract with the Bees as he returned to the Premier League after leaving Liverpool in 2023. "After a couple of years away I still have that fire to come back and play in the Premier League again," the 35-year-old said. "Obviously it's the best league in the world, with the best players. So it's a big challenge but one I'm keen on doing. "When I was given the opportunity by Brentford and after speaking with the club it became an easy decision." Henderson will face his boyhood club Sunderland in August before an emotional return to Liverpool in October. "Both clubs mean a lot to me. I owe a lot to Sunderland and then Liverpool was a huge part of my life," he said. "But when I'm playing against them there's no friends, we know that in football." Brentford's new manager Keith Andrews moved for Henderson after losing Denmark midfielder Christian Norgaard to Arsenal. "When we became aware of Jordan's availability, it was a pretty simple decision," Andrews said. "We did our due diligence around his recent games to see where he is. He's still phenomenally fit and he's still phenomenally motivated to achieve things in the game, having already achieved a lot. "With the void of experienced players leaving the building — Christian Norgaard, Mark Flekken and Ben Mee — it was important to replace that. "What Jordan will bring is that he has been one of the most influential leaders in modern Premier League years. He's been at the forefront of driving for titles and Champions Leagues at a fantastic football club." Henderson has 84 England caps and was recently recalled by Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel. He spent 12 years with Liverpool, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020 among numerous other trophies, before a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq two years ago. His contract with Al Ettifaq was cancelled just six months later. Henderson subsequently joined Ajax, earning the captaincy and making 57 appearances for the Dutch club. However, Ajax's late collapse cost them the Eredivisie title last season and his contract was terminated last week with a year still left to run. — AFP
