DUBAI It’s been long hours of training for Emirati drifter Faisal Saleh Al Zaabi as he prepares for the Red Bull Car Park Drift UAE Regional Finals on Thursday and hopefully for the Grand Finals the following day at Meydan in Dubai.
“I’m super excited and can’t wait to compete this weekend,” Al Zaabi told XPRESS.
“I have been training for a year after the last year final and I will give it everything possible to win the King of Drift title,” he added.
The 24-year-old from RAK who had qualified for the Grand finals last year was unlucky after he was forced to pull out due to a technical snag.
“Our team is working very hard in preparing the car and we are doing the final touches before the big weekend. We have tested the car many times and it looks much better this year and in great shape. Hopefully all the hard work will pay off and will be translated into good results during the weekend,” said Al Zaabi, who achieved fourth place in the Gulf Championship in 2012.
A total of 18 drivers will compete for the ‘King of Drift’ title after having qualified through the regional finals held in Egypt, Tunisia, Mauritius, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Turkey and Kuwait before it culminates in the UAE for the last of the series.
“The UAE Final is not going to be an easy one. We have around 33 drifters till now but I’m confident of putting up another good performance that can help me qualify for the big Friday,” Al Zaabi said.
He said he was happy to see the way the sport is catching up in the UAE and is expecting more youngsters to take it up in the near future.
“It’s getting much better and bigger. We have places to practise in almost all the emirates and also competitions are being held regularly to keep the momentum going.”
