Esa trounced the field to claim the first round of Chevrolet Speed Star competition 2008 held at Durat Al-Arous Thursday. Al-Esa in his car Chevrolet Lumina SS was the man who led the podium winners in a time of 01:46:929 when the dust settled after the second day of competition. The event, held over Wednesday and Thursday and organized by Abdullah Bakhshab Est. for Motorsport Development, drew a large number of racing enthusiasts from all over the Kingdom who pitted their skills in the two-day battle to score a maximum number of points. Defending champion Sayeed Al-Moori charged through the grueling qualification process, coming out on top after Day One action. Al-Esa, however, managed to defeat Al-Moori on the second day to claim the first round victory. Eyad Al-Najar, driving a red standard eight-cylinder Lumina SS, managed to hold on to his second spot after Day Two in a time of 01:47:181. Al-Moori could manage only the third spot on the podium in a time of 01:48:403. The participants were divided into four categories based on the capacity of their vehicle's engine, power and its production year. The classifications were: standard six-cylinder, modified six-cylinder, modified eight-cylinder and standard eight-cylinder vehicles. Following a technical test on the first day every participant had to make a free tour through the track. The drivers then had two trials to score the best time. The second round of the event will be held in Al-Khobar, with the third to take place in Hail. In each round the participants will display their drifting-style technique on a twisting 1.5-km track. __
