Jeddah is preparing to host the second round of Red Bull Car Park Drift event for its third season in Saudi Arabia. The competition, taking place at the Red Sea Mall parking lot Thursday, will be held under the auspices of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and the Saudi Automobile Federation. It is sponsored by Chevrolet, Hankook Tires and Castrol Lubricants. Hatem Natto was crowned champion of the first Saudi stop, which took place in the Malaz Stadium parking area in Riyadh. The finale will be held in Beirut during the summer. Thirty seven drivers participated in the Riyadh round in front of more than 5,000 motorsport fans. The jury panel will include Red Bull driver and Rally champion Abdo Feghali, along with Elie Semaan, Saudi Automobile Federation representative, Prince Abdulaziz Turki Al-Faisal, Red Bull athlete and Porsche GT3 champion, and Abdullah Bakhashab, Middle East Rally champion. The drivers will be assessed based on their skills in their modified cars as they maneuver and wield their handbrakes and whirl through dizzying turns. In addition, the judges will take into consideration the engines' roars and the physical appearance of the cars, the smoke produced by the friction of the tires, and finally the audience's cheers for each performance. After the Jeddah leg, Red Bull Car Park Drift, which has become an eagerly anticipated event in the region, will move on to Al-Fouad Center in Khobar for its third and final stop in the Kingdom, on April 19. Red Bull Car Park Drift was launched in Lebanon five years back; two years later, it became a regional competition. Before gaining international fame and exposure, the concept of drifting started in Japan back in the 1970's based on the idea of competing in a parking lot.
