The Oman International Drift Championship in Muscat 2025 opened its season on January 30-31 with a packed lineup and some surprises that underscore its reputation as a leading drift event in the region. Launched in 2018, OIDC has grown quickly, pulling over fifty pros and top-tier teams from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia each year. The seventh edition’s scale and energy highlight why OIDC matters: it attracts cross-continental talent, acts as a technical crucible for setup and driving, and anchors Oman’s motorsports culture.

Before the weekend, most insiders tipped Ali Makhseed as the favorite for victory, with local star Ahmed Al Amri and international drivers such as Clint van Oort expected to challenge. The Muscat Drift Arena’s tight corners, concrete barriers, and shifting grip were hot pre-race topics, especially given late-afternoon heat and the cooling challenges for turbocharged engines. Anticipation centered on battle lines and how tire and brake management would affect the runs; a technical focus echoed by both paddock chatter and live commentary during the event.

When the action began, the results delivered great drama. Ali Makhseed outmaneuvered his competitors to clinch the win after a tense Top 16, while Ahmed Al Amri initially led qualifying but finished second. Third place went to Dutch driver Clint van Oort, whose consistent aggression kept him in contention throughout the bracket. There was a mishap: fuel line burst causing a small fire during practice but was swiftly managed by the track crews to keep the show safe and on schedule. Spectator turnout surged, with the arena filling up as fans watched drivers push cars to the limit, coming within centimeters of concrete walls and riding out high-speed transitions under Muscat’s changing grip levels.

On the envionmental front, the ambient temperature settled at 25 Celsius around sunset, altering grip on the track and forcing teams to tweak setups between runs. Brake cooling and engine management posed constant challenges: the heat and surface evolution added a strategic wrinkle to tire choices and drift lines. As someone working with paint protection films, I found myself mentally noting how those high-temp cycles would push any material or finish, especially PPF, to its limits, echoing what happens on drift cars under heavy use.

OIDC’s Muscat round produced both expected excellence and real plot twists under pressure: Ali Makhseed (Kuwait) took the overall win, Ahmed Al Amri (Oman) secured second, and Clint van Oort (Netherlands) rounded out the podium for the international category. The standings leave the championship wide open but reassert Oman’s status as a regional drift powerhouse.

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Wessen Char is UPPF’s petrolhead who still mourns the loss of Saab (and drove her 9-5 NG till 2025). She travels between US and Europe to cover auto events. She acknowledges the chic tech of EVs but wonders if the inexorable move to everything digital is ultimately all-better. Analogue had more soul somehow :)


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