MUSCAT: The first round of the Oman International Car Championship (OICC) will start on Thursday at the Bidiya hill course in the Governorate of North Al Sharqiyah. The event is organised by the Bidiya Endurance Racing Club, in cooperation with the Oman Automobile Association (OAA), under the supervision of the Office of the Governor of North Al Sharqiyah, and with direct support from the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.
The organisation of the international race comes within the calendar of the Desert Adventures Festival, which is hosted by the golden sands of Bidiya during this period for the first time and includes more than 20 activities accompanying the event, including various sports races for adventure lovers.
The OICC is the latest edition of the Car Challenge Championships in the golden sands of Bidiya as it will be held on February 2 and 3. Participants include drivers from the Sultanate of Oman, GCC and amateurs who love adventures, as the number of registrants has reached 74 so far. Contestants from Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates dominate the field.
The tournament’s organising committee had recently completed all its field preparations for the event, which coincides with the course of the Desert Adventures Festival, which is being hosted by Bidiya these days.
The organising committee allocated valuable prizes to encourage the participants. The total prize money is RO 12,000 with the cups and shields for the winners.
Championship Categories
The championship will include five categories, six-cylinder, eight-cylinder unmodified, six-cylinder, eight-cylinder modified, and the open challenge category. The first qualifiers are held on the first day, followed by final qualifiers on Friday, and each contestant is assigned two attempts to climb the sandy hill and record the best time.
Race conditions
The organising committee has set laws for each category in addition to the instructions for security and safety, which were approved by the (OAA) to ensure the safety measures for drivers and their vehicles. Therefore, registration takes place and then the implementation of the requirements is strictly monitored.
The competitor is required to the safety and security conditions used in club races, starting at a distance of 20 metres, and the length of the racetrack from the beginning of the sensor device to the endpoint is 60 metres, and the total is 80 metres. Each contestant is entitled to only two attempts. The attempt is counted if the vehicle touches the starting point of the sensitive device while giving the competitor a period of 15 minutes if his vehicle suffers a technical malfunction, and it is necessary to inform a member of the organising committee, and if the period ends, it is considered one attempt failed.
The committee has the right to exclude the vehicle if security and safety supports are not available in the vehicle. It is required to wear the full sports uniform, wear a seat belt and helmet, and have a fire extinguisher. Due to security and safety concerns in this category, it is permitted to remove the driver's assistant seat, it is also allowed to remove the engine cover, and it is allowed to change the original fuel tank in a manner that does not conflict with security.
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