The 15th edition of Red Bull Car Park Drift Jordan, held on Friday 2 October at the Dead Sea’s HoverUp Track, crowned Anas Al Helo as King of Drift for a third time. But the most talked-about name of the night was Mira Al Tarazi, the first woman ever to take part in the Jordanian national final.
Not just a first — a finalist
Driving a BMW E30, Al Tarazi took on 19 of Jordan’s best drifters on a course designed by Lebanese legend Abdo Feghali. After the scoring rounds, only five drivers remained in contention: Mira Al Tarazi, Ghaith Abu Taa’a, Yasser Al Helo, Raafat Haroun and Anas Al Helo. Breaking into that group on debut put her firmly among the country’s elite.
A new venue and a new format
It was also the first time the HoverUp circuit hosted drifting. Judging came from a three-person panel — Jordan Motorsport’s Ayman Najar, Lebanese rally champion Jean-Pierre Nasrallah and Youssef Bassil — and Feghali entertained the crowd between rounds in his modified Nissan Z, with some fans getting passenger rides.
Why it matters
Women have been edging into Arab motorsport through rallying, karting and time attack, but drifting has remained almost entirely male. A finalist in one of the region’s most-watched drift events is the kind of visible example that brings the next wave of drivers into the sport. Jordanian band Autostrad closed the night with a live set.
Lead image is illustrative. Photo: thommas68 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).