Drifting to glory
Inaugural Formula DRIFT event in Singapore draws high spectator numbers
By Justin Lee
FORMULA DRIFT SINGAPORE is the first ever professional drift competition held locally. Hosted on 27th April at the Changi Exhibition Centre, it drew a crowd of around 11,000 spectators.
The audience were treated to a sport that required drivers to control a car while it slides sideways at high speed through a marked course. 38 drifting professionals including drivers from the USA and Japan competed for the championship title to win a cash prize of $1,500 and car accessories.
The winner was Japan’s Ryuji Miki who drove a Mazda RX-7.
Local drift driver Ivan Lim was ranked tenth overall. He says that with more practice he would have gotten a higher placing in Sunday’s competition.
Ivan hopes his participation in Formula Drift Singapore would get locals interested in drifting.
“I hope that Singaporeans will feel a sense of belonging and pride when they see their compatriots participating in the sport. Hopefully, this will attract more people to take up drifting and that there will be more local drift drivers in the future,” he said.
Formula Drift Singapore is scheduled to be held for another two years.
