Moving sideways to go forward

CHANGI, Singapore – The sprawling Changi Exhibition Centre, just 25 minutes from the central business district and 10 minutes from the airport, is a convenient and appropriate setting for the momentous event: the inaugural staging of the Formula Drift event outside North America. The 30-hectare site is tucked away from both residential neighborhoods and offices, and is cooled by the winds blowing from the body of water that lies just beside it. Indeed, crowds flock to the venue on race day – an estimated 10,000 cheering fans braving the sun to smell the burning rubber and hear the impatient whine and growl of modified engines.

Underscores Goodyear ASEAN managing director Richard Fleming, “This is the first time an event like this has been organized anywhere in Asia. Drift as a sport is one of the fastest growing motor sports in the world today. And it attracts a type of racer that is innovative and likes control. Drift is all about control. To the uninitiated, it might be just a bunch of cars that moving around the track. But very high-precision drivers are needed to be effective to win a drift.”

For the uninitiated, the Hollywood movie The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift should provide an accurate depiction of the thrills of drifting. You could say it’s about staying in control of your vehicle when you’ve lost it. Dizzy? Think about getting behind the wheel of a modified car that has up to 600 horses under its hood and then coaxing it at high speed through a marked course that twists and turns. Your tires will be slipping, sliding, and smoking before you’re through. Get the, uhm, drift? In geek terms, your vehicle is technically drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, and the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn. For instance, if the car is turning left, the wheels should be pointed right or vice versa. Rear wheel-driven cars are used in drifting, and favorites include the Nissan Silvia (the Japanese version of the 240SX), Mazda RX-7, and Toyota Levin/Trueno.

Truth be told, motorsports enthusiasts have already caught the drifting fever in the Philippines – holding them in such venues as the parking lot of the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan, the CCP Complex, and Clark Expo. However, local motoring scribes say we need a bigger venue where cars can attain higher entry speeds – the speeds needed to be able to compete internationally in drift events such as Formula Drift. Big corporate sponsors are also badly needed like the proverbial shot in the arm.

At the on-site press conference The Philippine STAR asks Fleming whether Filipinos can expect Goodyear to make its presence felt in the Philippine drifting scene. “Every country is different and they have different motor sports that they are into,” Fleming maintains. “The Philippines is particularly strong in circuit racing. Thailand is strong in drag racing. And Malaysia and Singapore are into drifting. I would say that all countries are open if there’s an audience, participation, and a business opportunity because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. It’s a motorsport but it’s also a business.”

He adds, “Motorsport racing is not new for Goodyear. We have been involved in it for many, many years. Our involvement varies in every country. We have been continuously involved in NASCAR and F1. Goodyear will be involved as long as there is a business opportunity. And this is not only about money. It’s also about having events that will allow us to promote our brand and modify the brand positioning. We are an innovative brand and we want to be associated with innovative sports like drifting,” Fleming continues

Volunteers Goodyear Philippines GM for marketing Ramon Barredo in a statement, “With increasing local interest in drifting, fans and enthusiasts have also become aware of the technicalities of the car to perform a well-executed drift. Goodyear’s ultra high performance tires aim to give drift racers the ultimate performance-driven experience.”

Binter and Co. (the tire distributor which, along with Goodyear and the Changi Exhibition Centre, is a major sponsor of the drift event) GM Marcus Lim explains the logic behind the partnership with Goodyear. “The reason why we worked with them is that they have a premiere professional drifting team. What they have brought to the table is not only track and marketing expertise but also judging expertise.”

To add, all tires – Goodyear and otherwise – used in the competition are all standard and commercially available products (even if the participating cars have been modified). That doesn’t mean, of course, that you should try out some drifting maneuvers on EDSA, silly.

Drifting as a sport originated in Japan, yet found its commercial success in the US mainland, where “it became more dynamic and more of a business. From there, it really spread. Now there are activities in Europe, in Australia, New Zealand and in other countries in Asia outside Japan,” says Jim Liaw, co-founder and president of Formula Drift Holdings LLC. The Taiwanese-American entrepreneur has tapped into his experience and passion for motorsports and molded it into a career. He is credited with helping introduce drifting to America – eventually leading to the creation of Formula Drift (also known as Formula D), the first and only sanctioned professional drifting circuit outside of Japan. Liaw has been nominated as one of Super Street Magazine’s “10 Most Influential Figures” and Los Angeles Magazine’s “Most Influential.”

After an exciting morning of qualifying runs, the field of 38 drivers (from US, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and New Zealand) is cut to 16. The flamboyant Kiwi “Mad” Mike Whiddet (who is Goodyear-sponsored, by the way) in his souped-up ’96 Mazda RX7 finds himself in first place, averaging 97.25 points out of a perfect 100 score.

Then the drivers are prepped for tandem battle – with the top seed ranged against the 16th place driver, and so on. The two-round pairing ensues with one car leading and the other following. The key point of the elimination phase is for the lead car to be able to run the course without errors from being pressured by the following car to out-drive the lead car. There are other technicalities and specifics, but suffice it to say that this is not a race. Points are awarded for style.

Liaw admits, “It is a subjective sport. The hardest thing to understand is that we relate it more into action sports in terms of the expressiveness and judgment. Now with technology like GPS and proximity sensors, we are looking into developing technology for more proper judgment. There are products that have been tested but are not yet in use.” Which means the young sport is evolving and improving as you read this article.

As the heat of the day and tarmac begins to abate, eight competitors are left – including three seeded US Formula D competitors. After another round of tandem battle, the top four are announced. Mad Mike is pitted against Goodyear stablemate Ryuji Miki from the US. Their RX-7s growling angrily, Mad Mike gets overzealous and overtakes Ryuji Miki. The Kiwi loses because of his maneuver.

Ryuji Miki displays class and confidence as he goes all the way to claim the crown, edging Tengku Djan. Whiddet salvages third place to give two out of three podium finishes to the Goodyear team. As for us in the Pinoy media contingent (Autoindustriya.com’s Brent Co, Speed Lab’s Ferman Lao, Hotwire’s Ronnie Trinidad, and this writer), we eagerly await the participation of a Filipino driver next year as the sun sets on the beautiful Changi Exhibition Centre and the curtains close on the first Formula Drift Singapore.