DJAN IS KING OF DRIFT AFTER FORMULA DRIFT MALAYSIA TRIUMPH

Tengku Djan from Team Bridgestone Malaysia manoeuvred his Nissan 180SX to top position, reigning supreme over an accomplished field of 53 hot-shot professional drift drivers at the final day of the inaugural Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) on Sunday.

Djan (above left) just edged out his worthy opponent Sak Nana Kiki from Team PTT Thailand in the final tandem battle, while Team Goodyear Malaysia’s ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddet (above right), who wowed the crowd in his Mazda RX-7, came in third.

Thousands of spectators poured into MAEPS from as early as 8:30 am, and were thrilled at the hot tyre-burning action as top drivers from eight countries including Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan put on a fast and furious show that rivaled the very best in the world.

The two-day event saw keen competition amongst 53 drivers from across the Asia-Pacific region. All 53 drivers pushed their rear-wheel-drive cars to the limits by demonstrating impeccable precision and vehicle control to enter the ranks of the Top 32. They then faced off in one-on-one tandem battles to whittle down the driver pool to the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4 and finally, the Big 2.

Djan took on Sak Nana Kiki in a spectacular final tandem battle royale and with wheels screeching and tyres burning, crowd favourite The 'Prince of Drift' gained a dominant lead in what was truly a scintillating finale to two great days of high-octane action and furious competition.

Title sponsor Goodyear Malaysia showcased a stellar line-up of 17 drivers, including top female drifter, Azrina Jane Abdullah, fellow team mates Ariff Johanis (above), Michael Gan and Johan Norman, as well as some of the top regional drifters, Japan’s Ryuji Miki and New Zealander “Mad” Mike Whiddet, both from Team Goodyear Malaysia.

“Goodyear’s very first Formula DRIFT Malaysia was sizzling with red-hot action. It is certainly an honor to be part of this exhilarating event. Having such a number of international and local drivers competing only underscores our commitment to raise drifting standards to an international level,” said Richard Fleming, Managing Director, Goodyear ASEAN.

“There is also a high degree of synergy between drifting, a motorsport that places strong emphasis on advanced technology and precision driving and performance tires. Our ultra high performance tires put up a fantastic showing the last two days,” he added.

The Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia was the climax of the three-part Formula DRIFT Series, which blasted off with the Formula DRIFT Singapore ProAm Series 2009 in July and Formula DRIFT Thailand in November.

As the official event organizer and broadcaster for the Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia 2009, ESPN Starsports (ESS) will produce and broadcast the event highlight program on ESS’ footprint of 310 million viewers in 24 countries, check your local cable listings.

Photo :