I love fast cars and I have always wanted to drift, but I do not have the expertise or the gears to do so. However, my wish was granted when I was given the privilege to catch the action and watch the drama of the highly anticipated event of the year, the Achilles Radial FormulaDrift Malaysia 2012 up-close and personal. 😀
Achilles Radial FormulaDrift Malaysia 2012 – Drift & VIP Tickets
The date to remember was 17th May 2012. Thanks to Canon Malaysia, I went to the event with a lucky friend of mine as VIPs.
It was a dream come true for me to drift in a car after being influenced by the face-paced drifting action of the movie, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift in 2006 that sparked a tremendous interest in the sport of drifting worldwide.
Canon Camera Malaysia, the official presenter of the event, ran a “We Shoot, You Guess Contest” that rewarded the winners with walkabout, grandstand, VIP or drift tickets/passes to the event. I was lucky to have the opportunity to attend the event as a VIP, and also to drift thanks to Crystal Ng. 😀
Drifting with Manabu “MAX” Orido @ DENSO SARD Toyota Supra
To my delight, I was given the once-of-a-lifetime chance to drift with the world-renowned drift legend, Manabu “MAX” Orido! Honestly, I was feeling a little nervous before we began our drifting session, but that changed the moment we picked up speed and started drifting on the race track.
Manabu “MAX” Orido’s drifting skills were impressive indeed! I laughed and screamed my lungs out in the car as it swirled and skidded gracefully on the race track. The pungent scent of burnt rubber, the sound of screeching tyres, the sight of billowing smoke emitted from the cars’ exhausts bundled-up with the fast-paced action, adrenalin rush, and excited-looking people all around made me feel alive! 😀
I must say, the experience was both an exhilarating and memorable one. Being able to drift alongside him was amazing and I enjoyed every single second of it. My friend got to drift alongside Mervyn Nakamura and it was a blast too!
Reigning Drift King 2012 – Daigo Saito
The next day, my friend and I attended the event again to watch drift legends such as Daigo Saito, Manabu “MAX” Orido, Tengku Djan Ley and Mervyn Nakamura to name a few, compete against each other for the championship and boy, and it was a fierce fight!
In the end, Daigo Saito was able to defend his title and was crowned as the champion of the Achilles Radial FormulaDrift Malaysia 2012. Manabu “MAX” Orido came in second place, whereas Tengku Djan Ley (Malaysia’s very own drift prince) took third place. Congratulations to the winners! 😀
Despite the rain, we managed to enjoy the race and had a wonderful time at the event. We were even treated to some light refreshments in the air-conditioned VIP lounge. Again, thanks Canon Camera Malaysia for making it happen.
