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Tickets have gone on sale for the first-ever appearance of the world’s leading drifting series in the UAE. Eight of the top drivers and cars from Formula DRIFT will showcase their skills in competition format at Yas Marina Circuit on 25 February.
Formula DRIFT is a US-based series in which drivers manoeuvre their cars through a marked course at high speed and at close quarters into controlled sideways slides, known as ‘drifting’. A panel of judges award points for four elements: speed, line, angle and overall impression. It takes place on a closed course and is judged on execution and style rather than who finishes the course fastest.
“The excitement of Formula DRIFT will have a broad appeal in the UAE, not only to core motorsports fans but to a much wider audience who simply want to enjoy great entertainment,” said Richard Cregan, Chief Executive Officer of Yas Marina Circuit. “The car-handling skill of these drivers has to be seen to be believed. Our aim is to bring the very best of world motorsport to Abu Dhabi, and drifting at this level will add a new dimension to the range of events on offer here.”
Among the drivers performing at Yas will be two-time Formula DRIFT champion and three-time X-Games Gold Medallist Tanner Foust, 2010 Formula DRIFT Rookie of the Year and former Scandinavian champion Fredric Aasbo, and 2009 Formula DRIFT champion Chris Forsberg.
Drifting started in Japan about 15 years ago. Today, the sport is so accepted and popular in the country that drivers have become celebrities. Drifting evolved into an organised series where top Japanese professional drivers compete in a series of events to determine the best drifter. Amateur drifting events take place in Europe, Australia and the US.
Some of the top professional Japanese drivers participated in an exhibition competition to a sell-out crowd at Southern California’s Irwindale Speedway in 2003. The success of that event caused an explosion of interest in the media, and in November 2003 Formula DRIFT was founded to deliver sanctioned drifting competitions to fans across North America.
Tickets to the event at Yas Marina Circuit on 25 February start from AED 50, with children of 12 and under admitted free of charge to the General Admission and Premium ticket categories. To book or to find out more call 800 YAS (927) or visit the website at www.yasmarinacircuit.ae for details.
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