Goodyear Formula Drift Malaysia is on this weekend!

Posted on December 18, 2009 10:00 AM

The drift sport has been going on in Malaysia for some years now but until this year, it’s been pretty much a 'casual’ affair and kept active by a growing group of enthusiasts. This weekend will see the sport moved to the next level, a far more professional one and with world-class drivers participating in the Malaysian round of the Goodyear Formula Drift series. And it promises to be an exciting one with the most number of participants in the ASEAN region this far; in fact, some 80 drivers registered to take part but only 53 could be accepted.

Two top drivers will be 'Mad’ Mike Whiddett, a new Zealander who is in Team Goodyear Malaysia and driving a Mazda RX-8, and Ryuji Miki, a former D1 GP champion in Japan who will be in a Toyota Supra. This will also be the first time that all 17 of Goodyear’s drivers in ASEAN will be participating, among them Azrina Jane Abdullah, the only female drifter who will be doing it sideways with her Nissan 180SX.

[Click here to view a YouTube video of Practice Day, December 19 2009]

Goodyear team members with Goodyear ASEAN MD Richard Fleming during the Singapore round

The cars that will be taking part are all Japanese rear-wheel drive models like the legendary Toyota Levin AE86, Nissan 180SX and even as Lexus Aristo (GS300). However, there is one specially modified Proton Waja R3 which has been entered by the Goodyear Pertamina Indonesia Drift Team.

“It’s truly a proud moment for us to have such a sizeable number of drivers participating in Goodyear Formula Drift Malaysia, with more than 25 of them from countries other than Malaysia,” said Richard Fleming, MD of Goodyear ASEAN.

Added Nasution Abdul Rahman, MD of Goodyear Malaysia: “Drifting is arguably one of the fastest growing sports in the region. In Malaysia, this sport has immense potential in its appeal to our consumers, especially amongst the young and adventurous! As a result, Goodyear’s involvement in such a sport allows us to develop new and innovative tyres, inject excitement into the brand, and gives us opportunities to reach out to consumers of ultra-high performance tyres.”

Unlike some other motorsports, the cars in drift events use tyres that can be purchased from Goodyear dealers by the public. “Our drivers chose the Goodyear Eagle RS Sport and Eagle Revspec RS-02, both of which are available to anyone who wants ultra high-performance tyres,” said Mr. Fleming. “This is a sport which allows Goodyear to show off the performance of its tyres and how they provide the drivers with precision and control as they slide their cars around the track.”

[Interview with Richard Fleming and Nasution Abdul Rahman]

He said that through its association with different forms of racing – including Formula 1 - over many decades, Goodyear has gained a vast amount of knowledge in tyre design, especially for ultra high-performance tyres, and this ultimately gets passed on to consumers.

The organizers of Goodyear Formula Drift Malaysia say that ticket sales have been 'extraordinary’ and they are allocating a few hundred more tickets to cater for the unexpectedly high interest. Over 8,000 spectators are expected to turn up over the weekend to watch the action at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang which is outside Kuala Lumpur. For a map and directions to the venue which is near the Serdang Hospital on the way to Putrajaya and Puchong, click here.

For more information on the event, click here

For information on Goodyear tyres, visit www.goodyear.com.my

Talk about the event in the MTM Forum