Evolving from being a racing technique to a popular motorsport around the world, drifting is set to rev up the Singapore crowd. Win tickets to the Apr 24/25 shows here.


(Photos: Geraldine Lee)

Formula Drift Singapore 2010 Powered by Nissan is set to happen at the F1 Pit Building on April 24 and 25. The high-speed extravaganza promises more excitement with screeching tires, charred rubber and spinning cars.

So what does it mean when a driver’s ‘drifting’ round a corner? One way to look at it is that the driver tries to maintain control over the car while the car is in an uncontrollable state.

According to Adam Toh, a racer from the Stamford Show Team, the elements to manage while drifting are “steering work, throttle control and braking”.

Since the age of 18, Adam has been interested in motorsports. Returning home after having studied in Melbourne, he was inspired to take up drifting after a friend mentioned it to him.

12 years later, his passion for the sport is still strong. Adam believes that racers need “humility in order to grow and improve”.

With the culture of drifting being slowly introduced to Singapore, local drivers will welcome an outlet to do so at Formula Drift Singapore 2010 Powered by Nissan, which has been held annually since 2008.

“When you watch circuit racing, there’s excitement in the first few laps, perhaps in the middle where drivers try to overtake each other, or towards the end at the finish line. There’s excitement in very few parts.”

“However, in drifting events such as Formula Drift Singapore 2010 (Powered by Nissan), there’s excitement from the start line right to the finish line as anything can happen in that few moments,” said Adam.

Driver Adam Toh with his car

And unlike professional racing, drifting is a sport that’s available to all. According to Marcus Lim, a technical consultant from events company PIT CREW, drifting “is a very accessible motorsport”.

“We have our cars straight from the manufacturers. The tires we use can be bought off the shelves, the parts we change can be found at any garage. Unlike professional racing, everyone can be good at this sport,” he added.

Check out the exciting trailer for Formula Drift Singapore 2010 Powered by Nissan:

For more information, visit the official website here and tickets can be purchased via Sistic.

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Want to understand some of the jargon used in drifting? Here’s a list compiled by The UrbanWire just for you!

Racing terminologies

Drift: Having all of the vehicle’s tires slip, which results in the car ‘sliding’ around the corner.

Oversteer: Having the wheels of the vehicle slide out too much, resulting in the head of the car facing towards the inside of a corner.

Understeer: Having the wheels of the vehicle lose traction, resulting in the head of the car facing towards the outside of a corner.

Countersteer: To steer the vehicle towards a direction opposite from the corner and thus maintaining a controllable oversteer condition.

Choku-Dori: Also known as a Scandinavian flick, where the vehicle is first on the inside line down a straight road, then veers towards the outside of the corner, and cuts in towards the apex. The inertia produced by the car as it veers out helps the driver to initiate the drift.

Donut: The vehicle rotates around the front tires, thus burning up the back tires.

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Pumped up for the event now that you’ve learnt more about Formula Drifting? Well, The UrbanWire has a treat for you!

Simply tell us what the 3 elements to manage while drifting are and stand a chance to win a pair of passes to watch Formula Drift Singapore 2010 Powered by Nissan on Apr 24 and 25.

Send in your entries to contest.urbanwire@gmail.com by Apr 18.