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The kingdom’s speed demons are in for a high-octane treat as a European motorsports brand is planning to bring one of the most exciting series to the Middle East … the EXTREME Drift Allstars Championship.
For those that are not acquainted with the sport, drifting is a technique where the driver intentionally over-steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels or all tyres, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner.
Professional drifting competitions are held worldwide and are judged according to the speed, angle, showmanship and line taken through a corner or set of corners.
The Drift Allstars, founded by race ace and drifter Niall Gunn in 2008, is a fast-growing live-action marque that promotes the gear-shifting sport in Europe and is recognised for featuring the best-of-the-best.
Originally, the championship started with three events per year and then spun out into an internationally-acclaimed series. Later on, the Allstars partnered up with EXTREME, a youth lifestyle brand fuelled by action, sports, music and art, to develop it further.
Today, it includes top drivers and teams from 16 nations, competing in a 10-stop Grand Prix Series and driving some of the most powerful saloon cars in the world.
According to Mark Hughes, the Allstars promoter, circuit manager and liaison, the brand started because of a passion for motorsport and the need to move drifting to a more professional place.
He said: “The series features seven teams and 43 drivers, aged 15 to 34, showcasing their talents. “It is a direct competition between the drivers with points awarded by judges based on the skill and precision of the drivers.
“The tracks are a series of sweeping corners designed to challenge the drivers as much as possible whilst also giving the spectators the maximum excitement.
“We don’t just race on circuits but many of our events are held in city centres on closed public roads. For example, last year, our opening event was at the London Olympic Park.”
The 2014 Championship kicked off at the London venue in May and finished in Athens, Greece in September. This year, the management team is hosting the annual championship rounds in the UK, Poland, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. They are also looking to expand into at least two countries in Asia and potentially North America in 2016.
However, Mr Hughes, who has worked with race series’ globally and as a lead consultant or senior director for tracks including Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), Buddh International Circuit in India and Brands Hatch, the UK, would be thrilled to stage an event in the kingdom.
He said: “We are planning on hosting a few exhibition events, hopefully in the Middle East. We have assisted with a few local events but we’ve never brought our drivers and cars here. This is something we would love to do and we are currently talking to local promoters to try and make this happen.”
The management would prefer to stage an exhibition around the last quarter of the year in Bahrain as it would work well with the climate and fit in with its calendar.
“Drifting is a fan favourite in Bahrain,” Mr Hughes added. “You only have to look at the EK Kanoo Drift and Drag events and the Ramadan drifting events held by the BIC to see that it is popular in Bahrain, as well as across the GCC. We would be thrilled to have an event here in the kingdom and hope we can make it happen.”
If the Allstars can secure an event in Bahrain, then the kingdom’s avid drifters will be encouraged to test their mettle alongside the international racers.
Mr Hughes said: “The drivers in our championship have competed all over the world and are considered to be the best-of-the-best.
“When we come to a new country we always encourage local competitors to enter the event and compete against us. They learn from the experience and our drivers are happy to share knowledge and skills. We also find that we learn from the drivers in the new countries we visit too.
“Drifting truly is a fabulous sport, but please, to all drivers out there, drift in a controlled, safe environment and not on the streets. We are very pro-road safety and want everyone to have fun and enjoy the sport.”
For details, visit www.drift-allstars.com or email mark@extremeinternational.com
