1. Alex Perez 18
2. Gio Rodriguez 18
3. Audel Sison 11
4. Paolo Arespacochaga 8
5. Ian King 6
6. Kevin Tayao 4
7. Joma Montaner 4
8. Ron Bayona 4
9. Joey Almeda 3
10. Joey Howard 1
11. Jiovan Bernardino 1

After 10 months of planning and finding the resources to finally stage the first ever drift championships in the country, Burnt Rubber Productions has successfully brought the drift craze to manila. It was an adrenaline filled event with its fair share of drama and minor spills as spectators witnessed first hand.

The practice session was already an event on its own, with the top drifters already showing an elevated the level of performance one should expect in competition. Kevin Tayao in his 86 made near perfect runs but did not make it to qualifying due to engine problems. Ian King suffered the next casualty when he made a slight error in his last practice run which made him spin and hit the curb with his rear left tire which broke one of the suspension arms. This accident also prevented him to qualify…too bad coz he was producing ultra fast drifts and he was one of the crowd favorites. With two of the top competitors already out of the running, there were mixed reactions from the competitors but mostly it was relief and comfort in the fact that they have two less drivers to worry about beating them because anybody skilled and consistent enough could win the event.

All the drift cars were lined up inside the track for the driver’s introduction and photo ops and the official start of round 1 of the Lateral D Championships. Qualifying went well (for the 16 who were chosen anyway) except for a brief moment when there was a shortage of cars on the starting line due to numerous cars with mechanical troubles.

The eliminations for the top 8 almost took out Audel Sison, who was struggling with a Nissan A31 Cefiro that was lent to him a few minutes before qualifying because he had problems with the Rx7fc3s he was supposed to drive, fortunately for him, he scored high in his last run for him to proceed to the top 8. The front wheel drive cars were both eliminated with Paolo Agregado, George V, and Chamonix.

The loss of Ian and Kevin made two drivers step up to take their places…Paolo speedy B and Joma Montaner. Joma surprised and delighted everyone by owning the first turn. He had the best drift into turn one the whole event, 2nd gear, full commitment… not bad for his first competition. A mistake in the last turn and understeering problems he picked up finished Joma’s night and a few others like the two Joeys, (Almeda and Howard) and Ron B.

With only Alex, Gio, Audel and Paolo in the running, there was tension in the atmosphere, because each driver knew that only one among them can come out as the victor. After the short drivers briefing for the semi final round, the battle for the in continued. The two former champions (Gio and Alex) scored perfect runs that ensured their progression to the finals. Paolo and Audel both made small but costly mistakes and thus were eliminated. Having accumulated more points than Paolo, Audel bagged third place.

On to the finals…The concentration, and tension were showing in both the drivers faces. Alex was so focused on the competition that he was almost in a trance, it is seldom to see Alex in this serious state. At this level, you really cant win the competition but you can easily lose it… All you can do is run as consistent as possible and wait for your opponent to make a mistake. This time, the mistake came from
Gio when his car suffered understeering problems and consistently missed the drift on the first turn. After the final run, the win was awarded to Alex, with Gio claiming 2nd. It was the end of an exciting competition as the crowd invaded the track to congratulate the drivers and watched intently as Mr. Ronnie Co, the president of Federal Tires awarded the set of Federal Tires to the deserving champion of round 1…Alex Perez! Congratulations to all the participants, especially to the winners for giving a great show. Thank you to all our sponsors for supporting the sport and giving the guys a chance to develop their skills…

FEDERAL TIRES
K-LITE 103.5
STARBRIGHT BODY KITS
VICTORIA COURT
HOTEL SOHO
SLIPTREAM
HOTWIRE