• Japanese drifting champion Daigo Saito proved ultimate dominance as he triumphed all three rounds
• Josh Boettcher of Australia named ‘Rookie of the Year’
• Somchai Aroonrung from Thailand clinched ‘Best Drift Style’
• Formula Drift Asia made history with ‘LIVE’ telecasts of the Top 16 battles at Indonesia and Malaysia across the ESPN STAR SPORTS Asia Pacific network

SINGAPORE, 27 December 2011 – Formula Drift successfully completed its fourth year in Asia with three rounds in Singapore, Indonesia for the first time and Malaysia. Winning the 2010 season finale at Malaysia last December on his Formula Drift debut, Japanese drifting champion Daigo Saito returned with a new car – the Toyota Altezza he had a hand in building – and new team – SPARK Achilles Motorsports – this year with the goal in mind to clinch the series title. Followers of the premier Southeast Asian drifting series were delighted to witness Saito battle his way to the top at each round, eventually taking the overall title as hoped for.

Smoking Turns 1, 2 and 3 of the Formula 1 street circuit of Marina Bay a second time, the season opener in Singapore on 11 and 12 June welcomed drivers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, United States and of course Singapore. Doing team sponsor SPARK Motorsports – the motorsports arm of local giant transport company Comfort DelGro Engineering – proud, Saito beat Thai national drifting champion Saranon Pornpatanarak of the M150 Overdrive Team to take the highest spot on the podium. Following up in third was Kenshiro Gushi, a Japanese-American leading drifter currently competing in the Formula Drift USA series.

Formula Drift Asia resumed with its Indonesian leg at the grounds of Jakarta International Expo & Kemayoran on 29 and 30 October. This is the first time the series is being held in Indonesia and also the first time that a ‘LIVE’ telecast of the Top 16 battles was aired to millions across the region on ESPN STAR SPORTS’ widecast Asia Pacific network and Global TV, a local television channel. Once again, Saito proved his mettle and easily won Muhammad Rulli Armando, a young Indonesian national drifting champion from the Achilles Drift Indonesia Team. Like, Armando, Daychapon Toyingcharoen of the Red Bull Drift Team Thailand mounted the Formula Drift podium for the first time when he came in third.

The season finale for Formula Drift Asia 2011 was initially scheduled for the fourth round in Thailand, but the unfortunate flooding disaster called for its cancellation. Hence, the third and final round of the series was held on the undulating grounds of Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, where a ‘LIVE’ telecast of the Top 16 battles was again aired to millions on ESPN STAR SPORTS. Cumulating on a high, the spectators’ dream final of Saito going up against Japanese motorsports household name Manabu Orido, who represented Team RSR Japan, was fulfilled. Although it was a rather short-lived battle with Orido spinning in the first run while chasing, there was no better way to thrill the fans than with the ultimate all-Japanese showdown. Kiki Sak Nana, team captain of Red Bull Drift Team Thailand, had a stroke of luck and found his way to the podium in third.

Having won all three rounds of the series with a whooping 140-point gap from the next driver, the drivers’ championship title was Saito’s to keep, as Saranon finished second overall once more. Although a podium finish eluded Somchai Aroonrung of Red Bull Drift Team Thailand, his consistency placed him third overall. He was also awarded ‘Best Drift Style’, which is based on the highest accumulation of points from the Style component of the best qualifying run of each round. Joshua Ian Edwin Boettcher from the GT Radial Team, the first and only Australian in Formula Drift Asia, clinched ‘Rookie of the Year’ just 2.5 points ahead of Armando, despite entering each round with a different car.

The team championship was presented to SPARK Achilles Motorsports, consisting of Saito with his good friend Robbie Nishida of Japan, as well as Kenshiro and Charles Ng of Hong Kong for the Singapore leg. Red Bull Drift Team Thailand and its four drivers chalked up enough points to come in second, with GT Radial Team in third.

“Formula Drift Asia expanded to its fourth venue this year, to Jakarta, Indonesia. It was a pity that we had to shorten the 2011 series to three rounds instead of the initial four, but there are more pressing issues for the Thai community at present and our heartfelt concern goes to all affected parties of the Thai natural disaster. In support of their national rebuilding efforts, we donated proceeds from the sale of official Formula Drift merchandise to notable and worthy Thai charities. Formula Drift Asia is recognised as the highest echelon of professional drifting in Southeast Asia, as we witness more drivers from the region using this as a platform to progress to the Formula Drift series in North America. 2012 will only get better!” says Marcus Lim, co-founder of Formula Drift Asia.