The Electric New Paper :
Tossed around but drifting's
exhilarating
By Faith Teo
02 January 2008
WARNING: If you want to go drifting in Mr Jansen Tan's car, make
sure you have no back (or heart) problems.
Drifting feels like being in a washing machine on spin-dry mode -
with the machine not quite being able to decide which direction to
spin.
But it was exhilarating, and the five-minute demonstration felt
like seconds as I was tossed back and forth despite being very
securely belted down in Mr Tan's Nissan 200SX.
At one point, as the 26-year-old driver was doing tight spins known
as 'donuts', I realised he was not holding on to the steering
wheel.
The man was busy waving to the crowd.
People squealed in delight as his tyres squealed, their turning
angle controlled only by the weight of his right foot on the gas
pedal.
Me? I squealed too.
But I knew I was in safe hands, because Mr Tan is Singapore's top
drifter.
Power slides (drifts through corners at high speed), technical
drifts (slower but requiring more skill and experience),
split-second 180-degree turns - they are all in a day's work for
him.
Amazingly, Mr Tan, who came in fourth in the international D1 Grand
Prix Malaysia last year, is a self-taught race car driver.
It is his first international competition, and it makes him the
highest placed Singaporean so far.
He said: 'I've been drifting for about five years. I started by
watching Japanese videos of drifts, then I would practise
doing them in empty trailer carparks. I've never received
instructions from anyone.'
Next up for him: A race in Japan.
For me, I just want my drift-induced backache to go away.
