Drift Away . . .

A few days ago the same teacher who suggested the Soccer game, also mentioned in his Facebook post some information on other events happening in the area.  One caught my eye.  That was the Drift Nights at the Yas Marina Circuit Racing School.  Drift Nights you ask?  Well, if you’ve ever seen Fast and the Furious, you know what I am talking about.  For those of you who are not well-versed in the theatrical achievements of Vin Diesel, I will explain.  Drifting is a motorsport  where people race cars very fast and as they approach a turn, they apply the brakes and turn the wheel in such a way that allows the car to literally swerve or ‘drift’ into the turn.  The rear of the car usually comes shooting around the turn in line with the front of the car.  It is loud, there is usually smoke and to be honest, it’s pretty damn cool.  I’ve only ever seen it on T.V., so I decided to check it out.

After putting a message out on Facebook, a nice sized crowd gathered in the hotel lobby, we packed into the Yas Island shuttle and headed off to the Racing School for Drift Nights.  We we arrived, there were several cars parked up on the entrance of the school with men gathered around admiring one another’s supped-up vehicles.  The cars aren’t just ordinary cars.  They are bright, multi colored, embossed cars (the likes of Nissans and Toyotas), some with sponsor names attached, some looking like they just pulled it out of the shop with tricked out engines that could burn any Mercedes or BMW (damn Yuppies) on the road.  They put a lot of money into these cars, and then they take them out onto the racetrack to drift around the various turns.

Apparently it originated in Asia and has taken off in the rest of the world.  The neatest thing about the evening, besides the exciting drifting competition (yes, there is actually a way to judge the drifting)  and the fact that we were able to walk through one of the garages on our way out to the track, was that we could stand out next to the track as they raced.  In the garage, there were several Formula One cars among other ridiculous vehicles.

We stayed for about an hour or so and then headed out to another soccer game.  While you watch the videos, keep in mind that most of the people who entered their cars are amateurs.  They hold the professional competitions throughout the year.  Anyway, if I am still in the area next Friday, that is one event I’d like to see again!  Enjoy!