Although drifting’s roots can be traced back to Japan, it is little surprise that the sport is hugely popular in the UAE, a country with a world-renowned penchant for fast cars.
When it first landed in the emirates, drifting quickly became a problem for the authorities. The UAE’s roads were used as a playground for petrolheads and, as such, stringent laws were passed to stop people drifting in public – from fines of up to Dhs10,000 to 30-day vehicle impoundment, black points and even license revocation.
It did not deter everyone, however, with self-proclaimed ‘Drift Kings’ putting their financial stability, and even their lives, on the line for the sake of a momentary adrenaline rush.
Many are still taking risks on public roads but safe environments do exist. At Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, Emirates Motorplex in Umm al Quwain and soon at Sharjah (where a new facility is due to open in 2017), drifters can perform their pastime legally.
Ghaith Al Falasi, founder of the ‘971 Drift’ team, recognises that the sport’s past is a little murky but insists it is becoming less taboo, with drivers now able to channel their passion for fishtailing cars and burning rubber on designated tracks.
Al Falasi started the group with four people, but it now expanded to 62 members and also includes drifters from other clubs from all over the country.
Despite his love for the motorsport, Al Falasi strictly adheres to the belief that drifting is not a safe driving practice on public roads and encourages young drifters to take their passion to purpose-built facilities.
He labels the illegal videos that flood YouTube “lucky videos” as they promote reckless behaviour in young drivers, giving them the impression that drifting is easy and not properly educating them about the risks and dangers involved.
“Drifting on public roads is not a good idea. Let’s take it from other side, which is not the legality of it or the road, but what will happen to you or the car or someone on that road, if you make a mistake and definitely you will make a mistake?” Ghaith says to Sport360.
“When you drift on a track, no one will be in front of you, no one will be behind you and no one will be standing in the middle of the road. This is something for sure that won’t happen.”
“This is how I started, I never played on the public roads, because I know what will happen afterwards, and whatever will happen is either going to cost me my life or a lot of money, either one of these two.”
The 36-year old Emirati chose 971, the dialling code of the UAE, as his drift club name after being inspired by his friend, Naser Al Mutairi, the first Arab drifter and founder of 965 Drift in Kuwait.
“I have been working on a drift team for three years and we are now entering year four,” Al Falasi explains. “My friend, Naser Al Mutairi, who brought me to this, was thinking of a name with me and said ‘why don’t we use numbers?’ Because that is the only thing that can show where we are from – he is from Kuwait so 965, I am from UAE 971. And that’s how the story starts.
Al Falasi has high expectations for the drifting scene in the UAE, with several drivers now looking at going professional. He won’t be joining them any time soon but having rubbed elbows with the giants of Japanese motorsports – names like Daigo Saito, Daijiro Yoshihara and Keiichi Tsuchiya – Al Falasi is keen to continue to grow local support.
Tsuchiya, known as the ‘Real Drift King’ in motorsport circles, has been a particular inspiration. The Japanese driver featured in a cameo in the third installment of the Fast and Furious franchise – Tokyo Drift – and shaped modern drifting technique.
After becoming bored of winning in straight-line races, Tsuchiya perfected the discipline on the sharp corners of Japanese mountain ranges under the harsh dictum, “win or die”.
Things have changed a lot since then, and “win or die” is certainly not an adage that Al Falasi supports here in the UAE. But what he does support is the development of this thrilling sport, which even when in safe parameters, has the capacity to captivate. His 971 Drift team are sure to remain at the heart of this evolution.
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