On 28 September, Round 3 of the 2013 Hyundai Lateral Drift Championship took place at the Clark International Speedway (CIS) in Pampanga. The layout utilised CIS’ West Short Course and ran counter-clockwise through the big loop—also what drifters like to call the “Engine Killer Loop.” As the fastest track in this year’s series, speeds easily reached 120 km/h at the drift entry.
Present at the event once again were D1 Grand Prix drifter Kimihiro Obata and his wife Formula Drift driver Hiromi Kajikuma from Japan. The practice sessions commenced early morning, though heavy rains caused a series of delays throughout the day. Variable track conditions made it more difficult for drifters to get a perfect run that several drivers from the Pro and Amateur divisions even went off track and had to be pulled out of the gravel trap.
In the Amateur Division, Lateral Drift rookie Luis Gono in his red Motul Autoplus Nissan S13 stole the show. The 15-year-old drifter performed consistently and wowed the spectators with red smoke pouring out of his tires from Achilles. Luis had a tight battle with EJ Malibiran and his Driftmob Toyota Celica in the final run, but a spin from EJ handed the overall victory to Luis, with EJ settling for 2nd place. Meanwhile, Micki Florida took the last spot on the podium in 3rd.
In the Pro Division, it was a big disappointment when back-to-back Rounds 1 and 2 winner and Pilipinas Got Talent Season 4 Finalist Gio Rodriguez of Team Atoy Customs failed to make it into the final four. Another favorite David Feliciano of DMF Drift was also denied a podium finish when he spun out in an earlier tandem run.
Unfortunately, due to limited daylight, the drifters and organisers all agreed that it was too dangerous to continue. For the first time in Lateral Drift’s history, the event had to be stopped.
It was then decided that the Top 4 drivers, Boodie Dabasol of Team GMW, Audel Sison of Team Autocraft, Alex Perez of Team Yellow Cab, and Ralph Tan of Atoy Customs, would equally share the points for the 1st to 4th places as champions.
Round 4 of the 2013 Hyundai Lateral Drift Championship will be held on 26 October at the Aseana City along Roxas Boulevard. For more details and updates, log on to www.facebook.com/LateralDriftProductions or www.facebook.com/HyundaiPh, and follow Hyundai Lateral Drift on Twitter @LateralDriftPH.
The 2013 Hyundai Lateral Drift Championship is powered by the Genesis Coupe and co-presented by Standard Insurance and Wave 89.1 FM. Other sponsors include AtoyCustoms, Dickies Clothing, DC Shoes, Barney’s Burger, and Aguila Auto Glass, with media partners The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Motioncars.inquirer.com, Top Gear Philippines, Stoplight TV, Auto Review, Pinoy Extreme, Creator Studio, Gadgets Magazine, Kotse.com, Power Wheels Magazine, Motorcycle Magazine, Sprocketph.com, The Manila Times, Daily Tribune, The Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star, LegitManila, Turbo Zone GMA News TV, C! Magazine, Urbanpinas.com, and Racin’Beat.