Long Beach, Calif. - Formula DRIFT Holdings, LLC; operators of the Formula DRIFT Championship and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management; operators of the Yas Marina Circuit have announced a deal to bring the Inaugural Formula DRIFT UAE Invitational Competition to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on February 25, 2011.
"The partnership with Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management is a perfect fit to introduce the Formula DRIFT UAE Invitational Competition," said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. "Even though drifting has been to the UAE before, we are excited to bring a world class combination of the world's most advanced circuit along with the world's leading drifting series."
"I am delighted that motorsports fans in Abu Dhabi and the UAE will get to experience the spectacle of Formula DRIFT at Yas," said Richard Cregan, Chief Executive Officer of Yas Marina Circuit. "Drifting will add a new dimension to the range of motorsports offered here and I believe it will attract a large following, just as drag racing has."
Eight of the top drivers and cars from Formula DRIFT, will showcase world class drifting in competition format to the Persian Gulf region. The 8 drivers include 2-time Formula DRIFT champion and 3-time X-Games Gold Medalist Tanner Foust, 2010 Formula DRIFT rookie of the year and past Scandinavian champion, Fredric Aasbo, 2009 Formula DRIFT champion, Chris Forsberg, Darren McNamara, Ryan Tuerck, and Daijiro Yoshihara. The final two drivers will be announced at a later date.
As the premier professional drifting championship in North America, Formula DRIFT has helped bring drifting around world including South America, South East Asia, and now the Middle East. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com