I WAS full of nerves at the starting line of the second round of the Goodyear International Drift Series in Malacca over the weekend.

However, unlike the drivers, I was not there to drift competitively. I did something equally brave – I put on the Goodyear ambassador outfit and followed the other girls on their job.

It has been a long time since I last worked as a race queen. My undercover stint worked so well that my fellow media colleagues thought I was actually working for Goodyear.

It’s real tough to be in a skin-tight dress and high-heeled boots under the hot sun.I wasn’t used to the length of the skirt and kept pulling down the dress, attracting more attention than necessary as a result. Having to smile perpetually as the make-up melts on your face, having rubber dust from the tyres in black specks all over you, and having cameras trained on you all the time are just some of the things that race queens have to put up with.

But the greatest challenge of all is the heat. No doubt there are huge umbrellas to hoist, but it’s the humidity and the heat emitting from the cars that can get quite unbearable. Feeling all sticky inside, it was hard trying to feel sexy while posing for the cameras.

Also, being in the limelight means not knowing when a camera is on you so I tried hard to be at my best but it didn’t help that I kept pulling at the dress.

I got to stand at the start line and flag off the drift cars during qualifying. Of the 29 participants, only one represented Singapore.

One against the rest

LOCAL drift talent Ivan Lim of Team Goodyear SPARK Motorsports flew the flag for Singapore as he clinched acommendable top-eight placing, his best finish this year.

Qualifying in seventh place, the 29-year-old Singaporean made it to the top-16 and then beat Malaysian Zul Ipoh to advance to the last eight.

Alas, he fell to seasoned drifter Ariff Johanis who eventually finished third. The competition was won by Malaysian Ivan Lau, who nudged compatriot Tan Tat Wei into second place.

Earlier, Lim also competed at Formula Drift Singapore and the first round of the Goodyear International Drift Series in Putrajaya.

“The car set-up is still not perfect but it has improved some way from the last competition at least. I had SPARK Motorsports withme at a competition for the first time and they provided full technical support with a pit crew and even race queens,” said Lim.

Team sponsor

SPARK Motorsports are the motorsports arm of Comfort DelGro Engineering and have signed a deal from this year as a team sponsor for Lim.

Lim’s next competition will be in October at the Formula Drift Indonesia.

Although there was only one Singapore drifter, the judges at race control – with the exception of Formula Drift USA judge Andy Yen – were Singaporeans, part of DriftPac Pte Ltd, the technical consultant for the event.

DriftPac also holds the rights to the Formula Drift series in South-east Asia.

“I think the main reason for poor Singapore participation is the same recurring reason – the need for more sponsorship fund. The awareness for drifting in Singapore has increased but more support is essential for the drivers to advance further in the sport,” said Marcus Lim, 31, managing director of DriftPac.

From next year onwards, drifters who do not have an official Formula Drift Pro licence will not be able to compete at Formula Drift Asia events.

Hence, the Goodyear International Drift Series is supported as a Formula Drift Asia Pro-Am affiliate to provide a platform for aspiring drifters to participate in the 2011 Formula Drift Asia Pro series.

Karting for everyone

AS PART of the effort to introduce go-karting to the community, the K1 Karting Series kicked off its first round last Saturday at the Kallang Community Centre.

To promote the first of four rounds, Drakar Racing shared their experiences with the community.

Drakar’s karters Jon Lee, Glenn Chiam, Amin Noorzilan and Mohammad Nasri Naufal (Opai) have been on the podium for every round of the Singapore Karting Championships.

“We are very grateful for this opportunity to showcase our team and share with the general public about kart racing. It is a sport for anyone of any age, any gender and it is especially beneficial for youth development,” said Jonathan Tay, team manager of Drakar Racing whose nine-year-old son Jordan is the youngest driver on the team.

Fan Chian Jen, director of facilities and F1 Team for Singapore Sports Council, said: “To grow a strong motorsports culture in Singapore, we need to bring the sport to the people. The K1 Karting Series brings go-karting to the community by allowing the community at large to participate.”