I'm at the world-famous Wembley Arena in London, England, to see some of drifting's top drivers during a practice session for the 2012 Drift Allstars European Series. And - for a close-up on the action that will soon be thrilling crowds across the UAE when the spectacle moves east for the four-month 2012/13 season - I'm getting a passenger ride, too.
My driver? Nineteen-year-old James Deane, who will be among the talent entertaining crowds at Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah and Al Ain from December.
At the wheel of his Nissan Silvia, Deane, from County Cork, Ireland, grins, guns the throttle, dumps the clutch and unleashes 470hp. We scorch down the track trailing tyre-smoke and aiming straight for a barrier until Deane whips the wheel to the right, plants the throttle and kicks the rear of the Silvia out to the left. We're sliding sideways towards the concrete.
We come close to grazing it in a 60m slide and the next barrier approaches in a blur. But instead of lifting off, Deane keeps the pedal nailed, flicks the handbrake and flails the steering wheel, sending us penduluming to the right. Finally, he forces the Silvia into a massive powerslide, lets go of the steering wheel entirely and hits the brakes, bringing us to a smoking halt in front of his fans.
It's precisely the kind of showboating that 28-year-old promoter Niall Gunn, who is taking his Drift Allstars Series to the UAE, hopes will draw bumper crowds, with a series of up to five race meetings at key venues.
But, he says, there's a serious message behind the tour, too. "It's going to be educational," says Gunn. "We are still setting the series up but we will very much be highlighting safer road driving and we plan to work with the police as well as the Emirates Driving Institute. There's a high number of road fatalities in the region - partly from young people carrying out illegal road racing out in the desert - and we want to address this. In the UK, we've been very successful in highlighting our Save it for the Track campaign. We want to duplicate this in the UAE by encouraging young drivers to save speed for the race circuit. Our stars will be ambassadors not just for the sport, but for road safety, too."
In a move that fans of the sport, which originated on the streets of Japan, may find hard to resist, Gunn also plans to introduce his Drift Academy to the UAE from December, offering a taste of what it's like to control a powerful car in a slide, at hand-picked circuits with skilled instructors.
"Drifting is a great way for people to increase their car control techniques in a safe environment," adds Gunn. "Not only will we be in the region with eight to 10 of the best professional drift drivers in the world, but they will be acting as role models."
To find out more, I later join Gunn to try it myself, at Brands Hatch Circuit, Kent, England.
"The aim is to get the back end out and keep it there," says Gunn. "People panic when it first happens so it's all about showing drivers how to turn it into a powerslide."
To make it easier, the arena is slippery with water. I'm told to drive at a crawl in first gear in tight circles and hit the throttle. I do, the back end shoots out, and I lose it. And again. But soon I'm catching the slide, keeping steering and throttle full on as I spin like a pro.
"Now for a figure of eight," says the instructor. "When it slides to the right, let go of the wheel and it will spin to the left. Hold it for a second, keep the power on and then spin back to the right." It works like magic.
"Now we're going to get you drifting," says the instructor. "So less steering lock and more power, for a larger slide." Before long I am pirouetting in intoxicating, tyre-smoking arcs. Who cares about the tyres, the clutch - the blood rushing to one side of my head? It's pure joy.
It's impossible to maintain for more than a lap or two but that's all it takes - I am now, officially, a qualified drifter.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Australia (15-1): Israel Folau; Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Kurtley Beale, Marika Koroibete; Bernard Foley, Will Genia; David Pocock, Michael Hooper (capt), Lukhan Tui; Adam Coleman, Izack Rodda; Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson.
Replacements: Tolu Latu, Allan Alaalatoa, Taniela Tupou, Rob Simmons, Pete Samu, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua, Jack Maddocks.