 The Toyo Drift Australia Series and Australia's best Drifters will slide into Western Australia for the first time ever, next month.
Perth's Barbagallo Raceway is set to play host to national-level competition of the fastest-growing motorsport in the world for the first time, to open the 2007 series on February 24-25.
Drivers from across the country will be keen to stake their claim early in the battle for the Australian Drift Championship, first awarded by CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motorsport) in 2006 to the series champion as part of the growth of Drifting in Australia.
 "It's going to be a huge event," Drift Australia Director Wayne Boatwright says.
"There is a strong Drift following in Western Australia, who will see
two separate competitions, the Toyo Drift Australia Series and the
Super Drift Series, each with 32 entrants.
"The Super Drift Series is the feeder class, which showcases the best up and coming Drifters and teams.
"It serves as a training ground for drivers who want to progress to the
main series, the Toyo Drift Australia Series, which is the professional
league with top level drivers and teams, some big budgets, intense
rivalries and awesome machinery.
"Fans at Barbagallo Raceway will be the first to witness the new group
of cars, drivers and teams joining the Championship in 2007."
Last year, the Toyo Drift Australia Series went right down to the wire,
in a winner takes all final battle of the year between Beau Yates and
Robbie Bolger, after Leighton Fine - who led the standings entering the
season finale - was eliminated early.
After several re-runs, Yates and his Toyota AE86 Sprinter won the
battle and the Championship, to secure his place in the record books.
"The close finish to last year's Championship shows just how important
every battle is, so all the drivers will be going to Barbagallo looking
for a strong result," Yates said.
"This year the field will be even stronger, with even more new teams, cars and drivers joining the field.
"I've had a couple of months to reflect on last year's Championship,
now I can't wait to get back in action and start working on making it
back-to-back titles."
While Bolger didn't win the Championship in 2006, he did prove many of
his critics - who said his Holden V8 would struggle against the
high-performance Japanese imports which have dominated the sport -
wrong.
Bolger has had a busy off-season, building what is likely to be the
first of Holden's new VE Commodores in national-level motorsport
competition, if completed in time for next month's season opener.
"It will be touch and go to have the new car ready, but we'll be working flat-out to give ourselves every chance," Bolger said.
"If it isn't finished, we'll run the Monaro which will also be well
suited to the track, with the big horsepower of the V8 engine against
the Japanese car boys."
Local driver Adam Trewhella is another looking to debut new machinery at Barbagallo Raceway.
The West Australian was one of the surprise packets and top rookies in
2006, stepping up to National competition and scoring a second place
finish in Tasmania en-route to ninth in the Championship.
In 2007, he's looking to improve on that, and is currently in a race
against time to have a brand new Nissan S15 Silvia ready to debut at
the Barbagallo event.
"I can't think of a better place to start the season," Trewhella enthused.
"Barbagallo is one of the best tracks in the country, and finally these
guys are coming to play on our turf, after we've been traveling across
the country to race them for the last couple of years.
"The quality of cars and drivers is amazing now - these guys really are
the best in the business - but I'll definitely have the home track
advantage and plenty of experience at Barbagallo, so I'm aiming for the
win."
The two day program will also feature team Drift and burn-out
competitions, free-style expressions sessions and an Auto Salon
Magazine Show 'n' Shine.
For more information about the Toyo Drift Australia Series, head to www.driftaustralia.com.au
About Drifting
Originating in Japan, Drifting is a form of motorsport where drivers
are judged on their speed, line and angle through each corner on a
course.
Like extreme sports such as freestyle motocross, surfing and
skateboarding, drivers are awarded points by judges, based on a number
of factors.
Two cars battle at a time, with the driver who scores the most points
in a battle - two passes of the course - advancing to the next phase.
Competition starts with an elimination round of 32, then progresses
through Top 16, Top 8 and Top 4 rounds before two drivers battle to
determine the event winner.
Since it first arrived in Australia just a handful of years ago,
Drifting has become one of the fastest growing forms of sport in the
country, and now has a strong following of spectator and commercial
support.
The Toyo Drift Australia Series is the official Australian Drifting Championship.
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