The VIP Formula Drift Singapore 2011 Presented by Achilles Radial kicked off in spectacular fashion, with Malaysian Tan Tat Wei from team Goodyear Malaysia leading the pack in today’s qualifying session.

His compatriots Ivan Lau Tew Chung from LTM Bridgestone and Ee Yoong Cherng from GT Radial Drift Team placed second and third respectively. Both showing great amounts of skill on what is a tricky and difficult circuit. Tan had the best run of the day scoring 73.7 points to top the standings with a stunningly fluid run that showed great amounts of car control. Singapore’s Jason Tan was the sole qualifier for tomorrow’s showdown.

Tan will be hoping to carry this good form into tomorrow and lead a charge into the final round. Commenting on his run Tan said, “Having competed in last year’s event I feel I had an advantage as I know the track well and it is similar to the one from last year. About my chances tomorrow, I will do my best, it helps that I have a bye into the next round which is good for me, but I will be up against some tough drivers. So I will do what I can and hope for the best”

The drivers overcame challenging wet conditions after a brief downpour in the late morning, and the drying track added another dimension to qualifying. But the roar of thumping engines coupled with the smell of burning tyres thrilled fans at the F1 Pit Building as 44 drivers were whittled down to 31* for tomorrow’s competition. With top drivers such as Daynom David Templeman, Ken Gushi, Saranon Pornpatanarak, Kiki Sak Nana and of course Daigo Saito still in contention, tomorrow should be an exciting day of racing.

The day opened with a practice session for the drivers so that they could hone their skills on this technically demanding circuit at the F1 Pit Building. With the strongest-field in history yet, the competition was tough especially with a challenging track. Set up with a good mix of inside and outside clipping points, as well as quick changes of direction, ensuring the driver has to maintain their momentum throughout the entire lap.

The drivers put on a show with the new scoring system favouring style over speed at today’s qualifying rounds, emphasizing angle, line and overall impression with each getting a maximum of 30 points. Points for speed were also dropped to 10 points, opening up a bigger opportunity for the drivers to show off their flair and creativity behind the wheel.

Sunday’s programme will see the 31 drivers battle it out in the main competition from 11:30am to 1pm, followed by the Round of 16 at 2.30pm. The final four drivers from that round will then contest the podium places and the Formula Drift Singapore 2010 Championship. Besides the champion’s title, drivers will also be competing to win the first ever Team Championship title - Singapore will be the first in the world of Formula Drift to crown the inaugural Team Championship, a new points system rewarding teams for their performance.