Drifter in control
By Intan Maizura Ahmad Kamal
intanm@nstp.com.my
After a lively session with Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel, INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL finally gets the drift on drifting.
DRIFTER? “You mean he just bums around?” I had incredulously asked earlier when told to interview the Drifter King of Malaysia, Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel.
The question embarrassingly pops into my mind to haunt me as I come face to face with the overall champion of the D1 Malaysian Grand Prix (equivalent to F1 in the drifting world) and No 5 in the world.
Desperately hoping that the man wouldn’t be able to read my mind at that very moment, I managed to ever so smoothly swing into “drift” talk without seeming too ignorant.
“So, is it anything like the Paul Walker film, The Fast And Furious?” I begin, breathing a silent sigh of relief as the 32-year-old Tengku Djan nods.
“Yes, except that in there it was given the Hollywood treatment,” he says with an amused smile and looking relaxed in a limited edition K1 Vintage pants from Dockers.
Then somewhat contradictorily, he adds: “Drifting is being out of control but in control.”
Err, say what? “You’re actually out of control but you have to be in control to be able to place the car in the right place. We’re working beyond the limit of grip. It’s being out of control in a series or combination of corners.”
The Capricorn continues: “You need to understand what the car is doing, feel how it’s moving and know the limit of grip that you have. We’re working beyond that but there’s still a window by which you have to control the vehicle. Once that window is passed, you’ll end up in a spin. So it’s basically working beyond the grip but in the window of control.”
The beauty about drifting is that it’s not locked by rules and regulations, says Tengku Djan who, when not on the circuit, drives a standard Waja. “Like any motor sport, it’s done in a controlled environment, so safety is the priority of the organisers, for the cars and the actual event.
“For example, on a proper circuit, the corners would have run off areas, gravel traps to stop accidents, marshals with fire extinguishers and ambulance on standby. In an open area like a car park, there’ll be tyre barriers, even concrete barriers to separate the spectators from the course. Regulations for the cars, however, are quite lax.”
Drift competitions are very different from those of other motor sports. “It’s more similar to figure skating,” explains the KL-lite of Kelantan royal lineage who heads Proton’s motor division.
“You begin with 100 points. With each mistake made, this is whittled down. It’s more about the flair and character of the driver and how he translates that on to the circuit to excite the crowd. Basically you need to be spectacular.”
An event, says Tengku Djan, who’s been driving the cult Toyota AE86 for the last six years, normally has 35 to 45 competitors who all have to go through a qualifying round that involves following some set markers.
“The markers are the ideal line round the actual course. Sometimes cones or flags are used and you have to be within 30cm of them – whether it’s the front or the rear of the car. Driving sideways, you need to bring your car as close as possible to the markers.”
He beams. “This exciting sport has really grown here. We had 10 drivers six years ago. Today there are close to 300 cars registered for events. Spectator wise, there’s anything from 5,000 to 15,000 each time. The highest recorded was 22,000 at an event.”
The speed too has changed. Six years ago, they drove at 50-60km per hour sideways. Now it’s easily 160km per hour, which means that entry speeds have increased too. Seven years ago, it was about 90-110km per hour — today it’s anywhere between 150-200km per hour,” adds Tengku Djan, whose background is in automotive engineering.
The chirpy chap who considers his father Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff (former CEO of Proton Holdings) and former GP bike racer Oh Kah Beng as his heroes, derives great satisfaction from drifting.
It’s not for him to go round and round a circuit, lap after lap. “It’s very monotonous,” he says with a shrug of his well-built shoulders. “But with drifting, you’re pushing the limits lap after lap and trying something new.”
His love for cars began when he was very young. “ Actually, I’ve been involved in every way possible in the car industry. My dad was a rally driver, so I was involved in the whole motor sport scene since I was five. I also loved taking apart my own bicycle, and my mum’s, and putting them back again.”
As for drifting, his interest was piqued when a friend showed him a Japanese drifting scene on the Internet. “It became a challenge to be able to achieve what I saw,” he says. “I started to drive the car around sideways, here and there. Soon, I got together with some like-minded people and we began to create drifting-related events.”
What’s his big dream? “To build, market and sell my own cars,” he says, grinning. “I don’t know what my dream car would look like but I definitely know how it will go!”