Drift Racing, as a form of quote unquote motorsport, shouldn’t work. Purists familiar with the Sennas and Schumachers of this world – drivers honed to shaving each tenth and finding every apex in pursuit of ‘the perfect lap’ – would consider smoking rear tyres and hairing through corners sideways positively alien by comparison.

And yet, as motorsport and PR become ever more interlinked, drift racing’s inherent flamboyance never fails to keep public curiosity high. Copies of Need For Speed or Juiced may well adorn your PS3 shelves, and the UAE in particular continues to see its drift scene strengthen year-on-year.

Official shots of the new-for-2012 Scion FR-S – unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show – recently landed on our desk, courtesy of speedhunters.com. Succeeding Toyota’s legendary AE86 (Formula DRIFT’s veritable linchpin), this example of motorsport craftsmanship will take some serious beating.

Its road-going counterpart, however, will face some stiff competition if the AED price isn’t sensitive to market capabilty and needs. Fingers crossed the pricing is nailed down and if it is… you will start to see shed loads of these lovely little machines floating around the region, as well as taking part in Drift Championships that are growing and developing as we type this.

Source – Scion, Fred Chang