FOR the past three years, driver Ivan Lim has been heading across the Causeway to hone his passion for drifting.

Singapore is void of practice spaces for the motorsport, which sees drivers manoeuvring their cars into well-executed, controlled sideways slides at speeds in excess of 100kmh through a marked course.

With Johor's popular Nusajaya drift track closing down last year, another option was taken away.

But, come April next year, Lim's sideways exploits will become a reality here.

The smell of burning rubber will waft through the air at Changi's Singapore Airshow grounds when it hosts the inaugural Formula Drift Singapore.

The event will be held on a 37,160 sq m plot of tarmac - about the size of six soccer fields - just next to the site of the permanent motorsport track to be completed by 2011.

Singapore tyre distributor Binter & Co recently clinched a three-year deal with US-based Slipstream Global Marketing to host a Formula Drift event - the first outside North America.

The US-based Formula Drift series boasted over 8,500 spectators and TV coverage on ESPN at all its seven events this year.

At the Singapore event, which is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, some 40 local and Malaysian drifters will race in a head-to-head knockout format, judged on line, angle, speed and show factor.

The top three drivers will then face-off with three top US Formula Drift pros, who will be specially flown in with their cars for the race.

Binter sales executive Lim, 26, and trainee teacher Colin Teo, 31, will be among some 10 local drivers competing.

"I used to do bike trial and track racing, but nothing beats drifting," said Lim, who was among the first to pick up the sport in Singapore in early 2005.

His best result is 14th overall among more than 150 drivers in the now-defunct D1 Malaysia five-race series last year.

He said: "It's about the excitement, thrill and tyre smoke. It's just better moving sideways."

Said Teo: "Drifting is a thrilling sport that is open to the general public. It's done in a regular, everyday car that people can own.

"And, unlike F1, you don't see the cars for just two seconds every few minutes or so. In drifting, you can see the whole race taking place."

Originating from Japan over 15 years ago, the US, France, Canada, Britain and New Zealand are now among the countries who have their own drift series.

Video games like Need for Speed and movies like The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift have helped popularise drifting.

Binter's general manager Marcus Lim, 29, whose company is forking out nearly half a million dollars to organise the Singapore event, hopes to attract 10,000 spectators.

He said: "Singaporeans deserve a motorsport spectacle that is affordable, fun and accessible to both participants and spectators.

"Drifting is a grassroots sport that regular people can take part in. For F1, one would probably not have the money to own a car."

More importantly, drifting is a motorsport with a strong Asian presence and one in which Singaporeans can excel in, given the right facilities.

For a preview of things to come, head to Singapore Expo carpark B from tomorrow to Sunday when local drifters will strut their stuff from noon to 5pm.