Jaguar Cars Philippines held the First Jaguar Drift Fest powered by Monster Energy Drink and Victoria Court on September 22, 2012 at Kings Playground, Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) complex, Taguig. Miss Formula Drift USA Melyssa Grace hosted the event together with drift expert Ian King of Car Porn Racing.

Participating racers included champion drifter Raymond Ronquillo of R33 Car Garage, Boodie Dabasol, Audel Sison of Team Autocraft, Ryan Agoncillo and Alex Perez of Team Yellow Cab, Jet Mathay of David M. Feliciano (DMF) Drift Garage, Atoy Llave of Atoy Bodykits, and John Boban of Driftmob. The winner of the First Jaguar Drift Fest will win PHP 30,000 as well as exciting prizes from sponsors.

The First Jaguar Drift Fest featured a special Jaguar XKR drifting demonstration by Ian King. Packed with a 510-horsepower Supercharged V8 engine and the Jaguar High Performance Braking system, the Jaguar XKR is perfect for drifting.

King had previously driven a Jaguar XFR at the last drift competition organized by Car Porn Racing in June 2012. Jaguar XFR is known for its strong acceleration, controlled and predictable handling, quick steering ratio, and is fitted with the Jaguar Active Differential Control (ADC) and Adaptive Dynamics. As with the XFR, the XKR is also equipped with the Jaguar electronic differential and has the round gear-selector knob in the console. The six-speed automatic transmission performs even when left in "drive" mode, but enthusiasts can also take advantage of its paddle-shifting capability to thoroughly enjoy the performance of the 510-horsepower V8.

“Drifting a Jaguar was amazingly easy. The XFR had so much power and torque that it made drifting a breeze. Even though it was running 275/35/20 inch rubbers it easily spun them because of the new supercharged V8 delivering 510 HP. The active differential control and the dynamic suspension made it easy to throw the car from side to side. The XFR actually behaves like a smaller car but in reality, this saloon car can put other cars in its class to shame," said King.

Drifting has its humble origins in the mountain roads of Japan more than 30 years ago, when it was first popularized by a group called "rolling zoku". However, the technique of intentionally oversteering a car so it will lose rear wheel traction and slide or "drift", with the driver still maintaining overall control of the vehicle, has been observed in rally races since the 1950s. Today, it has become a mainstream motorsport with a growing fan base already numbering millions.

In drifting competitions, drivers are judged on line, angle, speed, and show factor. The correct "line" is usually announced by the judges before the competition starts. The angle is based on the degree of curvature the car takes when drifting. The different speeds of the car is measured as it enters a turn, drifts, and exits a turn. Show factor includes the amount of smoke the tires burn and the reaction of the audience as the car slides on the track, among others.

"In the Philippines, drifting has been steadily gaining popularity among racing enthusiasts and Jaguar wants to be at the forefront of this evolving motorsport which demands highly-technical driving skills and extreme car performance," said Jaguar Cars Philippines executive director Marc Soong.

The First Jaguar Drift Fest is organized by Car Porn Racing and is about promoting drifting in a safe and controlled environment.. This is the fourth time the group will be holding a drifting competition in the Philippines.

The First Jaguar Drift Fest was powered by Monster Energy Drink, the fastest-growing energy drink in the world. Monster Energy Drink supports Motorsports as proof of their commitment to inspire athletes and excite fans by helping bring together events worth talking about.