Shane Green realised a long-held dream when he came out on top after a recent drift battle.
Green, who is part of the Drift Outlaws fraternity, saw his fair share of troubles over the years and rarely managed to put in good performances. But don’t think it was because of lack of skill because Green is regarded as one of the best drifters in South Africa.
Green’s luck always seems to run dry at an event. Leading up to it, he would be in prime position to take the top spot and the day’s top honour, but his car would always come up short.
Whatever the trouble, Green could rarely count on his car to take the battle to his esteemed rivals. Yet, despite it, he remained one of the most feared and most respected drifters in the game.
And everyone knew that if things should just fall into place for the Atlantis drifter, there would be no stopping him. This is exactly what happened at Drift King, held at a secluded venue just outside Cape Town at the end of November.
Last year Juan Stemmet went to the top of the Drift Outlaws rankings and represented the fraternity and South Africa at the FIA Intercontinental Drift Cup. While Stemmet was ecstatic about the prospect, Green always felt he deserved that honour. Green believed himself to be the better drifter and more deserving of the privilege of representing his county.
At the start of the year, the two drifters were set to go up against each other but damage on both’s drift cars meant that neither driver wanted battle when they’re not at their best.
Fast-forward several months and Green vs. Stemmet 2.0 was upon us. The two drivers lined up and exchanged paint on their first, and very aggressive run. They ran again before the judges gave their verdict, voting in Stemmet’s favour.
Later in the day, both Green and Stemmet dealt with the pressure of vying for the position of drift king, and the final run for the day saw the two drifters meeting up again. This time, however, it was Green who dealt with his most storied rival and coming out the winner and ranking as the top drifter on the Drift Outlaws’ ranking.
Commenting on Green’s achievement, race master Raziek Rajah said: “Shane has been chasing down that number one spot for many years now. I am elated that his dream of drift king has materialised. As much as he has done the hard work to achieve it, he has every drifter below him that are going to make him work very hard to retain that top spot.”
Green and fellow drifter Zaeed Rajah have also been awarded VP Racing Fuel sponsorships, becoming the first drift athletes of VP Racing Fuels in Africa. The sponsorship includes race suits, helmets, tyres, fuel, and more.
Rajah concludes: “Shane and Zaeed had a dream day as they were honoured to be recognised as VP Racing Fuels athletes.
Shane could not have made a sponsor happier that on the day he was awarded his sponsorship, he attained Drift King.
