Taking a break from his college studies in the United States, 19-year-old Seaoil drifter Gabe Tayao recently wrapped up his National Drift Championship debut at Megatent Libis.
Tayao placed third in the Amateur Class Division.
Tayao has been a long-time driver for Seaoil since his karting days eight years ago. This time around, the former Asian karting champion and the first Filipino Formula 4 champion signed up for National Drift Championship’s Round 4, drifting his 2015 Toyota GT 86.
The young drifter barely had a few hours the night before race day to test the new set up. Breaking the CV joint of the axle during practice, it was a mad scramble to replace it the next morning with parts courtesy of The Donut Shop, which specializes in providing Toyota GT 86 parts.
With DMF Drift overseeing the car’s performance on race day, Tayao fortunately was able to do at least two practice runs to test the car before the qualifying session.
Seasoned drifters and race judges Gio Rodriguez, Joma Montaner and Malaysia’s Shaharil Ibrahim awarded Tayao with a total score of 96. It placed the teenager on top of a field of 10 amateur drifters who were judged for style, angle and line. The closest contender was Luis Sayson of Ikustomz Motorsports with a total score of 79.
During the tandem runs, Tayao initially miscalculated during his first tandem run but was able to redeem himself immediately after. However, because the mount of his wide-angle kit broke, Tayao was not able to advance. Despite his premature retirement from the race, topping the qualifying session was the defining factor that helped secure Tayao a third place finish.
Tayao’s 2015 Toyota GT 86 famously gained its own following as well. It all started when Car Porn Racing took on the initial works to transform Tayao’s car from a GT-spec touring car to a drift car four years ago.
DMF Drift—the Philippines’ pioneer of drifting, collaborated with Car Porn Racing by taking the task of placing a 2.5L 1JZ-GTE VVTi, thus making Tayao’s drift car the first ever JZ-swapped 86 in the country. Exclusively fueled by Seaoil’s E85, the car is now turbocharged to 515 horsepower. Atoy Customs on the other hand, sponsored the car’s body kit.
Now that the National Drift Championship series has ended, Tayao’s famed drift car is back at the DMF Drift garage to start on major rear modifications to match the car’s powerful engine. Tayao is expected to be back in Manila later this year to test the car during winter break from his U.S. studies and prepare for the summer leg when the National Drift Championship series resumes next year.