Cleve “Cutta Hype” Ottey emerged as the island’s second-ever Drift King after winning the second-consecutive Red Bull Car Park Drift event held on Saturday, July 1, at Catherine Hall Sports Complex, Montego Bay.

Ottey has earned the prestigious opportunity to represent Jamaica on the global stage at the upcoming Red Bull Car Park Drift World Final in Qatar.

“It feels great being the 2023 Drift King, especially coming second place last year. There was a lot of effort and work going into this win. Also knowing Nick won last year, and I won this year, is really special; if Nick [Nicholas Barnes] wins, I win; and if I win, Nick wins. I’m so excited to represent Jamaica at Qatar in the World Final. We will be bringing the winning formula to the Middle East and the plan is to bring the trophy home,” Ottey shared.

Twenty-four local talents joined last year’s top-four finalists – Nicholas “Tazz” Barnes, Ottey, Sheldon Johnson, and Chris Addison. In an effort to achieve the maximum 300 points per round, drifters skilfully navigated the nine obstacle courses set by National Motorsports champion from Lebanon, three-time rally champion and Guinness world record holder for the longest drift Abdo Feghali.

Obstacles included box runs, pendulums and spirals. Points were lost if contestants spun the car, hit obstacles, or drifted in the wrong direction.

The event was judged by esteemed panellists including Richard Rerrie, one of Jamaica’s most renowned rally drivers; Kingsley Scott, motorsports stalwart and international guest Yusif Basil.

In the three respective rounds, Ottey scored 269, 278 and 270 consecutively, Richard Ryan scored 247, 259 and 265 and Addison scored 249, 267 and 258, rounding out the top three positions for the night.

One of the largest drifting competitions, now in its 15th year, Red Bull Car Park Drift was first conceptualised in 2005 following a Red Bull manager’s discovery of drifting fever in a car park in Hong Kong, China.

Elias Hountondji, Red Bull Car Park Drift representative, an international athlete, member of the Red Bull Driftbrothers Team, and one of the best-known drifters in Europe, was in attendance to oversee the competition.

Visiting the island for the first time, Hountondji, on Saturday, showcased his drifting skills.

“It’s been an amazing honour being here and experiencing the Jamaican culture, the talent, and passion. I heard the stories about the motorsports talent here from my brother Joe, who came in 2022, and I definitely witnessed that and more this year. I offered my tips and views to the drivers who didn’t hesitate to apply that to their drifting. You can see the passion through the drifting though the track layout was really tricky and the rainy weather condition made it a bit challenging.

“Congratulations to Cleve, who delivered a flawless performance. He remained composed, calculated, and did a phenomenal job adjusting to the changing conditions with the weather, winning each round through pure skill. He scored 278 points, which is now the highest score for any round in Jamaica. I think his mentality and calm demeanour will allow him to stand out in the World Final, and I think he has a really great chance to score high there,” said Hountondji.