Atoy Customs Genesis shines in Lateral Drift

LLAVE in action with a Hyundai Genesis Coupe. photo: Lazlo Trinidad

Motorsports and drifting fans were treated to exciting sideways action in the first leg of the Lateral Drift Championship (LDC) Series over the weekend.

The Quirino Grandstand grounds in Manila became a battleground of sorts with a drift track layout similar to Formula D Malaysia’s Mardeka street battle.

A total of 18 professional and seven amateurs drift drivers joined Round 1 of the LDC series, including local pioneers and Team DMF founder David Feliciano. It was Feliciano’s first time to compete locally after representing the Philippines internationally for Formula Drift Asia last 2009 and 2010.

One of the more notable entries in Round 1 was the Atoy Customs Hyundai Genesis Coupe that sported a newly designed fiberglass bodykit, drift race prepared tires and wheels, upgraded suspension and an engine tuned to add about 20 to 30 percent more horsepower from its stock engine. Its owner Atoy Llave, a popular custom car guru who forayed into the highly competitive world of drifting, has given the sport a celebrity status as several show-biz and motoring personalities likewise have been bitten by the “drift bug.” His spiky and often colored hairdo makes him one of the most visible personalities in auto shows and drift events. Atoy, as he is fondly called by friends and fans in the local custom cars scene, was also the 2008 Drift Driver Rookie of the Year and has 10 consecutive “Best in Bodykit” (Transport Show) awards in his belt.

When asked what was he doing with a brand-new Genesis instead of his usual heavily modified Nissan GTR and Silvia race cars, Atoy said he was trying out some bodykit options for the Genesis for Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI), the country’s distributor of Hyundai, and wanted to take the car to a drifting event. Knowing that he is an accomplished drift driver, executives at HARI provided him a new Genesis Coupe unit to test-drive. Impressed with the initial results, Llave claims that the Genesis Coupe has shown a lot of grace and drift maneuverability as well as power under its hood.

In the United States, the Genesis Coupe became popular starting its  TV commercial debut in Superbowl Sunday last year, with a spectacular drift maneuver by Pikes Peak Hill Climb world record holder Rhy Millen, whose highly modified Genesis Coupe was also put on display in the last Chicago Auto Show in February. Millen was recently in Manila to perform in a stunt car video for Red Bull. He was also the main stunt driver in movies like the “Fast and Furious” series and the “Dukes of Hazard.” Inspired by this, Hyundai allowed its cars to be turned into drift-racing spec cars like Atoy Customs’ Genesis Coupe, adding excitement as a new dimension to its brand image.

With its slogan “You Imagine, We Create,” Atoy Customs takes a step further by converting regular cars into race cars, and vans/SUVs into motor homes and mobile offices. Two of Llave’s most popular makes were a customized motor van for Manny Pacquiao and a Ford E150 van that had been modified to look like a jeepney, dubbed as “Jeep ni Erap.” The van is regularly seen being used by former President Erap Estrada, especially during his recent move to his Manila residence.