Young Montego Bay-based drift driver, 16-year-old Zidan Madden, is following in his father’s footsteps as he is ready to make his mark on the race track.
In an interview with STAR Sports, Madden said he began participating in motorsports a few years ago.
“I have been driving a long time ago, but drifting, specifically, I started four years ago. The first car that I drove belonged to Jamaican race-car driver Chris John Addison. I just got better and better and entered events. It is something that interests me,” Madden said.
Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, with loss of traction, while maintaining control and driving the car through the entirety of a corner or a turn. The technique causes the rear slip angle to exceed the front slip angle to such an extent that often the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn.
Madden who attends Cornwall College, said his father Ruel Madden Jr, who used to do rally racing introduced him to motorsports.
With the zeal to do his best, the young Madden says he is training hard for a three-day sprint event coming up in July at the Trelawny Multipurpose Stadium.
“I love driving so it’s all fun for me. It is always a good learning experience. All of this comes with practice. The car that I recently drove we have just finished it. I recently went into a three-day event and I only got to drive it two times but I have to fix some things,” Madden told STAR Sports.
“I basically went into the event not knowing the car that well and still managed to do well,” he added.
In the recent Scott Auto’s Wet Slippery Wen Wett Drift Dexterity event, he had an overall time at one minute 58 seconds. He came fourth in the event and is aiming to beat the best time overall time of one minute 53 seconds.
As for how challenging the sport can be, the youngster stated it takes time.
“This sport is a learning process. You are not going to jump into it and be able to do it well. Everything comes with practice,” said Madden.
The avid lover of motorsports said there are no challenges during training. The confident young drift driver is passionate about the sport.
“Growing up, I always saw my father and family participating in the sport. I want to be big in this sport. Before doing the events I am doing now, I was a bit nervous but now it is natural to me,” Madden explained.
In the meantime, his biggest motivation is his father.
” When he was young, he was doing the sport, so I want to follow in his footsteps,” the young drift driver said..
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