Josh Boettcher set for local Formula Drift debut

The Nissan S15 driver will be one of 22 of the world's best drivers to compete at 'Formula Drift Melbourne', which will be the curtain-raiser for this year's Achilles Formula Drift Asian Series, the region's premier tour.

2013 marks the first time that Formula Drift Asia has ventured to Australia, with the local round to take place at Melbourne's Calder Park on April 27 - 28, followed by rounds in Malaysia (June) and Indonesia (October).

This will be Boettcher's third year in the Asian competition, having been rookie of the year in his first season in 2011, and most recently a fifth place in the final leg of the 2012 series in Indonesia. However Boettcher is hoping some "home country" support will help him gain an early advantage in the Asian series.

"We also had some promising results in Singapore and Malaysia last year, but I'm hoping that a passionate Calder Park crowd might be able to push me onto the podium," Boettcher said.

"I was blown away last year by the passion for the sport throughout Asia and think the Calder Park crowd is going to get a real kick out of seeing some of these top drivers in action."

Boettcher will be up against a star-studded field at Calder Park, with other drivers including reigning Asian and US champion, Daigo Saito, as well as international drift stars such as Robbie Nishida and Frederic Aasbo.

More than six months of planning has gone in to bring the event to Australia, which will serve as the curtain raiser for the 2013 Achilles Formula Drift Asia series. Tickets for the Melbourne event are available from www.ticketmaster.com.au from April 1st, 2013.