Nigeria’s motorsport pride is burning rubber and rewriting the continental script as Jamus Bashar Muhammad, better known as Jaybash, secured 2nd place in the qualifying rounds of the East Africa Drift Championship (EADC) – October Edition, despite suffering a mid-run misfire.
Competing under the Team Nigeria banner, Jaybash delivered a fiery performance on the challenging Whistling Morans track in Kenya, earning a score of 52 points, just 0.4 shy of Chinese drifter Jin Lu, who topped the table with 52.4 points. His remarkable run came even as his car momentarily lost power mid-drift, a setback that would have rattled less experienced drivers. But Jaybash, celebrated as the “Drift Driving Prince of Nigeria,” controlled the slide, stayed committed to his line, and powered through with flawless throttle balance and counter-steering.
“We got 2nd place on qualifying with a misfire,” Jaybash shared with fans on Instagram, alongside a video of him waving the Nigerian flag from the cockpit of his roaring drift machine.
The Car That Stole the Show
Jaybash’s car, a heavily modified Black-and-grey Nissan Skyline drift build, stole hearts on the Kenyan tarmac. Adorned with bold decals of Nigerian energy drink STING and “Niko Rada Na” in Swahili slang on the doors, the car screamed street attitude with race engineering under the hood. It proudly flew the green-white-green Nigerian flag out of the driver’s side window as it smoked the track with aggressive sideways angles and thunderous revs.
Fans also noted the retro JDM look, stripped-down interior for weight saving, wide rear tires for maximum grip, and NGK performance spark plug branding — showing the car’s true motorsport DNA.
Jaybash: From Borno’s Streets to Africa’s Drift Royalty
Born in Borno State, Jaybash’s love for cars started by building toy vehicles out of tin and slippers as a child. That boyhood dream evolved into a career that now sees him challenging some of Africa’s best drifters. He has already won Nigeria’s top drifting events like FAR 2023 and the Abuja Drift League, becoming a trailblazer for the sport in West Africa.
Despite battling a lack of sponsorship and early societal discouragement that tagged drifting as “risky,” Jaybash carved a path for himself and the next generation of Nigerian motorsport enthusiasts. Today, he is regarded as Nigeria’s first internationally competitive drifter, pushing the country into conversations beyond music, film, and tech — now into high-octane motorsport.
The Main Battle Awaits
After Saturday’s qualifying, the Tandem Battles — the thrilling head-to-head duels — take place on Sunday, October 5, 2025. These battles test precision, bravery, and proximity as drivers chase each other at breakneck sideways speeds, with one eliminated each round until a champion is crowned.
A Call to Nigeria’s Motorsport Fans
Jaybash’s rise is more than one man’s journey — it’s a statement that Nigerian talent can compete on any global stage. As the Tandem Battles roar on, Nigerians at home and in the diaspora are rallying behind their own. Social media is buzzing with support, with fans waving the 🇳🇬 emoji and celebrating his resilience.
Motorsport in Nigeria is still young, but drivers like Jaybash are proving it can thrive with the same global impact as Afrobeats or Nollywood. The green-white-green flag is flying high in Kenya — and if Jaybash conquers the Tandem Battle today, Nigeria will have its first East African drift hero.
