The small Central America nation of Panama has plenty of American influences, thanks largely to the Panama canal, which links the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This American influence can be seen everywhere, from television and newspapers to the cars on Panama’s crowded streets. The Panamanians even love motorsports, much like Americans do, which perhaps explains the purpose behind this video.

Formula Drift driver Justin Pawlak was recently sent on a mission of goodwill to Panama with his Ford Mustang to showcase how to get sideways in this small, canal-centric nation.

Drifting has grown to become an international racing phenomenon, with its roots instilled in Japan but popularized when it made the jump to American in the past decade. Now China, Europe, and even South America each have their own drifting leagues, though American drifters like Justin Pawlak remain the big crowd pleasers.

Pawlak went down to Panama for the Movil 2013 Xtreme Drift Challenge, where he put on quite the exhibition for the Panamanians. According to Pawlak, these fans wanted him to sign any and everything, and you can tell from the hundreds of smiles that they really enjoyed Pawlak’s performance. It’s a very big event for a very small country, and we’re glad to see the love of drifting and Mustangs has spread to Panama as well. Maybe that’s where we’ll take our next vacation.