Help Save The Local Drift Spot

[CArFAn]

People are trying to do away with DriftBattle and other drifting events that take place at Altamont. Please support DriftBattle anyway you can, even if it’s just telling a friend what’s going bad.

 

http://www.ktvu.com/video/12957065/index.html?source=

[driftz240]

NO... This makes total sense...

dont let people drift at sanctioned events, make them go where its much safer, the streets of california.

everyone supports this, and i dont understand how the government can dictate who rents the track, just because a few rotten apples show up in the parking lot.

Derrick

U.S.DRIFT Midwest

[DHale_510]

MY take on the "drifter problem".

You guys have not a clue what it takes to run or "sanction" events. You have been lucky and abusive to those who have done a lot of the work for you. That has ended.

For many years I have run nearly monthly autocrosses at Marina. Long ago I set up a deal with the local drifters for them to play with us. Get them off the streets of Salinas, locals put us all in the same catagory you know.

Their problem was that they did not have the "buying power" nor organization to put together stand alone events. This is a lot more than "sanctioning". They needed help.

So I set up my courses with a couple of wide sweepers for them to do there thing on as long as they would generally fit in with the autocrossers in other ways. This included following the airport cleanliness guide lines. I also explained that since I pay $10 each for those cones that if they started whacking too many of them I would make a change in the policy.

All went well for many years, but the "leaders" constantly changed. Often they "converted" to autocrossing. Mostly the "hard core" autocrossers were unaware of the "experiment". Works for me.

But.

The trashing of the site issue continued to get worse and worse. No one would step up and play daddy to the kids, much less clean up after themselves. The last event we had, we had to clean up bottles of piss, they were too lazy to walk to the 3 supplied portacans.

I find that my final straw. The world ain't high school and I don't need someone else's teenager to clean up after.

Now the drifting club can go back to square one.

Organize, capitalize, negotiate with grownups, pay deposits and insurance like everyone else. Clean up after themselves and behave in the streets. [The Altamont problem has a lot to do with the hooliganism conducted in the access roads you fail to mention.]

No one owes you Altamont nor any place else. Nor do they owe me the same. You must work hard to get and keep a priveledge site. Those places cost a million dollars to build, they do not want irresponsible hooligans tearing them up. You must impress them much differently than you have. Crying and letter writing demanding some sort of entitlement process simply ain't it. Your groups simply have not done this, at least at Altamont and Marina.

[driftz240]

DHALE 510 thanks for trying to help drifters.

I have been drifting and racing 12 years, I was with scca autox for many years trying to get them on the drifting bandwagon, but they tryed to "how can i put it nicely, "Cock block my events". 4 years ago I hooked up with N.A.S.A and the U.S.DRIFT program, they gave me the backing to get my events in the midwest off the ground. having worked with scca for years and being true to the sport of drifting i can say my events, as well as almost all the events I have attended have been great, drifters are not hooligans, there is a bad side to every bunch. "how many road racers have thrown off the gloves on the side of a track ? My drift events are done in a very productive enviornment, we arrive early, the drivers help clean up the facility before and after the event, my drivers know to get after people doing donuts in the lot and have ran off lots of people. MY DRIVERS KNOW VENUE RESPECT, and i think 98% of the drifters at any event respect the property and laws and rules. A old school autoxer who has put on events since the 70s gave me some advice before i started holding events, it was to be friends with everyone when your not doing an event and be a loving father figure when you are at the events. and if you cant tell your best driend to stop doing somthing you are in no position to run an event.

I have never attended an event at altmont, I have heard only stories.

having success in my own events and being a regional director in the group that pioneered drifting in the usa "U.S.DRIFT" I know of a fix to the problem.

1. Loose the spectators completely, they are the hooligans. or charge outlandish prices to spectators. this would keep undesirables out.

2. get the cops to patrol the parking lot and event. an off duty cop or 2 or 3 is not going to break the bank, we hire a few for bigger events we do with IMPORT FACEOFF.

3.if all else fails change venues to a bit outside of town, a hour drive away from a rough part of town might be the ticket. there are thousands of circle/ figure 8 tracks that are perfect for drifting. i have found drivers will drive great lengths to drift but spectators generaly dont go over 45 minutes.

Drifting is a great sport, and very productive for kids if it has good leadership. I have kids calling me to ask advice about things other than cars, general life issues. joining the military, going back to college, getting life back on track kinda help. I think the leadership and spectators are at fault, definetly not John q drifter.

[driftz240]

who sanctions altmont anyway? thats not a drift assn event is it?