Drifting: Here to stay or just a fad?

[Daeron]

The above comments are about as good as anyone can say about it; top tieer is thrilling to see, and nobody thinks it isn't fun to DO.. but its dirt track driving. Here, in America, we have lots and lots of dirt roads, AND lots of vehicles that don't even USE roads! How many dirt roads do they have over in Japan? Instead, they have vast lengths of curvy mountain highways with rapid elevation changes. In other words, where an the Duke boys would say "Eat my dirt" their Japanese counterparts would have made a tire smoke reference.

 

Thats my perspective based on what I've seen and heard thus far in my life, anyhow. I'm just sick of the drifting bandwaggoners, but I abhor all bandwaggoners, so thats no big surprise.

[S30TRBO]

I will say for the record i don't condone it BUT i will tell you from back in the day guys were doing on the street what is being done now on closed circuits.

 

Amen I got videos to prove it.

 

 

Why do you think there is grip tape on the roads, near the ports on every corner.

 

Can you say Sea-Land Containers

 

 

Ahh the good ol' days.

[EvilC]

Amen I got videos to prove it.

 

 

Why do you think there is grip tape on the roads, near the ports on every corner.

 

 

Ahh the good ol' days.

 

Learn something every day.....

[Globerunner513]

World Drift Championship is on speedtv right now. Way better than FD imho.

 

There's a local NW guy competing too.

 

EDIT: i think that was a different competition that the local guy was in. Good watch anyway.

[Tony D]

I will say for the record i don't condone it BUT i will tell you from back in the day guys were doing on the street what is being done now on closed circuits. Leaving scuff marks on curbs and drifting used tires till they popped. I would literally come home at night with little pieces of rubber in my ears, nose hair.... everywhere.

 

Those of us who lived near Torii Station would simply go to the Yomitan Airfield, where the Japanese Police would take their lunch breaks and laugh as we tried the manouvres.

 

I remember running my 77 Sylvia off the rev limiter (MSD) for 15 minutes straight while slipping, sliding, and running thorugh my own smoke.

 

My bud Larry Mason was in the car with me, and just before I stopped I did a nice sideways crossing move through my previous smoke trail.

When we stopped, we both were spitting stuff out of our mouths, and I looked over at him, and he says "You got tire sh*t all over your face."

 

"So do you."

 

"What's this stuff in the air?" (pfft, spit, pfft!)

 

I take a look out the window, and the whole side of my car is covered in tire grindings "Dude, I think this is (pfft, spit, pfft!) RUBBER! It's all over the car!"

 

"Oh man, do you got any tread left on the tires?"

 

"Uh oh!..."

 

Man, I loved that old Sylvia. I accomplished my first all-wheel drift going through the valley and up the hill on a series of sweepers to Nakagusku Castle. It was done going uphill which, for an underpowered 1800cc engine was accomplishing something (or so I thought) at the time.

 

I still remember that moment. Like it was yesterday.

 

I miss Okinawa. It was a great place to be!

 

That 'rubber in the hair' thing just struck a chord "Yeah, I remember that!" LOL

[Tony D]

... but its dirt track driving. How many dirt roads do they have over in Japan?

 

Quite a few, actually. You minimize the skill required, and are grossly oversimplifying what it entailed in the driving skills needed to accomplish it. Sliding a car sideways on a dirt road is a 'baby step' towards what drifting is, if you want a more apt analogy, try WRC Group B Competition.

 

There is a big difference between sliding your car sideways on a loose gravel road at 35mph, and flipping is sideways at 120mph, 100 feet before a turn to set yourself up for a hard exit on-throttle.

 

What's so bad about 'dirt track driving'---I personally love WRC as well, to see the same techniques applied on Tarmac (which is a tad more sketchy as you rarely have an incident where you regain instant grip when driving on dirt/gravel, but on tarmac, that can happen with disasterous consequences at any moment if you aren't very careful!)

 

I take it with the band wagoners comment, the OG crowd is ok? What of all those bandwagoners here at HybridZ that have glammed-on to engine swaps as the 'thing to do'?

 

Be careful of categorising motorsports enthusiasts as latecomers or trying to rationalise distatste for 'recent arrivals' as it casts a pall on those who originated the sport/hobby as well.

 

The important thing is they are motorsports enthusiasts. They care about car control, power, handling, and improving both their vehicle and their vehicle control skills. That makes them no different than any other racing enthusiast. They are doing it, and you have to give them credit for finding their own niche in the world. I'm not going to down what they do because I misunderstand it, or don't care for it. I at least can respect the skills it takes to accomplish what they are doing.

 

Like I said, there were a lot of jaws that dropped from some pretty experienced Auto-X people when they actually attended an event and saw what it was about. Till then it was all 'dirt driving' and 'powersliding' comments, and clearly dismissive. It was borne out of ignorance for what it really is.

 

Hey, curling looks stupid as all hell to me, but I'm not going to knock the guy chucking the polished stones down the ice, nor the one with the broom. I can't do it, and I'll give the respect due to them for being out there and competing. There's plenty of guys sitting against a wall with commentary of dismissiveness, anybody can do that. Pick up a stone and hurl it. It takes effort to go out and try it, or do it. Saying it's not your bag afterwards is one thing. Doing it beforehand is another thing altogether different.

 

I'm no drifter, I was just around when it came to the US and laughed at 'the "newest" thing' out there. Same as I laugh when someone comes up with a 'new' whatzit or whathaveyou that has drawings in the patent office from the mid 1800's.

[PanzerAce]

Personally, I don't think drifting is going to die out (for all the reasons mentioned earlier), and personally, I think it's a great thing. The more events that can use a road race track, the more likely they are to stay in business and even expand. What I *don't* like about drifting is how the movies and games make every kid in dad's corolla or civic think that they are the next pro drifter.

 

 

I actually do want to get more into rally driving, but I don't even know where to start :/

[jerryb]

In spite of my previous comments I do believe it will stay. Hey why not...look where Monster Truck racing has gone. People are always seeking new entertainment and if there is speed, skill and a potential for destruction people will come. Will it last forever...I doubt it

 

I prefer to do rather than watch.....and I dont believe I would drift very well....so I will do something else that I will enjoy. I dont even have a desire to try.

[m4xwellmurd3r]

if drift racing was more like this, I'd say it would grow faster

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=46461075

[AkumaNoZeta]

That video was awesome, I wish I could drive like that

[MJLamberson]

...or civic think that they are the next pro drifter.

/

 

Huh?

[Challenger]

That video of the Sti is awesome!!! That car sounds amazing. When Im out of school Ill probably pick up one of those....

[Tony D]

What I *don't* like about drifting is how the movies and games make every kid in dad's corolla or civic think that they are the next pro drifter.

 

FLASHBACK: 1978 Substitute "Racing" for "Drifting"; "Monte Carlo or Torino" for "Corolla or Civic", and "Pro Drifter" for "Wisnton Cup Champion" and you have the same analogy. THAT will NEVER change.

 

In my case substitute "69 VW Beetle" or "69 Corvair Corsa" and "Audi Quattro PRO-Rally Driver" and you found the excuse for me then to go tear up fire roads in the national forest...

 

Nothing changes, this is simply another form of motorsport, and the Media, once it gets ahold of it, makes the masses take off in a direction.

 

If there are hard-core dedicated people that take up the 'fad' it lasts. Especially if there is money to be made at it. ESPECIALLY if there is money and womens that go with it. more womens than money from what I've seen.

[PanzerAce]

Huh?

 

My point exactly.

[Tony D]

Just was paging through some 1983 "Carboy" magazines...and there is a 'How To' on Drifting, and some coverage on local drift events in Japan that occurred earlier that summer. Just a flash from the past. Nice vintage adverts for HKS, Tomei, and an article on an install of a TC24B1 head in a ZX!!!

[(goldfish)]

Just was paging through some 1983 "Carboy" magazines...and there is a 'How To' on Drifting, and some coverage on local drift events in Japan that occurred earlier that summer. Just a flash from the past. Nice vintage adverts for HKS, Tomei, and an article on an install of a TC24B1 head in a ZX!!!

 

You make it sound like that head doesn't deserve a ZX Really where else would you put on?

[Filmjay]

I HOPE it's a fad. Yeah, it looks cool, and it DOES take a bit of skill to do consistently, but it's the most inefficient style of driving.

 

But, I've recently gotten into touge. The U.S. DEFINITELY needs more of that!

[m4xwellmurd3r]

touge IS very cool.

I love watching touge racing. narrow mountain passes and going as fast as you can through them.

[RayG1988]

I don't know how people can afford it, Ive always wanted to try it but the cost of tires these days makes it wayyyyyy out of my reach.

 

My friend started out by stealing the used tires they throw away at the tire places. Sometimes people replace all four and only one or two were bad, because of policy they have to throw them away. Now I believe, he's sponsored.

[jtl260z]

I have found that if you make friends with the guys that run those used tire shops you can usually pick up those "throw out" tires at a very low price. I started out buying tires from a used tire place and just explained what I was using them for. Eventually I was getting tires for 10-15 dollars a piece.