Drift Is Growing!
06-10-2003, 03:17 PM
#33
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Okinawa, Japan
Posts: 602
My long winded posts = I'm paid by the hour here at work. 
Yeah, the SCCA has a way of making fun things suck. That's why I try to avoid SCCA events. They are too crowded and usually cost $5~$10 more than an autocross with a local motorsports club. Last year this club I'm in had an event at the same site as a SCCA event. It was at an abandoned airstrip turned into a local raceway. The SCCA event was $25 and over 200 went to it. Our event was a time only deal, was about 1.5x longer and only about 40 people showed up. WE tried to steal Novice drivers from their event, but the SCCA wouldn't give refunds or vouchers for another day. Not event for these Novices that were only there to have a good time and not there for the competition. Ours was $16 for members such as myself ($20 for non-members) and I got about a few dozen runs during the day. Some people had more. It was a great day. The SCCA event got 4 runs in IIRC. Everybody at our eventy got bored with their cars in the afternoon and decided to start doing Chinese Fire Drills to test out other peoples cars. It was great testing out cars I've never driven before. Something like this would never happen with a SCCA event. They're too formal. It's a motorsports corporation. That's why I like small clubs. They do it for the fun of it and to raise a few bucks for the club. The only times the local clubs suck is when they start having little factions tear it apart. But I stay out of that drama.
BTW, gymkhana is a generic term for a display of skill. Generally used with driving and equestrian(sp?) events. Autocross is a SCCA specific term for autoslalom. But it's like the name Kleenex. It sounds better than facxial tissue. Hopefully soon in the future when gymkhana is mentioned only one sort of event comes to mind. That one sort of event is the Japanese style of gymkhana. I know the etymology of the word. Only the old timers and those that know motorsports history seem to remember when it used to be used in the '70 and on back here in the states.
Yeah, the SCCA has a way of making fun things suck. That's why I try to avoid SCCA events. They are too crowded and usually cost $5~$10 more than an autocross with a local motorsports club. Last year this club I'm in had an event at the same site as a SCCA event. It was at an abandoned airstrip turned into a local raceway. The SCCA event was $25 and over 200 went to it. Our event was a time only deal, was about 1.5x longer and only about 40 people showed up. WE tried to steal Novice drivers from their event, but the SCCA wouldn't give refunds or vouchers for another day. Not event for these Novices that were only there to have a good time and not there for the competition. Ours was $16 for members such as myself ($20 for non-members) and I got about a few dozen runs during the day. Some people had more. It was a great day. The SCCA event got 4 runs in IIRC. Everybody at our eventy got bored with their cars in the afternoon and decided to start doing Chinese Fire Drills to test out other peoples cars. It was great testing out cars I've never driven before. Something like this would never happen with a SCCA event. They're too formal. It's a motorsports corporation. That's why I like small clubs. They do it for the fun of it and to raise a few bucks for the club. The only times the local clubs suck is when they start having little factions tear it apart. But I stay out of that drama.
BTW, gymkhana is a generic term for a display of skill. Generally used with driving and equestrian(sp?) events. Autocross is a SCCA specific term for autoslalom. But it's like the name Kleenex. It sounds better than facxial tissue. Hopefully soon in the future when gymkhana is mentioned only one sort of event comes to mind. That one sort of event is the Japanese style of gymkhana. I know the etymology of the word. Only the old timers and those that know motorsports history seem to remember when it used to be used in the '70 and on back here in the states.
06-10-2003, 05:39 PM
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Dover DE
Posts: 989
until you go to a track and watch a full drifting event such as Battle Magazines events @ Ebisu raceway it is hard to see the sport in drifting. After the 4.5 hour journey to the track I was still pumped with adrenilne to see 200+ cars all lined up to compete. Different classes competed all day for the chance to win the trophy, and be labeled as the Battle Magazine drifter of the year.
Big deal, so what you say... Drifting is a little more than meets the eye. And when you see it you have to realize what the driver has to do. To me it is one of the best exercises in control for a driver. Look at some of the top driving schools out there, one of the top things they teach you is car control under changing track conditions. We all have drifted at one point in time, wheter it be on snow, ice, fall leaves or just swinging the *** end out to impress that girl on the corner as you drive by. Drifting is an exercise in control. If you are more into circut style racing sooner or later you will find yourself drifting in the middle of a corner. You push your car to the limits, the car finds less traction than you expected, and your not going the way you wanted. Hence a drift begins, and your ability to control that car through the drift back to a traction state begins.
Comparing it to everyday driving situations and how it will benefit you, it all depends on your aggressiveness. Gymkhanna is a blast, mixing the thrills of SCCA competiton with the requirement to drift certain aspects of the track.
Drifting is still in its infancy in the US, but has been part of a young japanese male car scene for a long time. With little room to build and outlandish land prices in Japan the sport of drifting began out of necessity rather than for just fun. with 45% of Japan covered in hills and mountains it would happen sooner or later.
Keep you eyes open. Drifting will become more and more popular as time goes on, and sanctioned events pop up more and more accross the country. Synchronized drifting is one of my favorites to watch. not only do you have the first car to watch for style, but you also get to see the second driver with the same skills doing the exhact same thing, 3-5 feet apart. Although it will not become as prominent as street races or circut runs, there is a place for drifting in the United States as drivers feel compelled to find different avenues for automotive sports.
The only downfall of drifting is the expense of practice, and what it does to the car itself. You will rarely see good drifters without a battle scar or two on their rides, and not too many competions have all the cars come away unscathed either.
If drifting is you way of having fun in an automobile, have fun. If its not then let the guys that do it have their fun.
Big deal, so what you say... Drifting is a little more than meets the eye. And when you see it you have to realize what the driver has to do. To me it is one of the best exercises in control for a driver. Look at some of the top driving schools out there, one of the top things they teach you is car control under changing track conditions. We all have drifted at one point in time, wheter it be on snow, ice, fall leaves or just swinging the *** end out to impress that girl on the corner as you drive by. Drifting is an exercise in control. If you are more into circut style racing sooner or later you will find yourself drifting in the middle of a corner. You push your car to the limits, the car finds less traction than you expected, and your not going the way you wanted. Hence a drift begins, and your ability to control that car through the drift back to a traction state begins.
Comparing it to everyday driving situations and how it will benefit you, it all depends on your aggressiveness. Gymkhanna is a blast, mixing the thrills of SCCA competiton with the requirement to drift certain aspects of the track.
Drifting is still in its infancy in the US, but has been part of a young japanese male car scene for a long time. With little room to build and outlandish land prices in Japan the sport of drifting began out of necessity rather than for just fun. with 45% of Japan covered in hills and mountains it would happen sooner or later.
Keep you eyes open. Drifting will become more and more popular as time goes on, and sanctioned events pop up more and more accross the country. Synchronized drifting is one of my favorites to watch. not only do you have the first car to watch for style, but you also get to see the second driver with the same skills doing the exhact same thing, 3-5 feet apart. Although it will not become as prominent as street races or circut runs, there is a place for drifting in the United States as drivers feel compelled to find different avenues for automotive sports.
The only downfall of drifting is the expense of practice, and what it does to the car itself. You will rarely see good drifters without a battle scar or two on their rides, and not too many competions have all the cars come away unscathed either.
If drifting is you way of having fun in an automobile, have fun. If its not then let the guys that do it have their fun.
06-11-2003, 08:24 AM
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: DE
Posts: 401
Originally Posted by Srce94FD' date='Jun 10 2003, 09:49 PM
WOW, this is grear. Who'll write a small review of this? LOL
SCCA get drifting
drifting useless
ARRRGGG i use everyday
BULSHIT no you don't
drifting fun rRRAAAARRR
woohooo drifting owns
i quit head hurts
where am i???
06-11-2003, 01:08 PM
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 5,547
Originally Posted by wraith' date='Jun 11 2003, 08:24 AM
drifting great
SCCA get drifting
drifting useless
ARRRGGG i use everyday
BULSHIT no you don't
drifting fun rRRAAAARRR
woohooo drifting owns
i quit head hurts
where am i???
SCCA get drifting
drifting useless
ARRRGGG i use everyday
BULSHIT no you don't
drifting fun rRRAAAARRR
woohooo drifting owns
i quit head hurts
where am i???
06-11-2003, 03:38 PM
#40
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,550
LOL.. I've sat in Ranzo's car about a month ago and he drifted a few corners and he railed the **** out of his car to the limit threw a **** load of tight bends in the heart of Tokyo.. (Did I mention I hate being a passenger) We were basically living every Tokyo based race video game ever made... The mother ****** can definitely drive his *** off and his drifting experience has definitely helped his driving skills.. I've also sat in Jerk Racers car about 6 months ago in Washington when I was out processing the Army there and he took the car sidways quite a few times as well (let me mention again that I hate being a passenger) and he'd definitely got skills as well.. I'm not in to the drift thing because when you put the car together for drag it isn't going to drift, it may go in to a flat spin, but that isn't drifting.. There is also the huge $ value to be had from putting any part of the front end of my car in to any Immobile objects that also stops me from even trying... Maybe some day I'll pick up a FC and beat the living **** out of it... Or maybe I'll just stick to putting this damn 20B in my car and trying to get the front tires off the ground..