"Blaze1's List of Drift" Top 10 World Rankings

[OldSkool510]

Hey Blaze- Did you get some form of compensation from drifting.com for starting this thread or what? Some FD Long Beach VIP tickets maybe. lol Tuerck and Forsberg needs to prove you right this weekend.

[ALI's DRIFT GARAGE]

Thank God for the word Opinion, Lol. I kid, I kid...kinda...Blaze you're still my favorite Drifting.com *Censored**Censored**Censored**Censored* talker. Excellent thread for the coming storm of opinions, facts and manipulated truths.

[boxmod]

lets agree to disagree.

[Bebop]

#6 Gaz Whitter

I told my self I would not make any sort of Aussie or New Zealand jokes, slang, or anything of that matter when talking about a driver for the down under…. F$#@... Didn’t mean to do that. Gaz Whitter is back to back 2008 and 2009 D1NZ champion. During the RBWDC back in 08 he was one of few foreigners who looked conferable on the fast course. Old statistics I know, but he is still consistently on the top of his game in his home country, and that is all he really needs to do to stay on this list.


#7 “Mad” Mike Whiddett

This young man has drifted all over the globe the past two years. And has done constantly well at all the events he has attended overseas (other then the WWE style of judging in D1). The sound of his Naturally Aspired Rotary motor brings F1 like sounds to the sport of drifting. The only question is, is that all hes got? This year will be a true test for the D1NZ and FD international veteran as he enters the domestic Formula Drift series for the first time. I’m honest when I say how well he does in the next three months will truly determine if he stays on this list as one of the best of the best.

#8 Tyler McQuarrie

Rather you need a man to break records in time attack, or drift just about any car with low chances of it ending up in a wall Tyler McQuarrie is your guy. He had his best year in Formula D in 2009 with a third place finished overall. That also made him the highest overall ranking Falken driver of all time in the Formula Drift series. In 2010 he will return under the Falken Banner with the same 350Z which almost took him to the top. The downfall of being a hired gun as good and as consistent as he is, your status as a driver becomes a bit unnoticed. Tyler in a lot of instances almost becomes just another intricate part of the car he is driving. His style is very robotic and predictable, maybe his nickname should be Intel. Then again, more then half the cars he has driven in the series have belonged to someone else before him. He does have a cool helmet though (spoon livery).

#9 Tengku Djan

You can’t bring up Asian (non Japanese) drifting without mentioning Tengku Djan. He has been a serious force in drifting for 4 years now. In 2009 he dominated just about every event Formula D held in the continent. He is one of the few drivers who has can drive a S13 with the same intensity as a Toyota corolla. This is another driver who should stay right where he is at, no need to come to America for more fame and fortune. Formula D is holding an event in Singapore in a few weeks, no doubt in my mind we will see more of the same for Djan at that event. Rumor also has it that he might be LSX powered in the coming months. Talk about growing trend….

#10 Joon Maeng

The true peoples champion, never in my 7 year involvement of the sport have I ever met a driver so fourth coming in respectful. Every fan who comes near his pit will get a friendly smile and greeting from this young man. And during the off season it all seemed to pay off. Not only did he land a new car, but he landed on one of the greatest family oriented race teams of all time. Team Bergenholtz is sure to bring the budding superstar to the next level. Unlike other drivers on different teams this season, the focus will be 100% on Joon. I predict at the very least a top 5 finish overall this year. In previous threads I spoke about the difficulties of switching from an S chassis to a RX7 or 8. Those test day videos sure did shut me up quick, when I think of this team I think of a recipe for success.

[Bebop]

A little about me first, as most of you know I’m blaze1. I have been watching (mostly watching) and participating in drifting for over 7 years now on many different levels. Everything from grassroots, D1, FD, and anything that comes my way online. And as you see here I like to voice my opinion early and often. I decided to start a world ranking because honestly drifting is now a global art form and at some point someone would have to rank the best of the best in the sport. And who would be a better choice then someone who has no political ties to any organization, sponsor or sanctioning body.

I am planning on posting about 3 of these a year. Preseason (the one you are currently reading) will be based on off season changes to a team in all aspects (or lack there of). In this edition last years rankings combined with off season news will determined rankings. Things that impress me: test days, off season builds, off season upgrades, new sponsors, and even sportsmanship along with self representation. I like data and if you feel a driver is left out it’s probably because their management or sanctioning body has not provided sufficient data to be considered one of the best in the world.

I have spent countless hours digesting information to compile this list. Even some of my personal favorites I could not justify including. The next two installments will be based upon straight up points standings. With that being said lets begin.

#1 Ryan Tuerck

This guy had a great 2009 year despite finishing 2nd to his Drift Alliance team mate Chris Forsberg. But with a strong first place finish at Irwindale and the fact he is essentially coming back with the same team plus more support this makes him number 1. The only thing holding him back is the fact he could not win at his home track of Wall Speedway, seems a bit like a Drift Alliance curse. If I am not mistaken Vaughn Gittin JR is the only member who has ever podiumed on the crude course. Fix this problem Ryan and you can win the Formula D championship.

#2 Youichi Imamura

Arguably the greatest Japanese drifter of all time Imamura is once again proving he is a force to be recon with in D1GP. Even though Tezuka and Nomura were deep in the points race after the 4th or 5th round it seemed as if Imamura had an unseen grip on the championship. Nothing has seemingly changed with the car for 2010, a few new sponsors and a new paint job. Other then that it looks like he may be underway for another championship run. Youichi has already won at round 1 in Odaiba.

#3 Chris Forsberg

The 2009 Formula D champion, the first real pure bread drifter to win the series. In 2010 it looks like a lot of the same for Fors which is a very good thing. The thing that frightens me is that he looked a little out of it during the final rounds of the 2009 series. It was almost like he was physically or mentally running out of gas. Maybe he just had a few butterflies in his stomach, who knows? The car is dialed and he posted on his blog Nismo supplied his team with a Race prepped V8 motor designed for use in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. We probably won’t see it until round 2 or 3 of the series, but it’s good the guys at LS Auto don’t want to rush the change.

# 4 Tsuyoshi Tezuka

This is one of those situations where I mention about the lack of data I have about some of these drivers. All I know is that the guy is good, the sounds his car makes scares women and children but makes grown men giggle. It does looks like everything in 2010 is staying the same for the Goodyear/Bee*R sponsored driver which is always a plus. I actually would like to see this guy compete in formula D. His style kind of reminds me of a Vaughn Gittin Jr. He should really watch his back in the run for the championship though. You never know what you will get year by year with D1. I still have trouble believing Daigo Saito won the whole thing in 08.


#5 Phil Morison

Before I explain myself let me just say I feel that they’re way too many drift series in the UK. We got EDC, Pro Drift, JDM All-stars, and BDC. None of them claiming to be less then the other, or a grassroots series. But unconditionally drivers who drive in EDC say they do so because it is the best talent in the UK. And also they run on some serious professional tracks such as Silverstone and Brandshatch. It’s kind of unclear what Phil will be driving but like most euro teams they keep it real traditional (S15s R32s 4 door Toyotas) but throw in little twists. I have no doubt he will stay a tough competitor in 2010.