(2011 PREDICTIONS) Drifting

[brad_manka]

The car weight to tire width rule

Rumor has it that sub 2500lb cars will be limited to a 255 width tire

Sam's car s very heavy so even if they implement even a 10% rule he probably wont be going down much in tire width, I think hes running 305s? And for crying out loud they built the car in like 3 months, imagine what they can do with a full off season.

Thanks for the support Blaze. The Challenger is a big beast, she weighs in over 3100 lbs.. And we were running 335's last year.. We built the car in 6 weeks, and I think we finally have it working right. Next year will definitely be interesting, especially since every car in front of us in points was built under the old rule book...

[Slapshotnerd]

Well, if they weren't at SEMA, that doesn't mean they won't be compeating in 2011 (trust me, a 50'x50' booth at SEMA was in the neighborhood of $50K or more if you didn't have to hook up air or electricity, from what I've been told). The only reason I say that is I don't feel that Robbie is a pick-up-and-leave because times are bad kind of guy. I feel that he would have to be kicked out or the team fades into the beyond. If Gruppe-S has gone away, then my prediction is wrong, oh well.

booth space when I looked into it a few years back was $100 per sq ft... 10x10 = 100 sq ft = $10k.... 50x50 = 250 sq ft = a 2-car team budget for most people.

Gruppe-S never buys a booth, they were asked to place their car in the Hankook Tire booth last year (and in years past), but that didn't cost Gruppe-S money out of pocket for the booth space. I know Eddie Kim and his team WERE at SEMA this year, just because they didn't have one of their drift cars in a booth doesn't mean they weren't out there meeting with sponsors and discussing 2011 plans.

If I were a betting man, I wouldn't bet on Robbie Nishida's GTR being run under the Hankook Tire banner next year, but that doesn't mean that Robbie and/or Gruppe-S will be on the sidelines next year by any means.

[Justin Banner]

booth space when I looked into it a few years back was $100 per sq ft... 10x10 = 100 sq ft = $10k.... 50x50 = 250 sq ft = a 2-car team budget for most people.

Gruppe-S never buys a booth, they were asked to place their car in the Hankook Tire booth last year (and in years past), but that didn't cost Gruppe-S money out of pocket for the booth space. I know Eddie Kim and his team WERE at SEMA this year, just because they didn't have one of their drift cars in a booth doesn't mean they weren't out there meeting with sponsors and discussing 2011 plans.

If I were a betting man, I wouldn't bet on Robbie Nishida's GTR being run under the Hankook Tire banner next year, but that doesn't mean that Robbie and/or Gruppe-S will be on the sidelines next year by any means.

I can tell you, there is more cost than just the booth. You have to pay for a union guy to set up your booth, you have to pay taxes for the booth, I think there were some sort of city fees, air and electricity fees, I know one company did pay close to $150K and it wasn't much bigger than 50'x50'. I'll talk to my boss again, he talked to many of the tool and equipment companies that set up and he was astounded at the costs to do SEMA. I know the cost has been increasing so much and the return is so little, the body shop trade portion of the show isn't returning and there was no Large Truck trade show and I think something else (trade-wise) that has always been there wasn't there this year.

But, this is off topic. I stand by my prediction and if I'm wrong, oops.

[Slapshotnerd]

I can tell you, there is more cost than just the booth. You have to pay for a union guy to set up your booth, you have to pay taxes for the booth, I think there were some sort of city fees, air and electricity fees, I know one company did pay close to $150K and it wasn't much bigger than 50'x50'. I'll talk to my boss again, he talked to many of the tool and equipment companies that set up and he was astounded at the costs to do SEMA. I know the cost has been increasing so much and the return is so little, the body shop trade portion of the show isn't returning and there was no Large Truck trade show and I think something else (trade-wise) that has always been there wasn't there this year.

But, this is off topic. I stand by my prediction and if I'm wrong, oops.

I'm saying that a 50x50 booth is WAY more than that.... 250 sq ft x $100 a sq ft = $250,000. That's just for the rental, not counting the actual booth, electricity, union costs, etc...

I missed SEMA because I was at a major trade show in NYC for my day job. We had a 20x20 booth, and our company spent close to $100k on everything related to the booth (space rental, union costs, shipping costs, booth build out costs, etc etc etc)

[sytfu]

as far as robbie nishida goes, i hope he is in a 370z.... doesnt matter who he drives for, i just hope he hits the track in a 370.

[Bebop]

Has to be a 370!

[wesismyhero]

What are your guys thoughts on the future of Maxxis and Toyo in FD? I personally see both of them either pulling out. I think Tuerck is the only driver left on Maxxis and is anybody left on Toyo?

[delicious steve]

I'm guessing we will see 3 new 370s on track next season.

[Mike Peters]

I think the rumored tire rule will really mix things up a good bit, the cars will go back to being more streetable, and people will have fun adding 100lb's so they can run 255's or bigger with fun stuff like LED's and stereos and stuff. I think this will also help the privateers a LOT, as a S chassis that is 2700lb is super easy to build, as is a 2200lb corolla, and will really equal the playing field a little (not that it was bad, but you just can't get everything down to 2000# with 700horses).

This will be ultra fun to watch, also at the FD press conference thingy I'm pretty sure they said the TV package was the same with Versus.

I will say also I would *like to* see people get a tad bit creative with the engine choices, I love v8's to death but seeing EVERY SINGLE CAR with a v8 is getting kinda lame. The VQ/ecotec/rotary stuff/JZ work awesome, and sound cool too. Maybe with the new rule people will express some creativity and fun instead of a LS1 in everything.

I'm also hoping some people will look at the new rules as an opportunity to get a little creative if they have to build a new car. I'd suspect most the cars will be above 2500# now with the new rules, and probably 2700 will be the majority, which opens up a lot of chassis/drivetrain options when you're not trying to be utlra lightwieght with a v8 and big tires.

No matter what though, 2011 will be an awesome year, and the tire rule will really shake things up and make an already exciting series even more fun to watch.

[Formula D]

no one knows what the TV deal looks like for 2011

Was announced at SEMA. 13 consecutive weeks on VERSUS starting August. Time slot moved up (forward) an hour on original and re-air

[Justin Banner]

Oh, another prediction, despite every other Comcast customer having Versus as part of the standard package, the old Adelphia cutomers in my area will still continue to be left out.

[Bebop]

What are your guys thoughts on the future of Maxxis and Toyo in FD? I personally see both of them either pulling out. I think Tuerck is the only driver left on Maxxis and is anybody left on Toyo?

Toyo rubber unofficially announced going into 2009 that Toyo would be representing the company's name in FD and Nitto would be out the door. That never came to be, Bergenholtz and Tanaka were still on Nittos that season. 2010 Rhys and Gushi were the only ones on sponsored Toyos (correct me if I'm wrong) and Nitto signed a bunch of new driver (Powers, Essa, etc). So Toyo leaving isn't a big deal in my eyes.

Maxxis is another story, I heard rumors from different sources that they were backing out of the series and or discounting the ma-z1 drift tires. That's a huge blow to the sport, never in my 8 years around the sport I have seen a particular tire praised by drivers and even a judge on and off the record. What killed me about that tire and a few others under the maxxis banner is the retail cost. I personally do not know anyone using the ma-z1 or the z1drifts that's not getting them on dealer cost or on a bulk discount.

Truth will unfold come april though.

Was announced at SEMA. 13 consecutive weeks on VERSUS starting August. Time slot moved up (forward) an hour on original and re-air

Yeah that's true but that's not really what I meant. I should have stated no one really knows what the TV show it self will look like for 2011. Will it be longer? Will it cover more then the top 8 driver of the round? Your competitor has manged a way to get a 1 hour show filled with qualifying highlights, full top16 with OMT runs, and non sponsor related misc filler. The live stream FD has is cool, but its not a full scale production. I truly question if the smaller individual team sponsors are happy with the exposure they are getting with the 30 minute show and the Internet live feed.

[D1 DRIFTER]

i think judging needs to change.

and personally a certain judge needs to either be a judge or tech guy, weather there is any bias or not, it does come off that way when you have friends judging friends on a tower.

real talk.

[D1 DRIFTER]

its official boys and girls..

TIRE SIZE REGULATION
Cars are limited to the size of the rear tire that can be used, depending on the weight of the vehicle. There are 7 weight classes, each spanning 200 lbs. A car must be track-ready, and running when it is weighed and registered to a weight class. A car will be weighed without the driver, and once the car is registered to a weight class, it will be recorded, and issued a class-specific sticker that must be displayed prominently on the windshield. A car's weight may fluctuate within the limits of it’s weight class, but it can never weigh less than the minimum weight for its’ registered class. Tire sizes are AS MEASURED in mm, across the span of the contact patch. Tires will be measured on the rim, while on the car, while the car is on the ground. Tire size must not exceed the maximum size dictated by class at any time on track. Tire size will be measured and verified on track before the start of every tandem round. A Formula D official may also check tire size at any time during the event.
Weight and Tire Classes-
2000-2199lbs up to 215mm tire width
2200-2399lbs up to 235mm tire width
2400-2599lbs up to 255mm tire width
2600-2799lbs up to 275mm tire width
2800-2999lbs up to 295mm tire width
3000-3199lbs up to 315mm tire width
3200-3399lbs up to 335mm tire width

[Bebop]

Cut off at the knees!