American Drifting heading the wrong direction?

[miatadrifter]

What amazes me is how people from America talk about keeping it real and underground. We don’t want it to get too popular....I wonder what the Japanese "grassroots" drifters where thinking when they heard drifting was coming to America. "Damn Americans always trying to own something" Just imagine if the USA's cars ran off of drifting instead of oil...we would go to Japan to try and control the drift scene lolololololol

We have beaten the horse to death about how ¼ mile racing took off. I am real old school (31). So I can truly say that I was there when 12’s where 1st broken in a Civic hatchback. It had a T25 turbo from a 300zx on it. Everybody was tripping out. “…there is no way a civic will hit 11’s...” is what everyone said, now 11’s are slow in an event. Along with all the progression of speed came the progression of posers. When I was a skater it was skater posers. When I was dragging it was Ricers. Now I just kind of chuckle to myself when I see it Rice stuff. It is funny to me. It is just my opinion though. I have road race friends that think what I do is pretty silly. As you can see it is all relative.

Somebody said if you pass you should not win??? If you have the skills to drift you car around somebody else who is front of you then go for it. We are still learning yet we are out to change the rules to make it easier for us. I say BS step up to the plate or ride the bench. If you get passed, you deserve to loose plain and simple. It not a race issue it is a skill issue.

PS. I used to feel bad about my age and drifting till looked at the age of the pros from Japan

[noobster]

Originally posted by nissanguy_24
the starting price for the viper is 100 thousand dollars.

mopar's viper yes. but a regular viper a couple years used can be bought for $60k.

Originally posted by nissanguy_24
If you want to watch ultra expensive cars that dont exisist on the street battle it out then go watch F1. THis is drifting.

Thanks, i'll watch both.

Originally posted by nissanguy_24
Gee you sure schooled me with those expensive japanese cars. You really proved that i was simply a racist poser bandwagon jumper who doesnt like Amrican cars. Of course thats ignore every post i've made so far. Especialy the ones i made before the viper or GTO where ever released.

that wasn't my point. my point was to show how close minded you were to the expansion of the sport. everyone is entitled to their opinion...and i respect yours. thats cool.

besides like formulaD said, some of this larger/mainstream exposure provides opportunities for smaller companies to get bigger and more well known.

there will always be grassroots drifting events for you to keep it real at. why dont you let the rest of us watch some of the cars we've dreamed about being driven like they've just been stolen. thats crazy.

Originally posted by nissanguy_24
But hey what do i know? im just a bandwagon hopping america hater who drives a civic or something.

dude, i know you're real and true to the scene...that fine. but not everyone is just like u.

Originally posted by nissanguy_24
If you want Drifting to become that then just go watch nascar, or formula 1 or something else.

nah, i want to see some of the coolest cars in the world go sideways inches from their competitors. no other sport is going to do that. so ill root that a part of the drift scene provides a way to let me see that. thanks formula d.

[WalkDMC]

My biggest fear is that drifting will start resembling monster truck shows. I read an interview with Rhys a while back and he was talking about how he'd like to see trucks and jumps and stadiums in drifting. Did anyone else read that? Now that would totally ruin drifting as we know it and relegate it to county fair status. As for American drifters right now, I think they are waaay to aggressive, especially Sam. He just seems to bully his competitors out of the way with that viper, but I have no doubt of his skill. If he could just tone down the testosterone he (and other americans) would get alot more respect next time D1 rolls around.

[nissanguy_24]

Listen man, your a good guy i can tell from your post, and i apologise for my sarcasm. But i didnt mean to say we should ban viper. I simply dont want to see the teams, All of the teams, continue in this direction of spending more and more and more on the cars. If a team wants to go and buy him self a viper for around the same cost of the GTO or the 350Z thats fine. I mean honestly i have nothing against Mopar's viper, its a great car, Sam drove it incredably well, even gave me a signed tire (drift or die) But i dont want to go to a drifting event and see cars no one can afford out there.

Yes we will keep it at the grass roots level. But i like the fact that professional drifting is close to the grass roots level. I would prefer if it stays that way. We all know going out and buying a viper doesnt give you any more chance to win then buying a 240sx and throwing some Ks into it. However i think alot of companys who are sponsoring these drivers dont nessisarly realize that. I am sure some japanese companys are this way too, but it diffenately seems that americans companys look for a win by pulling out the check book. the GTO was very pricy (to be fair GM and Dodge dont have alot of inexpensive RWDs in there stable, and no manufacturer is going to sponsor a used car. thats the way they are) We are looking at 30K just to get started. And man they changed everythign on that car except the frame and dash board. even the suspension mounting points

You can argue thats close to some of the high dollar japanese teams. And you would be right, dont know the exact numbers but its close if not equal to it. The next American car company to get involved started with a 100 thousand dollar very rare car. This is a bad precident if you worry about the things i worry about.

Perhaps ford will get involed and sponsor a team of mustangs, a v6 and a v8 would be very cool build one up with power, make the other one as light as possible. And both of those cars would be pretty affordable for new cars.

I would much prefer it go that way. And dodge one word.. Crossfire platform. COMMON! we know it can perform, take that car make a cheap varient and drift it. And GM, we already know what we want from you Solstice. and other Kappa cars. bring them on. and dont beafraid to drift older domestics manufacturer. The guys who buy your used cars today will buy your new vans and trucks in the future.


Anyways man, i apologise for my sharp tongue earlier. i hope i have helped you see my side of this.

[WalkDMC]

found it:

IGN: What is your idea of the drift evolution?

Rhys: Twelve years ago you had the Mickey Thompson stadium with off-road trucks. It was supercross, but with trucks. It would sell out the stadium and it was as big as supercross is now. I've been rallying for ten years and sliding and drifting through the forest, with no one around, but, essentially, you have the combination of these two.

You now have cars in a stadium performing sliding maneuvers and it's an immediate hit because it's confined to one area. There's the show going on, the fans. There's a lot of things to do and it's very appealing and exciting to watch.

I do feel that for it to have an American-based following that it may need to go into trucks. One of the things I'm looking at personally is maybe build a spec-drift truck, bring out a modular ramp (that can be setup on the straightaway) so now they're jump and sliding, too. You're bringing it to a stadium, with tires burning and on the straight you're hitting jumps. It may be the natural progression for drifting to have an American flare. And then you cross over into people that have trucks. They have them for utility-based used, it just branches out to a greater audience.

[mranlet]

In such a big league, it's hard to compete against big powerful cars if you don't have any power of your own. If I'm not mistaken, one of the judging criteria is on the speed at which the drifts are executed. If Soultron and his Chevette went against Ghost in his FD, Soultron would look like he was standing still and definately get a low score for speed. As cars get more and mroe power in the D1 and other big drift events, the teams are going to have to start with cars that are faster from the factory, so there is some nescessity for fast cars like the GTO and Viper.

I think it's great that Rhys is backed by GM, but I'll boycott GM for life if they go and claim that they had a large part in nurturing Drifting along - and the same with APC. Drifting is here to stay with or without these companies, it's nice that they are there to help it, but in not direct way are they responsible.

-MR

[SRT4ing]

Viper this....and Viper that, WHO cares about the price tag, sponsers pay it anyways. Whatever they spent to get the car gets back to them IF IT PUTS ON A GOOD SHOW who the hell cares how much dodge priced it. And lets not forget the GTO...it's only about 37,000 stock, 300Z and the fairlady's compare to that, the FD's...i mean c'mon if all were uniform it would be boring...kinda like nascar...besides the ford/dodge/chevy/ and pontiac DECAL the slap on the hood u can't tell the difference in the in the cars!!!!!! We rock the Viper and the GTO live with it, support it.

[nissanguy_24]

Originally posted by SRT4ing
Viper this....and Viper that, WHO cares about the price tag, sponsers pay it anyways. Whatever they spent to get the car gets back to them IF IT PUTS ON A GOOD SHOW who the hell cares how much dodge priced it. And lets not forget the GTO...it's only about 37,000 stock, 300Z and the fairlady's compare to that, the FD's...i mean c'mon if all were uniform it would be boring...kinda like nascar...besides the ford/dodge/chevy/ and pontiac DECAL the slap on the hood u can't tell the difference in the in the cars!!!!!! We rock the Viper and the GTO live with it, support it.

Who cares? i Care, and for the reasons i stated.

Yes the way to advoid a nascar like environment is to have everyone sport 100 thousand dollar tubeframe cars THAT dont even legally pass the rules! I think i stated why i care enough so i wont go threw it again.

[CrazyHawaiian]

I care because its not street legal. I did not know this when the idea was first introduced, and I didnt know this when I first saw Sam drifting. But now that I know the Viper is not street legal, it does not fit within the rules for D1 or Formula D and I'm not liking it. I think Dodge made a mistake. They should have used a base model Viper and modded it up to fit within the rules and regulations.

[nissanguy_24]

Originally posted by CrazyHawaiian
I care because its not street legal. I did not know this when the idea was first introduced, and I didnt know this when I first saw Sam drifting. But now that I know the Viper is not street legal, it does not fit within the rules for D1 or Formula D and I'm not liking it. I think Dodge made a mistake. They should have used a base model Viper and modded it up to fit within the rules and regulations.

Yes i know mopar likes to really do something when they do it. Like the SRT 4, mean car for the price. But why on earth did they feel they needed a tube frame competition coupe race car? honestly they look around and see 86s and S13s and Rotarys and some newer Z cars and the GTO ect.. I dont see why there first response was that car.. A base model viper (though alot of the arguements about it would still exist) means of been legal and correct and not as bad. Personally i still want to see a affordable car drifted. That crossfire platform could be something special. Maybe sell a varient under the dodge name no luxury options, Just base model coupe with a inline 6... or are those v6s? But i am straying from the point.


Simply saying "who cares" is a horrible arguement (boy havent you taken a debate class?) The fact is alot of us care alot about it. D1 and especialy Formula D isnt some far off exotic never in a million years type of thing. But it can turn into that. Thus we all care. We dont all care in the same way or agree on why or waht we care about on the subject. But we all care.

[mranlet]

I hope to see Crossfire and Kappa-platforms (Saturn Curve, Pontiac Solstice, Chevy Nomad) in the near future.

A tube frame does make the most sense outside of the rules - highest structural rigidity, best P/W ratio, ease of repair and overall simplicity. It really isn't fair that the Viper is a purpose-built car while the rest of the field is modified street cars.

I sincerly hope that the big leagues don't forget about drifting's underground roots and why it is what it is today.

-MR

[SRT4ing]

I was unaware that Mopar's Viper was not street legal. I knew it was highly powered, but unaware of it's legality, I retract my statement. I was under the impression it was the base viper, but modified.

[Akina_drifter]

American drifting

Well how did drifting start I remeber when i would go with my friends Brother and wach him and his team time attack the Downhill pass nothing about fans glory or anything like that its was 2 a.m Summer night with a bunch of people just geting together to drift the most powerfull car there at the time was a FC
Now i remeber that FC being beat by the Levin AE86 nooooo not the Famous Trueno but the Levin so i mean its nice to see the Nice Bigg V-10 Viper drifting in laguna Seca But Im not shure if that takes away fromt he driving and the driver and puts it back in the real of drag racing and the big muscle cars and the more the Hp the better. America is agreat Country and I Salute the flag and love this country as much as the next guy but You guys dont have "Americanise" everything somethings are fine and great the way they are thats why i think (rice cars) should saty out drag racing . . . and out fo drifting to now that i think about it. Low to medium Hp cars and drifting go great liek Pb and J. High Hp and strait away go like well Pb and J. High hp and drifting eyah exciting to wach and good for just show but Not for comepetition.

[HKS-NOB]

drifting hited earth back when keiichi used this techique to attack corners on the downhill turns when he was participating in races using his underpowered 86..........by performing that he was titled as the drift king.........

then it was brought to the touge.........then track........it's only been a few yrs that ppl are starting to use high powered cars......
since high horse power cars are easy to break lose the grip....and also with less skill involved (power-over apex----->exit) compared to the low powered cars like 86 (performing hardcore weight-shift with the highest spd possible while attacking corners) which style sounds more skillful to u?

the art of drifting is not how u pump more and more power to the car as if u r going to drag.........but it's how u actually perform the perfect weight-shift to obtain the maximum angle and spd.........

it's true that nowadays...........even vipers and gtos can perform a decent drift..........but the angle and spd will be totally different then a real drift car that has a perfect balance for drifting.....eventually...........ppl will expect more from a drift.......wider angle..........higher spd..........and these cant be done by just packing horses under the hood.........

big engine.........heavy............a similar combination to a chaser.....
lack of spd during corner...............lack of angle..............
so i think ppl should just put the vipers back to the drag strip instead of hardcore drift tracks..........

as what keiichi had once said........."power isn't everything"

[CrazyHawaiian]

So you dont consider the Viper and GTO real drift cars? Cuz I dunno, they look real in those pictures (or am I dreaming?). You are right though, power is not everything. Drifting is about balance and technique. Because it is not about power, you shouldn't be saying that having more power is a bad thing or an advantage. The USA domestic drifting cars have different angles and different speeds because of the drivers. All these guys you see representing the USA domestic cars are previous professional drivers. They are still learning the sport and their style is very different from the Japan guys. Don't blame this on the cars man, the cars can perform EXACTLY like any other Japan car you see on the track. It just depends on the driver and his style as far as what you see on the track (speed/line/angle/etc). Put a Japan driver in a domestic car and you'll see a different style. Have you noticed that Tarzan drifts his Viper a bit differently from Sam?