Formula D - Heading the Wrong Way?

['97 S14 SE Turb]

And again Ghost sees the light.

That's the ultimate truth of how things really are. We are have to work in our area to get things up.

That responsibility doesn't just rest on Formula D. It's on everyone.

This forum can become great if everyone just keep their mind open and take it upon themselves to get the word out. Don't expect handouts and stuff like that.

So, what if a track owner doesn't understand drifting. It's your chance to teach them. And yes, using a Formula D flyer to demonstrate drifting is silly. However, using it to show potential future earning is very credible.

[drift matic]

i fully agree with you crazyhawaiian and alex your right you dont need the fans if you love it all you need is you and your car

[nitroboy24]

Originally posted by mikespeed95
sorry, but its obvious you never been to a FD show, all the show cars are in very presentable condition, ive yet to see a ricer with the" under construction" excuse for why his car is a total pos. while i dont like the billet fmic grilles, most the cars at tx, and cali i thought were very nice, and i could respect the time and money put into them, becuase they were done right.

You misread what I said. I was saying I dont want to see kids at my school that have the pos and go to a drift show because Ricki Chan and the Super Street crew says its the coolest thing ever. I cant really explain it well enough so you can get what I am saying..Meh

If anyone else from Arizona is reading this I suggest you check out the forums at www.az240sx.org Its a group of AZ guys (duh lol) that own 240sx and a vareity of other cars who are into drifting, auto-x, etc.

http://www.az240sx.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=10476
Sweet! Looks like PIR does hold drift events every now and then, last time I checked it was all parking lot days. Anyhoo, I have been to PIR atleast 6 times and can tell you it is a nice track and like it says in the link the place is great. There aren't too many turns but it would be no less..Too bad its on a Monday (Sept. 13, follow the link for more info.)

['97 S14 SE Turb]

Originally posted by nitroboy24
You misread what I said. I was saying I dont want to see kids at my school that have the pos and go to a drift show because Ricki Chan and the Super Street crew says its the coolest thing ever. I cant really explain it well enough so you can get what I am saying..Meh

If anyone else from Arizona is reading this I suggest you check out the forums at www.az240sx.org Its a group of AZ guys (duh lol) that own 240sx and a vareity of other cars who are into drifting, auto-x, etc.

http://www.az240sx.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=10476
Sweet! Looks like PIR does hold drift events every now and then, last time I checked it was all parking lot days. Anyhoo, I have been to PIR atleast 6 times and can tell you it is a nice track and like it says in the link the place is great. There aren't too many turns but it would be no less..Too bad its on a Monday (Sept. 13, follow the link for more info.)

Who cares if those guys goes. If they are interested, maybe they will learn to modify cars correctly and get rid of their POS and get something better.

It's all about education.

As for PIR, it's not the first time we've drifted there. We were there earlier this year by Formula D's invitation during an INDY test and tune day.

There was also a session with NASA in May.

And after the September event, we still expect there to be more. Many of us with AZ240sx.org have run with NASA at local Arizona events as well as California events. One of the guys got the NASA AZ to allow a drift group.

How was that done? We supported NASA events by going to their track days (me, member since '98). We also started drifting in their HPDE4 run group (most aggressive, passing allowed in corners) demonstrating to the track owners and the NASA officials, that it can be done safely without too much disruption to the run group.

And viola, NASA-AZ's drift run group is born. Though, we recommend Beginners (to track days) to stick with NASA's HPDE1 beginners class and learn to drive grip properly.

That brings me to a good point. When you are trying to get local events setup, bring along couple of folks that are experienced, and show how it can be done responsibily without much risk.

[iMakeGraves]

If America had a drifting event based on drifting only, it would flop.

There are not enough people involved in the sport to keep an actual business running and attract Japan's drifters to our interest.

The import show scene is well known by now and there are plenty of people who probobly come to events for the show alone, get curious, and check out the drifting side. This attracts a fan base and allows the sport to grow.

If you truely love drifting you'll do whatever you can to attract a huge audience so that the sport can grow.

[iMakeGraves]

Originally posted by spock
Um, let's see...
To answer the first question, I've never slept with any because I wouldn't bring myself down to that level. And secondly, I'm sure most people would agree with me that any girl posing practically nude and looking like she's ready for some action is pretty whore-ish.

No, she's using her body and her appearence to market herself. She's getting money for standing around and autographing things for alot of pre-pubescent boys.

[Ghost of Duluth]

Back on topic people. I think we have covered the Import Model part of it. Thanks though.

[iMakeGraves]

Originally posted by Ghost of Duluth
Back on topic people. I think we have covered the Import Model part of it. Thanks though.

I'm allowed to put my $.02 in.

[pony]

Originally posted by spock
Um, let's see...
To answer the first question, I've never slept with any because I wouldn't bring myself down to that level. And secondly, I'm sure most people would agree with me that any girl posing practically nude and looking like she's ready for some action is pretty whore-ish.

oh, so you judge books by their covers?

[swifty949]

i vote to officially close the thread...i think everything that needed to be said was said. Everyone voiced thier opinions, this argument will never end.

[iMakeGraves]

Originally posted by swifty949
i vote to officially close the thread...i think everything that needed to be said was said. Everyone voiced thier opinions, this argument will never end.

If the fire is still going, don't put it out.

[spock]

Originally posted by Ghost of Duluth
It all boiuls down to this, if you don't like the show, don't go see it. This debate has basically turned into who does what, where and why. Mix in some stuff about girls being whores, (and watch your mouth Spock, my GF's bathing suit is more skimpy than the suff they wear and she strips, she isn't a whore), and you got what we have now, nothing. No one is any nearer to solving this thread or getting to the bottom of it than we were at the beginning. Everyone in this thread at one time or another has made some wonderful points. Probably the best one by CrazyHawaiian. Those words made me step back and really think about things. Thank you.

Guys, this isn't our series. We don't participate in it, we don't organize it and we don't scribble out the paychecks at the end of it. We only go to see it. Our concerns have been aired and they have been addressed. They have not only been addressed by the drivers that we have here who represent the sport, but they have been addressed by the director of the series himself. It has been hounded and beaten on for 15 pages and there is no end in sight.

Alex has one of the other good points that I have seen and it also made me step back and re-evaluate my idea of what the sport should be. I also had a long talk with him and that also spurred some thought. People, it is up to us, and us alone, to make Drifting popular on our own terms. It is up to us to open peoples eyes to what the sport is about. The way Drifting will grow is the way we present it to people. If you want something done, do it yourself.

To the 2nd racing guys, you guy's are possibly in one of the best places in the country right now for this to blossom. If no one is giving you the time of day, contact me and let's work together. I will actually be in Conyers on Saturday at my brothers shop, PM me and I will give you my #, maybe you guys can come out and we can chat. We can work on a better way of talking to them. Anyone else that needs any help talking to track owners, contact me and let's all try to work towards a primary goal. In the business's I have done, I have worked with numerous people and have had to develope some mad conversational skills so I will be happy to work with anyone of you in trying to get events organized. Let's make a better effort.

The time for an underground movement is over. Point blank, the sport is out there, people know what it is but 90% of them don't understand it. It's up to us to explain it to them. TV and now in the very near future,movies, will have alot more people knowing what Drifting is. If we don't have something even semi firm in place for the Grassroots scene, we are going to have people wiping out on the streets and getting looney because there is no where else for them to go. That pisses me off. We can sit here and run our fingers till they bleed but in the end, if there are no events, we have accomplished nothing. Not a damm thing.

So now the offer is on the table, PM me, I am open to helping any of you try to organize your own events. Let's work together on this because I am new to it as is everyone else but with all of us working together, how can we fail? I don't see a way. There are too many smart people here to let that happen. The time has come for us to put up or shut up. I'd rather keep talking myself. How bout you?

Alright. I appologize for calling import models whores. Just forget I ever said that. But I do have a couple of things to add. First thing I'd like to say is it's not up to us show people what drifting's all about. Why? Because we have no control over the media or money. And if any actual drift enthusiasts decides they don't want to go to Formula D because they dissagree with their advertising or whatever Slipstream's not gonna give a damn. The majority of the people who show up as a result of the advertising are just there to see all the stuff on the side. If you don't buy your ticket someone else will. It's obvious nothing's going to change no matter what anyone says. They're not going to change the direction they're heading. And while they're at it they can go ahead and book Lil' Romeo. That'll surely attract the middle-schoolers. However, if anyone dies or gets hurt after they see drifting in the next Fast and Furious movie or on TV I'm all for it. I really am. There's really nothing more fun than to watch some asshole slide his car off a cliff in the process of trying to be cool. Just give it a few years and drifting will go the way of Pogs (Remember those? No.) or Giga Pets. This kind of corporate involvement that we're seeing is creating a very unstable fan base that will collapse in due time. And don't expect anyone to take drifting seriously as a sport at the rate things are going.

But I guess my real complaint is that you're trying to appeal to the lowest denominator, and by doing so you're essentially dragging the real enthusiasts down to that level.

[swifty949]

If you dont like Formula D, then don't support it. Don't go to the events, thats all you can do. If other people feel the same they wont go. If enough people aren't going, that will definitly hurt Formula D, and cause them to rethink strategies. I dont think the reasons stated are enough to boycott Formula D and the participating teams.

All of the fears of noobs hurting themselves are nothing more than speculation. So who cares if F&F3 or a tv show has drifting in it. People can do a google search on drifting and find this website, and plenty of others. It's not an unknown sport anymore. People without brains are going to hurt themselves no matter what. Be it blowing thier hands off playing wiht fireworks, or trying to drift in an unsafe manner. There will always be dumb arsses. Were in a free country, free to make our own decisions for ourselves.

[RyanHampton]

Spock,

Once again who determines the real enthusiasts? At what point did you become a real enthusiast? Once again, we do control the media, especially when they ask you questions. Once again people are responsible for their own actions. I wouldn't worry too much about kids drifitng off the mountain, I would blame that more on Initial D.

Once again how many Formula D events have you attended, none since you know nothing about the outcome. Haven't you read anything what the guy from Houston who went to the event, people did come to see the car show, but when drifting was going on, no one was inside. I can vouch for that since I wasn't running. Now there will be some things we can't control, like FF3. And all we can do is hope for the best in that scenario...The world is far from a perfect place, and if it was we could all drift 8 hours a day not have to pay for tires or anything, but that is not reality. Formula D is trying to do the best they can to provide a venue for the american drivers to show their talent. And if the Japanese drivers come over that would be awsome! Yeah we would get our buts kicked, but I would take the invite gladly. Why because when you compete aginst the best you get better. I don't think drifting is like pogs, get real how many times have you seen an HKS pog? You obviously do not understand marketing in any way, shape, or form. The reason for the half naked girl is......Get ready for this....


are you still waiting for the answer?


Still?



SEX SELLS....


its that simple....

Do I agree with it?

no,

does it get the job done,

Yes....

[Ghost of Duluth]

Actually Spock, I couldn't disagree with you more. In the Import world, where Drifting actually falls under in the big scheme of things, Drifting IS the lowest common denominator. We have less of a fanbase than any of the other Import sports. So they are actually appealing to the highest common denominator which is an average Import enthusiast who is into the most parts of the sport.

Also it IS up to us to show people what Drifting is about. That could not be farther from the truth. Everyone on here has been posting about how they do not like the way that Formula Drift is going, so how do we change that? Why we go out there and do it ourselves. You are just giving up it sounds like, "well since FD is not going to listen to what I have to say then I guess it's all over for Drifting". Thats what that sounds like. I know you aren't that way so why put that there. Everyone here is capable of doing just what the guys at Formula Drift have done. How do you think they did it? They got off their rumps and contacted people, got things rolling and did it. It's not impossible.

I hate to say this but dammit, everyone says they would do things this way and that way but by god, when someone comes up to you and says they will pay you to Drift, put on events or anything else, you will change your tune right off. You may say you won't but when you put on an event with your own money and pay to have people come there to drive, you are going to want to fill them stands. You are going to want to get as much of that money back as you can and more so that you can funnel it into your own car or the next event. Putting on an event means you have to sell your soul, how much you sell depends on you. So anyone putting on a practice day, Drift day, or any other event where you have to rent something, insure it, pay to have security if you need it will want to get some of that money back. So in a sense, it is about the money. I know I don't want to shell out 2000 bucks and not get anything back. Thats a fully adjustable suspension or half of a new engine. I love you guys, but I ain't spending 2 grand to rent a track just so you can come out there and roll around there for free. Would you do it for me?
Doubt it. So thats why money comes into it.

I wish some people would think before they reply. I mean really think out what you are going to say. Look at things from both angles not just one. Then post something. There are reasons why people do things.