Ask ALEX PFEIFFER Something!

[CrazyBadger]

NICE, I hope I'll be able to make it. Just curious, how big are the tracks they normally have events at(seating capacity)?

[Buddyworm]

Here's one:

Where did you get the balls for a twin drift and how did you first gain experience doing them?

B-Wurm

[AlexPfeiffer]

ONtheROADagain,
Yeah, we have plans to be there again this year. Chicago probably.

CrazyBadger,
All the tracks will differ a bit depending on how much space the venue lets us use. Normally, there will be enough space to fit 10k spectators and up to 30k for the larger events.


Buddyworm,
Its never really bothered me to run tandom. Its just how much trust you have with the other drivers will determin how close you should get to them. Some people are not as predictable so you give yourself a bit more room. Or if you dont trust someone, dont let them run behind you.

[illegalgarage]

What kinda RPM's are you hitting while you drift the RSR S2K???

Max

[CrazyBadger]

Oh I see. The track near me holds 8k, its a 3/8 with an open tarmac infield(the pits are outside the track)and its right off the highway(I-90). I know you wanna stop in Erie on your way to NJ in feb..

[AlexPfeiffer]

Max,
Rev limit on that car i think is 7500 but most the time im usually around 4 to 6k.

CrazyBadger,
I really dont think we will be stopping in.

[biggslava]

u gonna compete at the drift showoff in colorado?

[madmax13]

What do you think about the Lexus IS300 as a drifting/road racing platform?

[illegalgarage]

What clutch are you using in the RSR S2K?

Max

[CrazyBadger]

Haha didn't think so, but if your ever near you should.

[s13daver]

im not sure if yuo answered this already cuz there is 30 pages of this stuff and was to lazy to read BUT, wow did you get your start into d1?like were you noticed at a local event and asked if you would drive for a team or did you go in with your own car into the driver search, me and my friend will be building a fc car for d1 for a long term run at the top 16 for the d1 driver search, all we want is our d1 license. any suggestions?

[AlexPfeiffer]

madmax13,
The only thing i see wrong with the is300 is the cost. It can be a good platform but you have a high initial cost of getting the car and getting the parts you need, like a LSD, suspension, and a little extra hp.

illegalgarage
I cant remember what is in it right now off the top of my head but we do have a new ORC flywheel and clutch single disk package that they are putting in it.

[AlexPfeiffer]

s13daver

Here is a write up i did after the D1 weekend this year. I originally posted it up on club4ag.com but since you asked, here it is.

A week before the event was spent helping most of the american drivers get their suspension setups right by corner ballencing and setting the alignments. If you noticed, there was also a Battle Version sticker on the back window of the american APEX FD (thanks Len,Jenson). On tuesday, there was a private practice day at irwindale that Apex had put together for testing. I signed up to run to get some practice in. Expecialy since some of the top drivers where going to be doing thier final setups and this would be the best oppertunity to learn some new technics. Unfortunatly my transmition broke half way threw the day, but this was also when I got to OK to beable to try and qualify for d1. My car was flat black with no stickers and Moto did some talking to get me in with my own car(thank you Moto!!). Alot of people have been pushing my name to get me into D1 and I thank you all!
So that night I take my car back to the shop, run ! home and steal the trans out of my Roomate's car (thank you Andy!) and get my car running again. Wensday was spent on the phone getting tires (thank you Falken!! Nick, Kelvin) and trying to find other parts such as a spare trans (thank you Gushi Auto!!) and extra wheels (thank you Taka, Hiro).
Thursday afternoon was practice and i was really nervous since i would be running on the azinis sport rt 215 which i thought would be too grippy for the high speed drifting we would be doing. But these tires worked really well and I was able to get the line down.
Now all i had to work on was making the car look more like a D1 car. So we ran back to the shop with the car to get it airbrushed (thank you Rick! and yeah, he can do helmits also) We finished up there at about 5:30 in the morning with no sleep from the day before so I just decided to get back to the track. I get back to the track and get in a short nap before everyone started to show up.
On fr! iday we had one warm up in the morning and then a few of us americans that didnt run in the last D1 event had to qualify as american drivers. Unfortunatly this is where Chris from Signal hit his bad luck of the weekend, after he and Tony had been transplanting a sr20det into Chris's 350Z for the last few months. The fuel pressure regulator broke on his warm up lap which took out one of our top american drivers.
Seigo, Andy, and I made it as american D1 drivers. At this point they gave us our actual D1 stickers to put on our cars while the rest of the drivers where running in practice. Andy ran back to Autolink with the car after a small brush with the wall.
From here all of the competitors (except for top 10 D1 and Top 3 US drivers) Had to qualify to run on saturday. Just at the last minute, Andy is back with the Autolink car. Unfortunatly in his brush with the wall, it messed up the alighnment of the car.
In this round of eliminations they cut the field of drivers down to 32. We lost a few more of our am! erican drivers. Going into saturday we had Ryse, Daishiro, Ernie as our seed drivers with Sam, Ken, Seigo, and I as the rest of our US drivers.
On friday after the qualifying, I went straight home to catch up on the sleep i didnt get the night before. Saturday morning comes up and i get to the track about 7. I cant belive the trafic and the line that is already outside. I get in, get some breakfast and start putting on more stickers. After every round of eliminations my car would get more and more stickers for some reason.
Put on a new set of rubber for practice. Get out there and the track is pritty slipery, make a few changes in shocks and tire preasure and the car is good again.
First round of eliminations come up (32 to 24 cars), I feel pritty good in the car and everything is working well. In the elimination we lost some more of our US drivers. Ernie has been having car trouble and spent the whole night changing his motor and transmition ! but the car is still not working well.
After this first rou nd, all thats left is Ryse, Sam, And I. I get back to the pits and start putting on more stickers. Time comes up for our second round (24 to 16 cars) And I'm pritty excited to still be in the game. We get ready to go and get one warm up lap as we line up in the pit lane. As i come past the judge's stand in the the warm up lap, It happened. I knew it would happen but just didnt know when. Third gear lets go in the trans with a big bang. Usually once this happens I just park the car. Not this time, It was D1, I had to try it without third gear.
I get some help from the boys to push me up to the line because at this point the car is making all kinds of noise and i dont want them to tell me i cant run. Usually i i dont tighten up my harnesses too much but I wasnt sure if the trans would lock up on me and throw the car into the wall. So I make my belts as tight as i can get them.
I start the run, he trans is making some really bad noise as i hit the bank. Go ! threw first gear, second, into fourth the hard way will a big grind. No boost and not picking up speed. Start riding the clutch and the boost comes in pritty late. I have no choice but to hold that gas pedal down and pray. In my mind I'm thinking "Here we go!!, Hang the xxxx on Alex!!!" As I go diving in at crazy speed. Get past the first couple apex's and time for the down shift back into second, big grind as I force it back in. Coming around for the second lap same thing. As soon as i drop it in fourth, no one home. Time for clutch again and this time even more speed. The car brakes loose even earlier this time and i cant hold the line. There goes a few cones, off the line a bit by the second set and another big grind into second. At this point I new i was done event though everyone in the pits said it was a good first lap. We get to the stand to find the results and true enough. I was out.
Down to our last couple US drivers, Samuel and Ryse.

All in All, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. With the amount of top drivers there, I can't belive that this little AE86 that started off flat black on tuesday had got me so far. What a great event. Nothing better than some crazy driving action with good people and good times.
Thank You Everyone!!!!
Alex

[s13daver]

thanks!

thanks for the response it was sorta what i was looking for but not quite. i read the "how to" to get into the d1 qualifying but still dont understand, maybe someone else can help me out but i want to ask you cuz youve been there before.ok so if i got a d1 capable car that is all up to spec, i read that so if you compete in the drivers search and place top 10 then you get to go into the qualifying right? well it also said on d1gp.com that if you place top 10 in other previous events you can go into qualifying. or is that just to get into the drivers search? and what kind of events count as a placing of top 10? local events? sponsored events? plz help, me and my friend want to build a d1 car for like 5 years down the road or somethin so maybe you can help me get straightened out! thanks!

[AlexPfeiffer]

Basicly if you want to become a D1 driver, you need to get your D1 licence. To get the licence, you need to be picked by Keiichi at one of the drivers searches. Since there isnt many D1 events in the US, there are not that many drivers searches. Now even if you do complete the drivers search and get the licence, all the lincence is good for is to qualify for D1 here in the US. It isnt a full licence for international competition yet. You basicly need to be invited by Keiichi to run the other competitions.

And inorder to keep the licence, you should have to still complete a drivers search every year, but they havent enforced that rule as of yet.