Force the SCCA to build some serious drift courses!

[malcolm]

like I said in the other thread, I think they use a lot of karting circuits in Japan. The corners are tight enough that speeds aren't really high, but the course is technical and requires lots of skill.



Here is an example of a karting circuit that could be used for a drifting competition. A drift battle was actually planned for this circuit, and it was to be a D1 Driver-Search event before it got cancelled. I've been on this track before (raced karts there for '97 to '99), and they also hold Solo-1 events there (solo-1 is essentially like Time-Attack in Japan).

Formula D just needs to go to more karting-based circuits like this one for their events. These venues are small enough that you can put grand-stands all around the track, and people could see everything.

[Tsunami]

Racetracks have to be flexible. They have to be able to host many different kinds of racing in order to make enough money to stay open. This is why most tracks are built as ovals with infield road courses. Right now drifting is considered a fad, so it doesn't make finanical sense to build a drift-only tracks.

Probably the more realistic approach is to add drift-specific sections to the tracks to allow the cars to be drifted around the entire track. Also I don't see any reason why someone couldn't build a small venue to host drifting (something similar to Hawaii's racecourse that Driftsession runs on).

Personally I'd think it would be interesting to see the cars run the Indianapolis F1 circuit. You'd drift the infield section with choku's on the infield straight, drift onto the oval, then do a high-speed grip in the short chute before the main straight. It'd be a high-speed drag race to the first turn, where you'd see high speed, hard side-braking into turn one. The course would bring aero and engine power into the fray, plus drafting. You would have drifting, gripping and dragging all on the same course!

[slideways2004]

i like that idea

[Ziptyed]

Someone needs to build something like driftland in best motoring's drift bible. That would be great, and it's not that big.

[Ris4drift]

not beign mean, just a reality check, dont take it personal

Originally posted by Tsunami
Racetracks have to be flexible. They have to be able to host many different kinds of racing in order to make enough money to stay open. This is why most tracks are built as ovals with infield road courses. Right now drifting is considered a fad, so it doesn't make finanical sense to build a drift-only tracks.

tracks dont have to do crap. Texas World Speedway's owners are making a killing off of weekend track days. no spectators, just 50+ $200 entry fees per weekend, every weekend. the oval is in complete disrepair, the 50k people grandstands are condemned. the owners are happy, they are making money, the track is dying, they couldnt care less. the big name tracks are buildign road courses b/c of the money they can make bringing in mainstream seires. look at texas motor speedway, tickets are around $50ish, x 150,000 spectators, plus sponsors giving money for everythign there, etc etc. its a good way to make money.

Originally posted by Tsunami Probably the more realistic approach is to add drift-specific sections to the tracks to allow the cars to be drifted around the entire track. Also I don't see any reason why someone couldn't build a small venue to host drifting (something similar to Hawaii's racecourse that Driftsession runs on).

why dont nobody build a drift track? $$$ . not to mention there are plenty of tracks that can easiliy be drifted across the nation.

Originally posted by Tsunami Personally I'd think it would be interesting to see the cars run the Indianapolis F1 circuit. You'd drift the infield section with choku's on the infield straight, drift onto the oval, then do a high-speed grip in the short chute before the main straight. It'd be a high-speed drag race to the first turn, where you'd see high speed, hard side-braking into turn one. The course would bring aero and engine power into the fray, plus drafting. You would have drifting, gripping and dragging all on the same course!

good idea. but how many races go on at indy per year? i dont think that will ever happen, no matter how much fun that would be.

[Ghost of Duluth]

It all goes back to Drifting not being popular enough to hold it's own event and be profitable enough for the track owners to shell out the dough to put Drift specific areas at their tracks. A track owner is not going to shut down Laguna Seca for a weekend for a Drift event. Same with the little events that people are always talking about starting themselves. Alot of people call the big raceways and ask them for track time for an event but they want the whole track. Youc an say you want a couple corners to slide one but that requires shutting down the entire track, safety crews, track crews and a host of other people there so you can run safely. Just not worth the money to the big guys.

[Drifterlunchb0x]

scca in general doesnt seem to have much information about drifting...they assume all drift events are at speeds like the d1...i have had major clashes with scca in the northwest. I was kicked out because i argued to much that drifting isnt at highspeeds and it is controlled. To scca of oregon drifting was what only highhp cars could do like fully built corvettes and the like. These ppl lack so much info or knowledge about anything, i actually had a guy tell me i need to stop being an idiot with kut springs and get a real suspension LOL LOL JIC NUFF SAID!!!!. so i stopped trying to prove to them that drifting wasnt what they thought it was but u know old bastagaes wouldnt see it any other way than their own. so i dont like scca. not one bit. scca in oregon = ignorant old men/ miata owners.

anyways...yeah. thats my rant. if scca would get its act together and get all its affiliates to fully understand what it is than maybe something could happen.or we could all do like gushi and learn on a dry lake. LOL

[Tsunami]

First of all Ris, Tx Motor Speedway was built 20+ years ago, so it's worth a fraction of what it would cost new. When you use an existing track it's easier to make money than to build a new one. (Irwindale for ex.) What I was saying was referring to building new tracks, not using old ones.

I understand why you'd be angry about the owners milking the track for all it's worth. To this day I'm still wondering why they built the track, had a few big events there, then left it to ruin and built another one not too far from it. I hate seeing grand-old tracks fall out of the spotlight just as much as you do.

Hosting multiple racing series makes the track owner more money and gives the investors return on their investment. If the track isn't gonna make millions of dollars, nobody wants anything to do with it. To billionaire and millionaire investors, drifting is just a fad, just another 2F2F to them. They won't risk all their money on that. They want gauranteed Nascar dates before they'll even think about opening their wallets. It's a shame that nobody cares about the little guy anymore, everythings "sell tons of crap to tons of people, screw the quality."

Btw the reason why Japan has so many tight, driftable tracks is their lack of space. Japan is a small country with alot of people and not alot of usable land. So when they build racetracks they have to be small to fit their surroundings, which is sometimes a mountaintop.

And Ris, I just wanted to let you know that I've been watching and attending races for nearly 15 years. I've been into cars my entire life and run togue on the weekends. So I do know a thing or 2 about racing. I just didn't want you to think that I was some 12-year-old-wannabe.

[NismoSigma]

WTH? Everyone keeps posting the same ideas I put into that big post. like i said, THEY AINT GONNA BUILD ONE AND THATS IT! Just drift in a parking lot, the point is to have fun, its not fun when you do a bad drift, go into the tracks gravel and get stuck. ANOTHER thing is that drifting is insane in west coast and the same in east but since all the top tuners come from japan, west coast is a hell of alotta easier to get to. The drifters are neglecting us east coast guys, cause even when there is a huge event its either in Florida or somewere not near northeast. I think im going to go cry now :'(

[Ziptyed]

Yeah I live in Florida, and we've only had like four at the most and like two of those were practices. And Jersey's got DOF, and DOW monthly, so I don't know what you're talking about.

[servinmcgervin]

this seems to be a controversal subject. it seems to have touched some people on the badder side. i personally dont think it's something to get all bent out of shape over. i simply was implying that it would be cool to have even just one track built with drifting in mind. i realize that drifting has just swept over america mainstream lately but people will soon realize that its not just a fad, and that it will succeed into being a defined sport here in the states.

[mk3mann]

parking lots with cones are getting old......think about it


I am in for building some circuits!

we have lots of space in TN...

[zdss14]

building a drift circut would be kick a$$, realistic no, (im shure if we tried we could do it ) but iv got another idea. here in nothern va we have park and rides at every exit off i-95, what if on the weekends a part can be blocked off for drifters, kinda like a skate park, build em to get them off the streets.

[Ghost of Duluth]

East Coast has DG events. These guys put on some good events and have had some awesome talent come out of them. West Coast has more oppurtunites sure, but the East Coast is coming on strong.

[pony]

this thread explains EVERYTHING.

do yall even know who SCCA is or even does?