What Will Happen To Drifting?

[DRFTspecS15]

It's a real interesting situation with all of the different sanction bodies popping up. Although some are different they are all still based around drifting. I think many of us enthusiasts see drifting as something very special that might have legs and that could create some very exciting things for the sport.

DRAG RACING:
Perhaps the state of drag racing is something to look at in regards to how drifting could be. At this point in time there are multiple sanctioning bodies competing in the same markets for the same crowds and the same sponsors. Drag racing as a whole has suffered because of that. You have certain drivers stretched to make it to as many events as possible, sponsors that can only commit to certian series and attendees that are only willing to make an investment at so many events especially if one event is superior to the other that just came into town 2 weeks prior.

CART & INDY:
With road racing you have a similar struggle. You have the CART and IRL battle that has been going on for years. Sponsors jumping from series to series, teams having to choose one or the other, bitter marketing strategies that hurt each other, etc. You have seen recently the possibility of CART going under. Although there have been some great people trying to buy it and re-vamp it, I think people would prefer a healthy series that can concentrate on racing rather than having to worry if they can make it next year. It's no secret that IRL has felt the pain a bit as well

FORMULA ONE & NASCAR:
Then you look at those racing bodies that are succeeding in not only making their sport huge, but dominating and bringing huge opportunities and gains to sponsors, teams and most importantly fans. Those bodies would be Formula 1 and Nascar. So what is so different with Formula 1 and Nascar compared to the other forementioned bodies? Competition for one. There is no competition! You can't lose if you are the only game in town. Even better, you can't lose if you are the only game in town and you have a really good series. (Note: Whether you like Nascar or not is up to you. As we all know there is a large percentage of this country that does) What else have these guys going for them? Well marketing is a major deal. Both have marketed each series as the pinnacle of that racing. Open-wheel racers one day hope they can race at Hockenheim next to Schumacher and if you are a Nascar fan you better believe your dream is to win at Daytona.

Further more each of these series have controlled stepping ladders to get to where they want to be. Formula 1 has Formula 3000 and others below that. Nascar has all types of regional series that you can climb your way up the ladder.

So what is the point in all this? I guess it is to raise the question as an enthusiast to ask will drifting be hurt if there are 20 different bodies all going for the same finsh line. It seems so in the case of CART, IRL and our import drag racing scene. I think sponsors have gained valuable experience from drag racing. More sponsors are willing to spend more $ on one series than less $ on 5 different series in hopes that they can put that big investment to that one series and take it to the top and gain from that investment. As you know more and more sponsors are carrying drift teams and they have a big say in where those teams compete. Furthermore and most important is the fan. The fan must be able to go and see the most exciting drifting possible and not just in CA but nationally.

Competition is good, but oversaturation is a bad thing. In the case of a sport that is in its infancy here in the states, could a mess of different bodies trying to do the same thing be bad for the sport?

[eFINI_FC]

wow. you worry too much.

haha jus playing. I kinda se what ur saying. Youre talking about the life of drifting as a sport only right? Not the culture of it, correct?
It would be good to have only one series, one big world drift "Olympics" rather than a million small competioions going on and have drivers jumping all around the different series. But unlike say F-1 cars, a drift car can be made by just about anyone, therefore making the sport more close to home, and then making a desire for competition series close to home also. i think along the corse of this divine sport's growth, you're going to see a lot more "mini" series popping up, but in the end, I think there should only be one (for example) D-1 GP.

You wrote a lot of dam words up there, so I hope Ifollowed what u were saying, and that this made sense!

[WS6 Drifter]

GREAT POST

I see what your saying

Here is my side being I am a sportsman level racer myself, competeing in IHRA drag racing and SCCA racing

I hope once the drift world takes off in the US it stays or atlest keeps the sportman weekend warrior in mind. Such as IHRA an SCCA and not get ahead of reality as has NHRA and NASCAR yet there great but your every day blue collar joe cant afford to be part of that. This is were SCCA an IHRA come in. They have the local races an low budget racing and also have national big budget classes to move up to. This is what i'd like to see drifting become no matter how big it becomes it needs to keep the low budget stock class arena for all the enthusiest witch will make it a big part of the american life were we can cheer on our heros who race the big leauges and at the same time run a local series and be a hero ourselfs! And not have to be bringing in 6 plus figures ayear to do so! such as is the IHRA Summit Super series! has allowed as has the SCCA

am I wrong in saying this!

[CrazyHawaiian]

I say at this point, any interest in the sport helps. We need more tracks and events at the local level. Otherwise people will try on the street and make us all look bad in the long run. I dont really care who ends up hosting drifting events in the future, or who sponsors what, as long as I can enter. The cool thing about drifting is that skill is worth more than high end equipment. Everyone in the D1 has an expensive car, but I dont think its needed to compete. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the D1 drivers probably drift just as good in their personal cars as they do in the high dollar sponsored cars. So the possibility of someone competing on a low budget is much greater than other sports that rely on power, times, speed, etc. Drifting is more about skill and style. Anyone can build skill and style with enough time invested. Not money ... time. The only thing I worry about is the entry fee's getting too high, as to where an average Joe on a single income cannot afford to play. That would really ruin the sport at this stage IMHO.

[Chas]

I didnt read any posts, bu ti belive it will grow, then get HUGE then die.

[D1 DRIFTER]

DRIFTNG!!

drifting will stay main stream for a long time i think and the good thing is.... u don't have 2 have a big budget to drift liek in street racing u wat ur car 2 be fast but in drifting it all about sus and lsd,
to me drifting should have a place in histsory for jebus sake lol

[silviaguy]

I have not read all the post but here is my take on it.

Drifting is currently still growing in the U.S. but like Drag racing it’s going to suffer. Why? The reason for that is cause the driving force to this is going to be younger kids coming up. The whole import thing started cause kids could take there hand me down Honda civics, accord etc. and make them there by different mods. Now most of these cars are front-wheel drive cars. Getting these cars to drift is much harder. As soon as these kids go out and try it and see it’s hard to do they are going to give it up. Like drag racing you can only watch is it’s going to get boring quickly. Then drifting will go back to the people you truly love it. That's what I think is going to happen. I really think we are currently in the up swing for the popularity of drifting. When it hit its pike (which I think will be this summer) that’s going to rock. But keep in mind most people can’t have two cars. There “drift car” has to be there daily driver also.

[nightracer]

I'm not sure what will become of drifting in the long run but I know things are being done backwards now. They're just importing a sport and branding it as something new when in reality it never WAS, in this country except for a few individuals who had some sort of contact with Japan and racers. I think a lot of you guys are right but you've missed a point here.

There needs to be a major grassroots movement of drifting before there can be things like the D1gp and drift tracks. You crawl then you walk which is how drifting became what it is in Japan today. Granted the exposure to drifting in this country influences many to go out and get into drifting - thats a good thing. Is it attempting to build any foundations or skills from the beginner level? Not exactly.

When the touge racers in Japan started drifting in the mountains for fun they had no nationally sactioning bodies and major sponsors to feed their sensation with it - them doing it is what fueled it. It took many years for the sport to develop in Japan into what it is today. They didn't have Koguchi's, Imamura's, Tanaguchi's or Ueno's to look up back then- they had a fixation with controlled traction loss and took it from an infancy to a national craze. It went from the mountain tops to the streets, not from the tv and internet to the grand stands.

The problem I see with state-side drifting today is a bunch of companies trying to sell parts, invest marketing budgets, media companies trying to get ratings and entertainment companies trying to sell tickets. All being done in hopes cash in on drifting - a sport and culture that never developed to the level required to compete or be showcase in the maner it is. If it did develop the whole competition wouldn't need to be flown over from Japan, they'd drive to the tracks and set their own cars up.

I think drifting will grow in this country but I think a lot of missconceptions and bastardizations will come with it. The people only in it because they THINK its cool or the thing to do will fall by the way side. The people who've been into drifting years before there was national attention to it will continue doing what they love.

[driftxtreem]

Ill tell you exactly what will happen. To many organizations are going to go at each other for there share of it and a bunch that sould not. This will make it if you race in this you cant race in that, and the pick and chose for competitors, Money , It'll get bigger than thought. The cops will be all over it and then POP. Just like so many other new things. Drove into the ground, It wont even be fun to compete. If you look closely in Japan you can see that most of the best drivers dont compete. They like it where it started on the streets like wangan. In Japan you dont see fifty orgs. trying to do this. You have the Advan cup and the Battle Magazine for the stepping stone to D1. And then you have tracks that sponser there own. This makes it clean and simple. But there are no tracks state side willing to do this and there are orgs. with out the right know how and or little drift experiance trying to do a D1. I give it five years and itle be like the last NOPI Drag in fontana, About two buss loads of people and half were the competeters.

[ACDSupra7]

RE:

It's probably going to turn out just like skateboarding did... anyone remember that?

[baboon's a$$]

I do........sadness. I remember back in the day.

[CRASHDRIVE]

Its going to turn out as Street Dragging.

UNLESS we do something about it now.

anyways... its definately going to get big. But thats because they have the money. People that does not have the money will form and will open an area with legal drift practice.

I want every county to open a local area (legally) specifically for Drifting. Rent out a parking lot, buy alot of cones and charge people that wants to practice of course make it non-profit. Just use the money that you collect to rent the parking lot to another day.

[baboon's a$$]

that makes sense, however, there will always be the dumba$s immature fuŠks that ruin it for everyone. Try as you might to safeguard against it.

[hachiroku-fc3s]

Originally posted by Chas
I didnt read any posts, bu ti belive it will grow, then get HUGE then die.

Me either and I agree except I dont think it will die. I just think it will go back to how it was before it went mainstream. Guess you could call that dead though.

[nightracer]

Hmm I might set up an autoX/ghymkana day if I can rent out a track. I run a local racing site and know tons of people who'd be interested. We got the cones. Stuff like that is where it needs to start. Anything more is running before crawling unless its been done in w/e particular area.. I say if you're going to do it on the streets have look outs, use walkies and send the dumba$$'s home.