Dammit Dave... This was a decent thread. Choku Dori and sighborg were getting all up in eachothers faces and general fun was happening.

Peaches. May. Hmmm. : |

As you can see, I can hardly contain my excitement to go see Peaches live. It's gonna be a buncha fekkin 'Indier-Than-Thou' types who think they like hip hop now that they found Peaches... sportin' all kinds of horrible bed head hair styles and geek-chic fashion. However... You're the second person to demand I go. Oh well... if nothing else it might be a good op to meet 'yatches.

I s'pose I'm there. What's the date again?

 

Who was the first person to demand?

Fri, 05/14/04 09:00 PM

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1C...1&minorcatid=1


... i just wanna get out of the ****ing house and have some fun... kinda feeling a bit like i need to breath.

 

Alright alright, here's the official Choku Dori Damage Control Post:

Since most of you already admitted that you don't know much about drifting, that gets that out of the way. Good that you're all so honest
So!... It seems that most of the exposure people here have had to drifting is via one of three ways: 1.) the D-1 Showoff's in So Cali a few months ago, 2.) the anime "Initial D", or 3.) some punk kid ***-dragging his beater 240SX and claiming that he "drifted". Am I right so far?

Now, for the "true nature" of drifting (sighborg's preferred term ): Drifting began in the '70s during the era of the first generation of lightweight, fuel-efficient Japanese sportscars due the Arab oil embargo. If anyone remembers those days, just about everything was expensive and shoddy, including performance components for cars. Prior to this era, roadsters and gymkhana-style grip driving was all the rage, and for good reason: it was effective as hell (popular cars then were the Honda S600 and 800, Datsun Fairlady Roadster, and Toyota Sport 500). However, with the seventies came prohibitive expenses, and roadsters and their sticky rubber went out of style due to their expense. It was nearly impossible to drive in the same way as was popular in the '60s (European-style gymkhana with an emphasis on drift). Thus, many Japanese motorsports enthusiasts began to experiment with a new driving technique: they would continue to race on crappy tires, but instead of emphasis on maintaining smooth, straight racing lines, they decided to try getting through courses as quickly as possible, regardless of traditional technique. Rear wheel drive was still the dominant drivetrain layout of the day, and many decided to use its natural tendencies to the best of their ability. Thus, drifting was born. Popular cars for drifting in these early years were the KCPG-10 Skyline GT-R (a truly princely car that few could afford anywayy, but nonetheless was instrumental in Japanese motorsport history), the Isuzu Bellet, the Nissan Bluebird SSS and Laurel Sport, the Toyota Mk. I Celica, and the Mazda Cosmo.

Flash forward to the eighties: economic good times were back, and top-class racing parts and components were financially viable again. Technology was leading the way in all industries, and motorsports was no exception. Heavy modification with viable parts began to emerge, and tires became stickier and stickier once again. Many abandoned drifting as a technique they considered "make-do", but there were some that believed that drifting, combined with this new technology, could indeed be THE way to race well. Furthermore, many younger drivers were still sentimental to the first hey-day of drifting and wished to preserve its legacy. Thus, it is now that one sees modern drifting coming into shape. Popular drift cars of this era were the Mazda FC3S RX-7, Nissan S13 Silvia K's, and of course, the Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno/Corolla Levin twins (which, coincidentally, were and still are considered by most Japanese motorsports enthusiasts as beginners' cars).

Enter the nineties: a 2nd Japanese renaissance in drifting explodes. It establishes itself in the pantheon of Japanese race forms (the others being highway battles, zero-yon, a gymkhana revival, and of course circuit racing). Many people still ascribe to drifting, and its techniques and technology are furthered refined. Tsuchiya Keiichi, who has already made a name for himself in the '70s and '80s racing professionally, makes it his goal to maximize drifting's popularity (Tsuchiya loves drifting, and has even used it in his pro-racing career: he drifted an F-1 car at the Nurbergring on the final turn of a race in order to take pole position and win). Option Magazine is begun: an inexpensive monthly devoted to motorsports, auto tuning, new products, and most of all, the emerging drifting "lifestyle". Weekend warriors would take to the local roads in the prefectures to attempt to perfect their techniques, and a growing national obsession grew. Option begins a series of videos to not only teach, but to demonstrate skillful drifting ("Video Option", "Hot Version", and "Best Motoring", the latter expanding to cover sports cars in general). By the late nineties, drifting in Japan was as common as drag racing in the United States, and like drag racing, was soon adapted into a professional racing league: the D-1 Grand Prix. Drifiting was such a part of Japanese racing culture that movies and anime/manga were made about it, including "Initial D" and "Over Rev" (conincidentally, highway battling was very popular at this time too, and spawned the anime/manga "Wangan Midnight"). Video games followed next. Drifting had established its place in motorsports history, at least overseas.

 

Then in 2003, drifting officially made it Stateside. Rabid JDM freaks (like me ) who had followed drifting for years were excited, and the inaugaral D-1 Showoff event occurred in So Cali. However, like any other trend, with this sort of exposure came lots of posers, and in a way drifting became the new drag racing here. Suddenly, everyone was bailing out of their Civics and Integras and combing classified ads for 240SX's and AE86's. And this is where we are today.

So I think that just about covers it... Choku Dori's Official History of Drifting (Abridged Edition). :banana:

 

[Karl Malone]My whole thang is[/Karl Malone]
If you are intentionally drifting then you aren't going as fast as you can. You are giving up some speed for style. And if you aren't going as fast as you can, then it's not racing. It's more about Show than Go. And that is the whole reason for the "ricer" stigma around imports, people who mod and drive for style at the expense of performance. Drifting seems to epitomize this, and that's where my attitude comes from. I'm sure it's hella fun though. Just not something I would worship or consider to be a serious motorsport discipline.

 

So many people use this logic, and so many people are very wrong.


So people who drift and spend thousands on engine and suspension modifications dont really need them, and more to the point, dont use them? Thats just stupid.

 

If you're going to say I'm wrong, at least try refuting my statements.

 

Im sorry if you cant tell thats a refutation then there is a problem...I will break it down for you so its nice and simple.

Its one thing to say you dont like drifting because you dont find it interesting, but its just ignorant to say its rice. Rice, as you said, is the pursuit of looks above performance, and since you call drifting rice, you make the assumption that drift cars have few or no performance parts and instead emphasize asthetics. For your benefit I will make the assumption that you have never in your life seen or have any idea what the engine bay of a D1 car looks like, which of course still makes you ignorant, but saves you from looking as stupid. Also for your benefit I will inform you that D1 cars are full of performance parts and are essentially track-only vehicles with full suspension and engine modifications. Therefore your supposition that drifting is rice is clearly a false one.

 

I am sorry, but personaly driting is far from rice. its a fad, but it aint a prettyn one either.

 

why does everyone think drifiting started in japan?

**** drifting has been around since good ole ford built the model t.....

 

Props to Choku Dori for the history lesson. I'm waiting for the unabridged edition, because that little one made for some good reading.

Personally, I have a ton of respect for the drift kings out there. But at the same time I have to sympathize with the other side of this argument as well. Especially when put as clearly as Funked said it. Ultimately, you are sacrificing the quickest way around any given track for the sake of style. And sacrificing the quickest way around the track for ANYTHING is just not pure pure racing.

And anyone who's read more than 3 of my posts knows how much I hate all the showy bullshlt body kits and carbon fiber stuff. It makes me sick.

Still, in the end, drift cars are well tuned machines driven by skilled drivers so I've got nothing but positive things to say about drifters and their cars.

Choku... I'm serious about that unabridged version. I've been in love with the idea of drifts and Option videos since about 95-96 and you know waaaaay more about this than I do. Hook me up with some good internet resources.

 

OK that was much better.
You are right, we can't call drift mods straight rice by the cosmetic definition. However they are still not modding the car for ultimate speed. They are modding the car to do cool sideways burnouts. It's not quite rice, but closer to Monster Trucks. I think the ice dancing analogy still applies. What would Brian Boitano do?