Road Atlanta Round 3
2005
Formula Drift
Championship
Instructional:
What is
Drifting?
What
is
Drifting?
How
is Drifting
Done?
TV
Partner
Tire
Battle
Women
Racers
Fan
Demos
Packed Crowd
Witnesses History At ‘Mopar D1 All-Star
Duel’ -
9/5/06
NASCAR vs.
Formula Drift
- 9/1/06
The
Fast and the Furious: Tokyo
Drift - The
movie
Grip
Racing
2006
Schedule
Photo
Gallery
Contact
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in Racing,
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Women in
Racing,
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Champ
Car
The Formula Drift
Championship
Entering its third season, Formula Drift
Championship, produced and owned by Irvine,
Calif.-based Formula Drift, Inc., continues to
expand into new markets as the first and only
sanctioned and recognized North American
professional drifting championship series
(sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing). This high-skilled,
high-powered motor sport where drivers
intentionally maneuver their cars into well
executed, controlled sideways slides at high speeds
through a marked course, has more than 30
professional drivers competing in all six
competitions this year. A well established sport in
Japan for more than a decade, Formula Drift, Inc.
and its sister company Slipstream Global Marketing,
Inc. had the vision and were instrumental in
bringing the first official competition to the
United States in 2003 at Irwindale Speedway. The
unanticipated fan interest led to the rapid
formation of the first ever, sanctioned and
recognized drifting circuit, Formula Drift, which
had its roots firmly grounded in Southern
California, a hotbed for incoming
Japanese-influence automotive trends. An important
part of the program involves community outreach.
Drivers and Formula D serve as the ambassador for
the sport of drifting bringing exhibitions to
traditional or mainstream motor sports events
across the country which have included: Bridgestone
Monterey Grand Prix/Champ Car Race, USAC, NASCAR
Busch North & Featherlite Southwest and the
SPEED World Challenge, among others.
In addition another 100-200 local team drivers
will join in local markets to test their skills and
techniques with the pros. Judged on execution and
style, rather than who finishes the course in the
fastest time, Drifting is a guaranteed crowd
pleaser, and is often compared to the freestyle
nature of skateboarding and motocross.
More Facts
- Formula D has the largest number of tire
manufactures involved that any other motorsport
series in the world.
- First drifting championship to be featured
in a major video game with title sponsor EA
Games
- First drifting championships to be sponsored
by non-endemic companies including EA Games and
Circuit City
- First drifting championship to have works
teams (auto maker supported)
Instructional: What
is Drifting?
Drifting is the not so simple art of controlling
your car around a corner. It doesn't sound very
hard does it, but it is. Drifting requires a highly
skilled driver with a high powered car which will
have enough rear wheel power to slide sideways
through corners at high speeds. Some compare it to
Rally Racing, but instead of getting to the finish
line first the judges decide on execution and style
who the winner will be. All drifting competitions
take place on closed courses where pros maneuver
their cars into spectacular powerslides around
several corners. In order to successfully execute
this type of driving, a driver must figure out the
balance of the cars engine power, gears, brakes and
steering to go beyond the normal limits of the
suspension and tire traction.
This sport dates back approximately 10 years and
started in Japan. Since then, the motorsport has
evolved into the D1 Grand Prix Event Series where
top competitors complete for the title of best
drifter. Drifting has since then spread to Europe,
Australia and now the USA with several amateur
competitions being held throughout the year. If you
want to race in the Pro Series, you'll have to go
to Japan to do so.
Although drifting has been in the U.S. for the
last few years mainly underground, it wasn't until
Spring of 2003 that the sport came out into the
mainstream. Since then, top professional drivers
from Japan have come to Irwindale Speedway for the
D1 Grand Prix All Star Invitational. They
demonstrated their unique skills in front of
thousands of fans.
What is Drifting?
Instead of a driver causing a drift into one
corner and then countering to straighten out, he
will instead over-steer his car so it will go into
another drift around another corner. The best
explanation of a good drifter is someone who has
the ability to maneuver their car around a series
of 4 to 5 corners without ever really having any
traction.
How is Drifting Done?
Drifting can be initiated in two ways depending
on whether you have a front or rear wheel drive
car. The first method is to depress the clutch and
gear down into second gear when approaching a
corner or bend in the road and rev your engine to
about 4000-5000 RPM. As you are coming up, slightly
turn your steering wheel so the car is going away
from the corner and then cut back towards it while
at the same time releasing the clutch causing the
rear wheels to spin. Basically you are doing a
burnout. At this point you should feel a loss of
traction in your tires giving your car a hydroplane
effect as you begin sliding around the curve. Don't
let the drift go because this will give you
momentum to take on the next corner. Keep your foot
on the accelerator as you control your car keeping
it from spinning out as you approach the next turn.
Now cut your steering wheel in the direction of the
turn and your car will powerslide right through it.
If you came out of your first drift too slow, just
pop the clutch again to get your wheel's
spinning.
The other method is to use your handbrake. If
you have a front wheel drive car, this will be the
only way you can accomplish the drift. As you
approach a bend, pull-up on your hand brake until
you feel your car lose tire traction. Normally you
will only be able to drift through one corner this
way as using the hand brake will cause you to slow
down
TV Partner
As part of the 2005 series will be aired
nationally on Comcast’s cable channel
G4TechTV, as part of a multi-year, national deal to
bring viewers hour-long specials showcasing
competitions and the culture of drifting.
Tire Battle
Formula Drift has the most tire sponsors of any
U.S. motorsport. As part of the series, tire
manufacturers compete in the Formula D Tire Battle
for points and bragging rights. Points are given to
tire manufacturer sponsors in accordance with
driver wins. Bragging rights allow manufacturers to
use their Tire Battle title in all advertising and
marketing outreach to the fans, something that is
becoming increasingly competitive. Tire company
sponsors include:
- Bridgestone
- Cooper
- Dunlop
- Falken
- Kumho
- Nitto
- Toyo
- Yokohama
Women Racers
There have been four women in the series. The first
two are the only ones remaing at the current time:
Kajikuma
Hiromi, Yoshie
Shunyama, Verena
Mei, and Nadine
Toyoda.
Fan Demos
The following data was compiled via a random
selection online survey available on the Formula
Drift website. The survey was conducted from August
16 to October 1, 2004, with more than 700 surveys
were received.
- More than 80% of respondents are between the
ages of 16-29 years.
- Drifting is a predominantly male fan base;
88%.
- 60% of drifting fans are college graduates
or have attended college.
- More than 45% of drifting fans earn an
annual salary in excess of $35,000.
- Online use is hot among drifting fans; more
than 47% spend between 8 and 30 hours online
every week
- Drifting fans love to game; nearly 90% of
respondents own gaming systems
- Local parts chain stores are not the primary
resource for drift enthusiasts (less than 13%):
more than 42% purchase parts online, with more
than 41% buying from specialty/tuner shops
direct.
- Fans will be fans; of all the respondents
less than 20% ever get behind the wheel to give
drifting a try; more than 70% enjoy watching the
sport.
- No surprise, more than 85% of fans own their
own car, and that they are predominately
Japanese imports. The most popular brands
include Nissan (29%), Toyota (16%) and Honda
(15%).
(NOTE: Demographic information provided here is
the property of Slipstream Global Marketing, Inc.
and the Formula Drift Championship. Any reprinted
use must be credited to Slipstream Global
Marketing, Inc., and/or Formula Drift and must have
expressed written approval from Slipstream Global
Marketing, Inc.)
2006 Schedule
April 2 - Streets of Long Beach, CA
May 13 - Road Atlanta, GA
June 10 - Chicago Soldier Field, IL
July 8 - Infineon Raceway, N.CA
August 19 - Evergreen Speedway, WA
September 9 - Wall Speedway, NJ
October 14 - Irwindale Speedway, S.CA
Contact
Formula Drift, Inc
15285 Alton Parkway, Suite 100
Irvine, CA 92618
949.341.9181
Fax: 949.341.9182
www.formuladrift.com/home.php
 ,
E-Mail
Fred Chang - Media, Event Marketing, Promotors,
Car Show
949.341.9181 ext. 5 E-Mail
Fast
and the Furious: Toyko Drift - The
Movie
To avoid going to jail, Sean Boswell is sent to
live with an estranged relative who's in the
military and stationed in Tokyo, Japan. It is there
that he discovers drift racing, a deadly
combination of high speed, hairpin turns and
switchbacks. As if illegal street racing is not
dangerous enough, Sean inadvertently also takes on
a driver with ties to the Yakuza, the Japanese
crime organization. Due out June 16, 2006 Note: The
motor vehicle action sequences depicted in this
film are dangerous. All stunts were performed in
controlled environments with professionally trained
stunt crews on closed roads. No attempts should be
made to duplicate any actoin, driving or can play
scenes portrayed in the film. Editor: If you'd
really like to go for it, contact
the Formula Drift people regarding how to learn the
skills and then race on a track in the Formula
Drift series.
Source: www.thefastandthefurious3.com
NASCAR vs.
Formula Drift - 9/1/06
Wait a minute... NASCAR drivers know how to turn
right?
Automotive subcultures collided when
California's Irwindale Speedway hosted the
first-ever NASCAR vs. D1GP drift-off. Some of
NASCAR's most famous names hopped into borrowed D1
cars to show the world that they too can turn
right. All joking aside, this event was an
opportunity for two very different sets of drivers
to have fun, try something new and raise a lot of
money for charity. This NASCAR vs. D1 event was
hosted by Kasey Kahne, and accordingly all proceeds
went to benefit his Kasey Kahne Foundation.
This was a drift-only event, meaning that there
was no NASCAR-style racing to be found. This small
yet very important fact surprised us as the stands
were full of die-hard NASCAR fans. This NASCAR vs.
D1 event would prove to be these fans' first-ever
exposure to drifting, so many in the drift
community were anxious to see just how the
"rednecks" would respond to seeing "their boys"
potentially not drive as well as a bunch of
"fer-ners" from Japan. Would the drift fans'
preconceived notions of NASCAR fans prove to be
true, or would the NASCAR fans surprise everyone
and show some love for a bunch of Japanese drivers
and cars?
Though just an exhibition match, the folks at
D1GP flew some of its best drivers in from Japan so
that this new American crowd could see what
Japanese-style drifting was all about. Ken Nomura,
Toshiki Yoshioka and Takahiro Ueno represented D1
Japan, while Rhys Millen, Sam Hubinette, Vaughn
Gittin Jr., Chris Forsberg, Calvin Wan and Tanner
Foust represented the U.S. drift scene.
Not the type of company to be outdone on
anything, NASCAR brought in a few of its top names.
It was up to drivers like Kasey Kahne, Robby
Gordon, Bill Elliot, Chris Cook, Greg Biffle and
Matt Kenseth to show the world that NASCAR guys can
do more than just turn left. As NASCAR cars aren't
set up for drifting, many of the top D1 teams
allowed the NASCAR drivers to borrow their
drift-spec cars.
To make things easy on the NASCAR guys, the D1
officials had them start from the edge of the
infield. Most of the NASCAR drivers had to hop into
unfamiliar cars and drive in an unfamiliar style on
an unfamiliar course layout, so forcing them to try
to drift the bank at 100-plus miles per hour would
have been dangerous. Even with the slower starting
speed, it took a while for the NASCAR drivers to
get the hang of drifting. For a while, it was
almost just like watching an amateur Drift Day.
The NASCAR guys would approach the first corner
at a relatively slow speed and then power-over in
the middle of the corner. A lot of the guys either
understeered or spun out. Robby Gordon hit the wall
while driving Rhys Millen's GTO, which prevented
Rhys from driving the rest of the event. Other than
that, the NASCAR drivers more-or-less just spun
out.
The D1 pros, on the other hand, put on a good
show -- but something seemed to be "missing". With
no championship points or a title on the line, the
pro drifters also took things easy. No sense in
breaking a car for a demonstration, right? The
new-to-drifting crowd, on the other hand, loved
what they were seeing. This "free-form" event
allowed the pros to do things that would never fly
in competition, such as rodeo drifts, 360s and
more.
With the event being a "freestyle"
demonstration, the NASCAR guys were able to go out
fairly often. As the night progressed, the NASCAR
guys really started to get the hang of this whole
drifting-thing. The real standout NASCAR driver of
the night was Chris Cook. Cook hopped into Robbie
Nishida's Quaker State/Falken-sponsored 240SX, and
drove the thing like he's been doing it for years.
Not only was Cook the first NASCAR guy to drift the
bank, he drifted it very well. He had the smoke
going, and his speed was pretty good, too. Cook was
able to come in from the bank, hit the clipping
point and link every corner. His line was great,
but his speed was a little bit low. Again, the guy
just hopped into the car earlier in the day. All
the drift pros agreed that if Cook could get a few
days' worth of practice in a familiar car, he could
easily qualify for a D1 or Formula D event. Rumor
has it that Cook is planning on competing in a few
drift events next year.
Event host Kasey Kahne was behind the wheel of
Sam Hubinette's Viper, and he was the next NASCAR
guy to drift the bank. His line wasn't as good as
Cook's, but we feel that Kahne would also be able
to get the right line and speed with a few days'
worth of practice. Kahne and Cook also gave a
tandem drift run a try -- it's obvious that both of
'em are still new to tsuisso runs, but at least
they didn't hit each other. Not wanting to be left
out, Robbie Gordon was able to convince Falken to
let him borrow their FD3S RX-7, which he then
promptly used to drift the bank. Gordon may have
been able to redeem his driving skills, but he
still owes Rhys Millen a new GTO control arm.
Everyone that attended -- from the drivers to
the spectators -- had a great time at this
first-ever NASCAR vs. D1GP event. People from both
the NASCAR and the D1 sides are saying that this
was just the first of many D1/NASCAR drift-off
events. We're still not sold on watching NASCAR,
but we'll be rooting for its drivers the next time
they compete head-to-head against the D1 guys.
Something tells us that these NASCAR guys may pull
a Rod Millen and become the next force to watch in
drifting's future.
Source: by Justin Kaehler,
cars.ign.com/articles/730/730282p1.html
Packed Crowd Witnesses
History At ‘Mopar D1 All-Star Duel’ -
9/5/06
The first-ever meeting of NASCAR stars and Drifters
was an overwhelming success, as a jam-packed crowd
of NASCAR and drifting fans came together to
experience a historic event at the “Mopar D1
All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear.” The
thrilling exhibition had attendees on the edge of
their seats at Southern California’s Irwindale
Speedway, known as the “House of
Drift.”
Fans of both NASCAR and drifting swarmed the
Irwindale Speedway midway for an autograph signing
with all the drivers, the line snaking behind the
grandstands. NASCAR Cup stars Kasey Kahne (driver
of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger), Matt
Kenseth, Bill Elliott, Greg Biffle, Robby Gordon,
Scott Wimmer and Casey Mears (driver of the
Texaco/Havoline Dodge Charger) mingled with
drifters such as Team Mopar’s Samuel
Hubinette, Rhys Millen, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Tanner
Foust, Ken Nomura, Tatsuya Sakuma, Toshika
Yoshioka, Takahiro Ueno, and Hideo Hiraoka during
pre-race ceremonies.
The Drifters kicked off the exhibition with a
jaw-dropping all-eight tandem drift, drawing
thunderous cheers as tire smoke wafted up into the
crowd. Kahne (who went on to sweep the NASCAR Busch
and Cup races at California Speedway over the
weekend) and his NASCAR compatriots next took turns
drifting the Irwindale course.
After tandem runs from the drifters, the NASCAR
drivers attacked the course once again, impressing
the crowd with their drifting skills after only a
few hours of practice. Kahne and others, including
Chris Cook, co-owner of ShiftIntoGear, Inc.,
drifted the high bank at Irwindale and took part in
tandem runs. The night was capped off with the
spectacle of another all-eight tandem run by the
drifters.
“What a great event,” said Hubinette,
who was named Drift All-Star of the exhibition,
with Kahne taking home honors as the NASCAR Drift
Star. “We raised money for the Kasey Kahne
Foundation and gave fans a show they’ll never
forget. The NASCAR guys, especially Kasey, really
caught on to drifting quick and had some impressive
runs. I hope we can do it again next
year.”
The funds raised at the event benefited the
Kasey Kahne Foundation, which raises and donates
funds to charitable organizations that care for
chronically ill children and their families,
including Ronald McDonald children’s
charities.
“This event was one that people will be
talking about for years to come, and Mopar was
proud to take part as the event sponsor,” said
Kevin Milller, Senior Manager, Mopar Brand,
Performance & Motorsports. “Bringing
Kasey, Sam and the other Drifters and NASCAR
drivers together made for a unique event, giving
fans the chance to witness history. Most
importantly, all the fun helped support a really
worthwhile cause.”
Hubinette will be on the move again this
weekend, heading from the West Coast to the East
Coast for Round 6 of the Formula D Drift Series on
September 9 at Wall Speedway in New Jersey.
Hubinette, the 2004 Formula D champ, is only 11
points out of first, with two wins and three podium
finishes on the season.
For information on Hubinette, Kahne, D1,
Irwindale Speedway, Mopar, ShiftIntoGear, or the
“Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by
ShiftIntoGear,” log on to
www.samuelhubinette.com, www.kaseykahne.com,
www.d1gp.com, www.irwindalespeedway.com,
www.shiftintogear.com,
www.christinemariemotorsports.com,
www.motorsportsmanagement.com, www.mopar.com or
www.moparspeed.com. For post event coverage of the
“Mopar D1 All-Star Duel,” log on to
www.driftlive.com.
Source: www.driftlive.com/?p=347
Grip
Racing
Grip Racing drifting is an interesting motorsport
it involves controling a car while it is going
sideway whether it through a corner or in a
straight line the cars set up for drifting have a
completly different suspension setup compared to
normal or grip racing as it is called. In grip
racing you are trying to get the car to stick to
the road at the highest speed . Drift racing as all
about style and control the better you are the
faster you go and the longer you can drift. Time
and speed don't play a part really it the skill of
the driver, his level of control.
The suspension in a drift car is very tight and
unforgiveing even the chassis is tighened with roll
cages and strut brace. The die hard followers of
drift also alter the geometry of the suspenion this
is to allow the the car to slide alot better.. The
differentials aren't your standard limited slip
type they are semi lockers to ensure there is more
wheel spin.The cars quite often have different
wheels front and back cause the owner has quite a
few sets cause one afternoon of drifting can
destroy a set of tyres. As a rule the good tyres
and I mean very good tyres go on the front on the
back they fit hard compund tyres quite often second
hand ones as they tend to end up in a cloud of
smoke. Also they stretch the tyres over a wide rim
to give an example fitting 205 50 16 tyres to an 8"
rim or 235 45 17 to a 9" rim this reduces the
chance of the tyre rolling off the rim and enables
the car to side better. The clutches on these cars
( dont bother drifting with an auto it is quite
dangerous.. you can pretend in the wet though) tend
to be very tough ceramic brass button or multiple
plate varieties. Why? well alot of drifter use
their clutch to commence wheel spin and hence the
slide by either using compression lock or a clutch
dump at high revs.
Power is not a requirement but helps in the
learning stages. the most popular car for drifting
is the the Toyota Tureno or sprinter this is a non
turbo 1.6L 4 cylinder car that is quite light and
twitchy. Other potential Drift cars are the Nissan
Skyline and Silvia/180-240 platform..
Some level of understand is needed of grip
racing before trying to drift. Corner entry speed,
angles, turning at the correct apex,
Photo
Gallery
Streets of San Jose July 27-29, 2007
Photos: Streets of San Jose,
July 27-29, 2007. Gordon Clay
Photo
Gallery - Infineon - July 8, 2006
Photos: Formula Drift,
Infinieon Raceways, July 8, 2006, Gordon
Clay
Driver's meeting
Photos: Formula Drift,
Infinieon Raceways, July 8, 2006, Gordon
Clay
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