Drift Atlanta

[Mark H]

I see on my Road Atlanta calander that it sayes that the FF 2000 will have something to do with the Drift Atlanta weekend in April?
Any word on this? Al??

[RussMcB]

I think that during the weekend's on-track events, there will also be a drifting (show? competition?) in the infield area near turns 6 & 7.

[Al Craighead]

Hi all,

Yes the Cooper series will be part of the drift weekend with all three championships competing. In addition, World Challenge will be racing. As far as the drifting goes, i believe they will only use the back half of the course with the skid pad. Once I see an up to date schedule, I'll know more.

Cheers,

Al.

[Robert Lennon]

What do you guys think of this new drifting sport? Looks alot like it is syncronized swimming in cars. Not to say people aren't entitled to doing it if they like it, but I find it disturbing that they tag it as a "motorsport".

Interested to hear the group's take on it.


Robert

[R John Lye]

In my opinion, since it is judged and therefore
is subjective, as opposed to objective - did you
get to the finish line before me or not - this
drifting stuff is not a sport. It might be a
competition, but its not a sport.

I like your analogy to synchronized swimming...

John

[rickjohnson356]

seems like an easy way for kids to squeal tires & blow up engines without having to get a competition license and do some real racing.
SCCA should be promoting Solo 2 and Solo 1 instead of these guys. My guess it will attract the 'ricer' crowd & loud stereos.

The comparison to snyc swimming is appropriate.

[Purple Frog]

Road Atlanta says they will be Drifting in Turn 10A and 10B. That's where they have the large ampitheater for the crowd to sit.

Sport? Is ice skating a sport? I think subjectively judged activities should be called "activities" or "events", maybe even "judged competitions". But the Chinese judge disagees with me. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

The way I look at it. Bring it on. Some twelve year old kid may get drug there by his seventeen year old brother. That kid may get to hang around to see a real motorsport when the drifting is over, and get hooked.

In March of 1962 my brother took me to Sebring to party. For 12 hours I had my back to the party, and was fixated on Ferraris and such zooming by on the track. I was hooked. (Been partying ever since [img]graemlins/skull.gif[/img] )

[El Guapo]

I agree with Froggie. We need new blood, and if drifting brings them to the track, so be it. Will you be drifting Frog-man?

EG

[Don Drennon]

..I second what His Frogness said. As a "sport" I find drifting a contemptible bore...akin to WWE wrestling...BUT...some of these folks are simply not aware that there is another car culture. For an investment 'prolly somewhat smaller than these people put into chrome wheels, tires, bogus suspension kits, steroes, neon, etc etc, they could be doing Real Racin' in a fairly decent IT car.

Or better yet, in a proper (fenderless) real race car.

cheers,

DD

[BrooksHall]

Here's my take on the whole Sport Compact culture (this includes drifting). The could give a rat's a@# about proper road racing. Yeah they like to make their cars look like touring cars but they are into the look rather than the function. These kids are the equivelent of the hot rodders of the 50's/60's and 70's. Every year we have a booth at the Greater LA Auto Show (LA arguably the center of car culture in the US) and every year these kids show up and ask the same questions:
How fast does it go in the 1/4 mile
How much hp does it have
Is nitros legal
How much does it cost....
When you tell them the tire bill they flip and allthough they think an FC is kinda neat looking the only cars they really care about are the Pro7's and IT cars and again when you tell them that the 1/4 mile time isn't that important their eyes just go blank.

For every 1000 of these kids you might get 1 interested. These kids would rather slam their Civics to the ground add a wing(rather a wind stop) and blue lights to the underside than build a proper road racer.

This is absolutely the wrong demographic.

[RussMcB]

(IMO) I think it takes a much more serious commitment and more complex combination of skills to compete in road racing, especially when you think about things like car performance optimization, race strategy and the danger/risk aspect. However, I can't deny that I have a desire to try drifting if the opportunity presents itself.

[sarrcford]

I thought every event at Road Atlanta had "drifting"....

[Purple Frog]

El Gaupo...
I started it! My daily street driver for tha last 13 years is a very black '91 Honda Civic, slammed to the ground, 16" wheels, purple mirrors, purple lights, and a special little tank in the back. On the numerous occasions that I get stopped, almost always the officer says, "Sir, out having a good time with your son's car?"

SARRCFORD...
I agree. If T1 at speed ain't drifting, what is?

[Dave Hopple]

Road Atlanta says they will be Drifting in Turn 10A and 10B. That's where they have the large ampitheater for the crowd to sit.

Turn 10A & B .....? Sheeet, thats easy. I'd like to see somebody try flat-out four wheel drift in turn 1 (and then spend the next several hours/days straightening and cleaning clay out of his/her body panels) -Dave

P.S. BTW, I'll probally wander over there and watch if were not to busy with the Zetecs [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Ron B.]

Wishful thinking, hopspeed.

[El Guapo]

Froggie,

I get the same thing. At our 1st Pacific F2000 race at California Speedway in Feb. I was driving thru the parking lot at the hotel. A 19 year old saw me cruising in my S14 240SX (Sylvia to Grand Tourismo players) with the extra dark tint all the way around, slammed with 16" Enkeis and gumball Toyo Proxes. "Is that your son's car?" he asked. "No, it's mine" I replied. "Oh.." he said, looking perplexed. Hee hee hee.

EG

[formulasuper]

When I go cruzin in the 97 slammed Civic with the 17 inchers and the boombox in the trunk blastin the kids ask if its my son's car and I have to say yes, dammit. Sure is bad!

[Mark C. Ritter]

You guys are pathetic. Forget the cars, forget the loud stereos and forget the 17 year old drivers... I just want them to bring their girlfriends along. Haven't any of you guys seen those little hardbodies on those Speedvision "Tuner" shows?!

[BrooksHall]

Mark has found the silver lining (G-string) in all of this. Way to think out of the box....Ok I'm in!

[formulasuper]

Mark, Why do you think we drive around in these rice rockets?!?!

[Dave Hopple]

Pathetic...Wishfull thinking....? Man, tough crowd here or what? [img]tongue.gif[/img] Personally I'd like to see the Formula Car Magazine camper/recreational vehicle entered in the Rd Atlanta drifting competition..... [img]tongue.gif[/img] -Dave

[D.T. Benner]

Frog your lucky! When i enter my Slamed,shaved and tricked VR6 Jetta in car shows [Full suspension,BIG brakes and "18x8's] The kids ask if it's my GRANDSON's car! I just tell 'em some of us never outgrow our love of nice rides!

[Curtis Boggs]

Originally posted by Dave Hopple:
Pathetic...Wishfull thinking....? Man, tough crowd here or what? [img]tongue.gif[/img] Personally I'd like to see the Formula Car Magazine camper/recreational vehicle entered in the Rd Atlanta drifting competition..... [img]tongue.gif[/img] -Dave

Dave, ..

at every race last year with the Formula Car magazine party wagon & beer hualer, .. I asked, .. No Begged them to take it out on the race track, .. .. .. Marc said unless he had a proper pit crew he wouldn't do it, .. .. .. Rob was afraid we may spill some beer, .. .. I'd just stuff it into a sand trap, ..
so we drank instead.

Curtis