I find this whole situation really ironic, and here's why...
So to satisfy my curiosity I watch the "Drift Bible" video last night by Keiichi the "Drift King" going through the basic drift moves, technique, practice etc. Somewhat interesting, and a decent video, at least these guys are actually interested in handling & performance as opposed to the "bling bling" crowd (at one point before a demo it scrolls some text including "no neon, no nawzz" or something to that effect across the screen). They explained that the whole thing is really just weight transfer (although they kept it simple to front-back transfer, not corner to corner). Sound familiar yet?
Many of the moves like the "feint" are directly from rally, or at least are common in rally. The "feint" drift is just the "Swedish flick" - a direct copy. Hmm interesting I thought.
Then I watched a sequence on the video with Toshi Arai in a Subaru Impreza WRC "drifting" around a road circuit and it dawned on me...
DRIFTING is a Japanese pasttime that has sprung up as a DIRECT RESULT of Japanese WRC driver-hero-worship, combined with the fact that they don't have hardly any gravel roads = so they copied the techniques onto tarmac. That's my theory anyway. Tommi Makinen is on the same level as Beckham and the Emperor over there from what I've read.....
I mean what other reason would there be to do it? Its not the fastest way to get around a tarmac circuit.
Now here's the funny part....
The SCCA and others are promoting a sport that was caused by a lack of gravel - in a country with tons of gravel and an under-appreciated sport which was the inspiriation for the new "fad" in the first place!!
At least, I thought it was funny.
Funny-laugh-until-you-cry funny, not ha-ha funny :+
Skye
So to satisfy my curiosity I watch the "Drift Bible" video last night by Keiichi the "Drift King" going through the basic drift moves, technique, practice etc. Somewhat interesting, and a decent video, at least these guys are actually interested in handling & performance as opposed to the "bling bling" crowd (at one point before a demo it scrolls some text including "no neon, no nawzz" or something to that effect across the screen). They explained that the whole thing is really just weight transfer (although they kept it simple to front-back transfer, not corner to corner). Sound familiar yet?
Many of the moves like the "feint" are directly from rally, or at least are common in rally. The "feint" drift is just the "Swedish flick" - a direct copy. Hmm interesting I thought.
Then I watched a sequence on the video with Toshi Arai in a Subaru Impreza WRC "drifting" around a road circuit and it dawned on me...
DRIFTING is a Japanese pasttime that has sprung up as a DIRECT RESULT of Japanese WRC driver-hero-worship, combined with the fact that they don't have hardly any gravel roads = so they copied the techniques onto tarmac. That's my theory anyway. Tommi Makinen is on the same level as Beckham and the Emperor over there from what I've read.....
I mean what other reason would there be to do it? Its not the fastest way to get around a tarmac circuit.
Now here's the funny part....
The SCCA and others are promoting a sport that was caused by a lack of gravel - in a country with tons of gravel and an under-appreciated sport which was the inspiriation for the new "fad" in the first place!!
At least, I thought it was funny.
Funny-laugh-until-you-cry funny, not ha-ha funny :+
Skye
