What is the facination with "drifting"?
 

I just watched this show on Spike which was mostly about this style of "racing" called drifting. I don't get it. My first reaction was, this is stupid! What is the point of trashing a set of tires in minutes just to produce a lot of smoke and noise???? I could understand it if this produced faster lap times, but I don't see any benefit to it. I thought it was kind of funny how the tire companies sponsor the sport. Well YA, why wouldn't they. It promotes trashing a set of expensive tires in a matter of minutes. It's win/win for them. The worst part about it is the show stated that kids are practicing this on mountain roads!!! I sure hope I don't come across some kid trying to "drift" while I'm driving around the back roads enjoying my Pcar. Am I being closed minded here, and am I missing something? If so, please explain this to me.

among the points you have already mentioned, I would say that the word "drifting" itself lends a lot to the draw to this pseudo-sport by attracting those locked in a relentless pursuit of wanting to be - umm - cool. the word "drifter" to some has a connotation similar to rebel or outsider. there seems to be a whole sub-culture developing around the sport. for example, some are expressing their "individuality" ( :rolleyes: ) by adjusting their popup headlights to a half-raised stance. when you try to point out that this looks a bit foolish, as the headlights don't really look cool but simply broken, the response is always "it's a drifter thing, you wouldn't understand." well thank God for that. sometimes it's necessary to evaluate something for what it really is. and in this case - as you've already stated - it's simply a banal novelty (somewhat of an oxymoron, but it works) that allows companies to sell more tires. bully for them

let's hope it's temporary

It's fun.

I have an SCCA 944 race car. I just drive it around and round the same loop over and over. It's fun.

Road racing is worthless. But fun.

Drag racing is worthless. But fun.

Let them have their fun.

now who can argue with logic like that? I'm all about letting people have their fun. but please, drop the idiotic drifter "lifestyle" attitude (I don't mean you personally)

btw: how do you judge drifting? is there a point system?

It's very much like ice skating (and takes years of practice to even become mediocre, that's why there's a "lifestyle") as far as the judging and the whole hobby altogether.

so the competitors come after each other with lug wrenches?

and its an "attitutde" and "ilfestyle" just like anything else...people desperately trying to fit in so they can be "individuals"...

On a halfway serious and almost respectful note, didn't it start in rally racing? I mean, it seems like the rally types spend virtually the whole time with all 4 wheels in minimal contact with the road, which is pretty much the point of drifting, right? To transfer that same thing to dry pavement seems a bit odd to me, but what the heck. Look at it this way -- a sport which consumes massive amounts of tires becomes popular, thus lining the pockets of all of the various tire companies. The tire companies proceed to spend at least some portion of their newfound wealth on R&D for better tires. This research eventually produces a revolutionary upgrade in tire capability, which eventually becomes affordable for the average guy. Average guy named "djmcmath" can then purchase super-spiffy revolutionary tires for his Porsche, thanks to "drifters." I'm all for it. :)

Dan

exactly. and then promptly ending up looking like every one else

Ya, I hear ya, it does have the appearance of sorta hip-hop car racing, pants around the crack o' yer butt, cRAP music playing, etc. That said, there is a ballet type of quality to keeping the car sliding around a track, sorta like speedway racing.

Coming from the rice-rocket set, nothing like hitting a corner really fast, all four wheels spinning, grabbing like a cornering lion, getting on the throttle and hooking up, snapping the drift into proper line.

2002 WRX sedan - 320 all wheel horses - 4.4 second 0-60, reworked suspension, Brembo brakes, massive FMIC. Next step - forged internals capable of upwards of 30 psi, 6 speed tranny and FP 18g turbo.

You took what I said out of context, I was strictly speaking about how it is judged.

Amir, meet Todd. Todd, meet Amir

sorry...oblique reference to Tonya Harding. Go back about your business...

lol, oblique references at obscure angles :D

:D - That's funny. Actually, in the newest Need for Speed Underground, drifting is one of the races that they have. It is around many different tracks and the goal is perform the best drift without hitting the wall. I know in real life you obviously don't want to hit the wall but does it help to slide through a turn at all. I certaintly wouldn't want to attempt anything like this on a mountain road though. Otherwise, they might be naming a canyon after me.

I laughed plenty at it, Todd. Your references are often way out, which is what makes them funny. There's usually a couple of ways to think about something, and your way isn't usually one that comes readily to mind. :)


Dan

Wired Magazine had a good article about drifting a few months back....

"In Japan, where the sport was born, drifting has evolved from a late-night teen scene to a multimillion-dollar, multimedia phenomenon that sells soft drinks and car parts and clothes. Its stars have fat sponsorships and squealing fan clubs and their own superleague called D1. But in the US, drifting is still in its infancy - something like skateboarding 30 years ago"


http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.10/drifting.html

I do a drift around every corner (while trying not to spill my bottle of beer)- don't you guys as well?

1. it doesn't take much of a car to do it. You can borrow mom's.

2. it's a narrow skillset requiring limited practice

Personally, I think it sounds like the kind of thing a tire company marketing guy would come up with.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Well I guess I'm not alone then in thinking it's an odd sport.