Drifting Explained; Formula D Round 3 the Wall!

FYI, Matt Waldin's Z33 is VQ powered. He runs the local Nissan shop and I've seen his car a few times. He's actually planning to get it registered for the road, so you local Philly guys just might see that car prowling the streets.

I can see given leaps and bounds the last several year, a supercharged VQ35 isn't going to be the amazing fast motor it was in 2003 now 7 years later even in the S15, not compared to the slew of 400 hp V8's around. Surprised he's not just running an RB motor.

Still that's kind of counter-intuitive, a light car with a light motor, lots of power, and it's not competitive? Wow.

If you read the caption, we are talking about Ken Gushi's car.

You mean the slew of 600+ hp V8's.

Nice article Sarah!...awsome event, we really got to see crews rushing around to get things done with numerous issues on various cars across the board...I also agree the sound of that m5 was sick...I thoroughly enjoyed this event and was never into drifting...In person I was absolutely floored by the skill and the high degree of risk on every run...Dai is so consistent, even when the car looks like it might be lagging, he pulls it all together...

We were eating rubber/tire all day, lol...the only thing you left out was was Mike celebrating with the big Champange bottle, I wanted to say hi, but it was packed down there in the winner's circle...Congrats! I'll definitely be back next year...

Ah yes, now that I read it again, you're right Mike. My bad.

"Derogatory comments about drifting being gay like ice skating don't hold true"

I think you have this comment backwards. It should be: Derogatory comments about ice skating being gay like drifting don't hold true"

Why? Ice skating is an internationally respected Olympic sport and has a much longer history. Who is more famous and respected in Japan? Dai, or gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi? I guarantee you that an Olympic ice skater has spent way more hours in the rink practicing than a drifter on the track. I bet more people have dared drifting a car than dared doing a triple jump on ice skates, without breaking their ankles.

"Drifters probably have the highest car control of any drivers in motorsports."

I don't deny that some of these drifters have talent. But it's hard to imagine that they have more car control than a WRC or F1 driver.

great write-up Sarah, wouldn't have expected anything other than that though.
Mike: after listening to the interview it sounds like you guys had the same luck our FSAE team had in Michigan(sorry for passing it on). At least you guys got the car running and WON!!! Congrats.

That supercharged VQ S15 was slow because half of the damn engine is sticking out of the hood causing a giant aerodynamic wall. Damn that is fucking ugly.

1984: love the backwards comment!

Sarah did you not put any pics of chicks on purpose? Na just kidding, great article.

Thanks Eric. Seriously, right? If Falken had hired Chippendale's then we would have seen plenty of hot asses, right Sarah? Beefcake! BEEFCAKE!

The VQ is slow because I didn't do the suspension!

Chippendale's??? Really? You'd think *that* would be my type? LOL. I guess it'd give new meaning to "junk ON the trunk..."

Surprisingly, there weren't as many girls here as there usually are at these things, esp. not on the track where I took the most pics. I think I saw more guys wearing less clothing and I would have broken my lens if I tried to take any pics...

Sarah. Do you find all the Chippendale men, LOOKS ONLY, physically repulsive? Wow, then I would really like to know what is your type? I.E. some famous singer, model, or actor that I can look up.

And I'm assuming "junk ON the trunk..." means that Chippendale guys only like anal? But I'm still not quite getting your context.

This is probably just an assumption because I haven't gone to one of their shows or anything, but I'm just not into those American Gladiators-like, Fabio romance novel-ish looking guys. I don't have a physical "type." I prefer smart and witty.

And um... no, I wasn't going there with that last comment. I was referring to them modeling next to or on a car like the girls do and if they were sitting on the back of the car, it'd be their "junk on the trunk." And people say my mind sometimes wanders in the gutter- I think you win!

Lady, you have no idea. Now I really won't say the rest of what I was thinking. I thought "junk ON the trunk" was a good joke because male strippers are stereotyped to be gay.

"I don't have a physical "type." I prefer smart and witty."

Stop the broken record. Girls always say things like that to seem holier than not, but their dream guy is always someone good looking or hot. And girls always pretend like it doesn't matter that much what the guy looks like as long as he's smart and witty, but girls all care. That goes for my sister and all my female friends. They admitted it to me themselves. Ever thought that one of the smart and witty ones might have been one of the lens breakers you so lovingly referred to. Everyone has preferences.

Looking at strangers and finding them attractive is normal. That's why Miss Formula Drift and the Falken girls where there and why there are girls on tuner mags. I'm not asking what total package you look for in a serious relationship, just who is attractive to you. You must have preferences, right? Because really, no one goes to an event thinking that they're going home with the models, or I hope not.

And I think girls thinking that the body builder was hot, Fabio/American Gladiator type, died out with them along with Arnold the barbarian. Now it's people more like Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp so I doubt Chippendale's would not update their stables.

I was just joking that if Falken had hired some hot guys and there was a Mr. Formula Drift handing trophies to drifter girls then you would have posted their picture without making sure that they were cool, smart, and witty first, but just because you thought they looked good, which in turn could bring more of your target audience of wanna be drifter girls to your blog. But since they hired girls, it didn't really interest you, understandably.

Women are much less attracted to physical and visual attributes then men. Women like deeper things in guys. I know this for sure. I managed to attract someone even though I have the physique of the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

Now back on topic please.

1984, Kristi Yamaguchi is not Japanese, she is 3rd generation American. Japanese tend to be biased against and look down upon Japanese Americans, at least old school ones. Probably not the younger generation though. I have worked in Japan in the corporate world and suffered this.

Dai though is not known in Japan at all. He never competed there. He was a talent local touge driver who was discovered by the guys at Pacific Rim clothing when they were visiting Japan. They invited him to come to America and to drive there S13 in the first few Formula D events.

As far as the thing about car control, many well known road racers, NASCAR and a few rally aces have tried to drift professionally. Needless to say most of them didn't do to well. I only know a few road racers who have this sort of control as well. Most really good drivers have pretty big egos and can't accept this either. I think many of them would be humbled by a top drifter with a little practice.

The exceptions are Tyler McQuarrie, Rhys Millen, Samuel Hubenitte and a couple of others.

For instance Dai went Karting with me this weekend. He jumped into my TAG Kart and in about 2 laps was way faster than me in my own Kart with my chassis set up. In about 5 laps he was passing everyone, even guys in shifter karts.

Being an active Motorsports professional who currently works in both pro drifting and road racing arenas I think I can say this without talking out of my ass or being a FFF.

Mike. I'm not against drifting. To each his own. But I think it's wrong to say that drifting is better, harder, requires more skill than ice skating or "gay like ice skating." Internationally, drifting is small compared to ice skating so it sounds odd to claim that drifting is somehow better.

I never mentioned where Kristi Yamaguchi was from. My statement was to show that ice skating is bigger than drifting because she is more internationally recognized than Dai, even in Japan, where they share a common ancestry. I have no doubt that the Japanese look down on Japanese Americans but Japan embraced Kristi after she won gold with a bunch of advertising in commercials, mags, billboards, etc. She is still popular in Japan today because everyone likes a winner, especially if it's on a global stage. Is Japan hypocritical for saying your Japanese if you win and Japanese American if you lose. Yes.

As for saying that drifters have the most car control of any motor sport, I disagree with that too. Just because F1 looks very different from drifting doesn't mean they have less skill at controlling a car because car control comes in many different forms. Yes, you mentions a few driver names but those guys have never been on a F1 or WRC team. I have yet to see a WRC or F1 champion compete in drifting, i.e. Sebastien Loeb, Michael Schumacher, respectively. And the reason for that is because WRC and F1 is bigger than to drifting. Your statement makes it sound as if drifters are the best drivers in the world because they have more car control than anyone else. I can turn it around and ask that if Dai is that good, then why is he not in WRC or F1 which the world considers the pinnacle of motor racing.

1. Ice Skating is bigger and more internationally recognized than drifting.
2. WRC and F1 champions are better drivers than drifters because they are the best of the best of a global motor racing event.

I think I can say this without talking out of my ass or being a FFF.

What I don't get is why you have to give attention to people putting down drifting by responding to it. What I would do is to tell them that we enjoy what we do and have a fun time at it so go fuck off you downer! Because responding just makes their negativity seem valid. And by putting down ice skating, aren't you doing exactly what the downers are doing to drifting.

I never had a problem with drifting. I only had a problem with people who justify drifting by putting down other sports like ice skating and saying that drifters have more car control than anyone.

I agree with 1 but not necessarily with 2 because that is not an argument based on logic. I don't have time to give this much more thought.

And drifters have the highest level of car control of any motorsport is based on logic..... Where?

If you asked most motorsports teams if Dai Yoshihara has more car control than Sebastien Loeb or Michael Schumacher, their response would be, Dai who?

If you truly believe that Dai has a higher level of car control than 6 time WRC Champion Sebastien Loeb and 7 time F1 Champion Michael Schumachur then what can I say.

Its based on my experience as a professional involved with pro drifting who has also worked as a professional in many other forms of motorsports except open wheelers and prototypes.

I bet the top drifters could race well in other forms of Motorsports with a very fast learning curve but probably not the other way around. I have seen it myself.

Your argument is continually based on how globally famous Dai is vs how well he can drive. That is flawed logic. Fame has nothing to do with driving skill. Its not just Dai but any of the Top FD drivers that consistently make the top 8.

Its sort of like your argument with Sarah when you told her she was wrong for saying she was not attracted to buff male exotic dancers. How the heck are you supposed to argue about that? You are not her! I know her and I really think she isnt into beefcake guys, just like I am not into import models, I am pretty sure about that as well!

Its been fun but I don't have time for this anymore this week so see ya.

I never said Sarah was wrong for not being attracted to buff male dancers. That all started out as a joke. I was only trying to say that when girls dream about guys, as in finding a complete stranger attractive (not relationship), they tend to be good looking, just like when guys dream about girls. If Sarah really has absolutely no physical preference what so ever, I mean this guy could look like anything, and only cares about smart a witty then I'm wrong.

I'm not saying that fame equals driving skill, but that the champion drivers are famous for a reason. They're the best of the very best. No one gets to have 6 or 7 World Championships sitting in there house unless they're skills are extra extra extraordinary. So it would be astounding to me that some "top" guy like Sebastien Loeb would not be able to do well in drifting given a little adjustment time. Do I know for sure that Sebastien won't suck. No. But the guy does a lot of drifting on all kinds of roads all over the world.

I am sure he could drift at a pro level but he may or may not be one of the very best drivers. He has a better chance than a formula guy. Shumi didn't do too good at bikes or go karts either. Drifting is so difficult, its hard for someone to be consistently on the podium in modern drifting. I am sure Billy Johnson could be a pro drifter as well, he does pretty good fooling aorund but it might take him a while to get there.

Sarah really doesn't like beef dudes and so do a lot of girls I know actually. Like men even, girls don't agree as to whats good looking, Woody Allen used to be a sex symbol at one time.

I had to add one more comment because this is fun, sorry.

"I am sure he could drift at a pro level but he may or may not be one of the very best drivers. He has a better chance than a formula guy. Shumi didn't do too good at bikes or go karts either. Drifting is so difficult, its hard for someone to be consistently on the podium in modern drifting."

You don't know what Shumi could do in a drift car if he seriously tried. Bikes and go carts where something for him not to get bored when he retired. A lot of former champions go through that. He was just looking for a replacement fix that he got from F1. That's why he's back in F1 now like Michael Jordan came out of retirement too. You think Shumi tried his all? He probably got bored just like you got bored at auto crossing.

We probably will never know if Sebastien Loeb will be one of the very best drifters because I don't see Sebastien Loeb stepping down to be a pro drifter any time soon. And you do agree that going from a WRC driver to a pro drifter is a step down? Or do you see it as a promotion? Drifting is a niche motor sport. It would be like the coach of the world paddle tennis champion saying that: Yeah, Roger Federer has 16 major tennis titles which is the current record, but he may not be a very good pro paddle tennis player because paddle tennis is so difficult. Yeah, Roger didn't do to well after he retired playing pin pong and badminton for fun so that means he's doesn't have the skills to be a top paddle tennis player.

Or a champion speed golfer saying that: Yeah, Tiger Woods might have won 14 major titles and bangs who ever he wants, but he would not be a good speed golfer because of the risk it all or nothing pace.

You don't really know what would happen if Loeb or Schumi came down and became a serious drifter. They could of wiped the floor with everyone. But they won't because they're making way too much money to care. They do not have to prove themselves to drifters because they are world champions and have the trophies to back it up. How about the pro drifters moving up and proving that "they have more car control" by winning multiple WRC or F1 championships. I doubt they would turn that chance down to remain in pro drifting.

Why I say that these champions like Loeb and Shumi are better drivers because they are multiple champions like Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. There are way more one time champions than there are multiple champions because even at the very top level they are consistently just a bit better than the rest of the competitors. You don't stand out like that if you don't have the talent or skills to back it up.

Just compare resumes. Or do you think that that's not important?