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Originating in Japan over a decade ago, drifting was
first practiced illegally on treacherous mountain
roads. The drifter's goal was, and is, to put the
car into controlled slides, maintain- ing speed and
angle of attack through the curves. Unlike races,
drifting competitions are judged events, and winning
takes a combination of speed, angle and excitement.
With the addition of synchronized tandem or ''battle''
drifting the stakes, and risks, increase sharply.
Though drifting reached the Canada only a couple of
years ago, the sport has grown explosively. There
are more and more events surfacing, from competitions
to clinics, scheduled at across tracks in Canada this
year. These days, the heroes for tens, or perhaps
hundreds, of thousands of young drivers is Takumi
Fujiwara, known as Initial D. Actually, Initial D
is not a real person; he's a Japanese Manga comics
character and is also featured in a PlayStation game.
He makes a living delivering tofu along the winding
roads of Mount Akina for his father, Bunta, a legendary
racer. During the course of his work, Initial D reluctantly
comes to realize that -- in an underpowered Toyota
Trueno AE86 (a rear-wheel-drive Corolla) he has become
the best driver on the mountain. In the comics and
in the game, all the mysterious young man wants is
to deliver his tofu on time; all the local drifters
want is to find out who he is and beat him.
The Drift Nation DX2 event, the first event series
to introduce drifting to the Canadian public appeared
to spectacular locales in Toronto, Ontario to open
up the 2004 season. After the original DX Drift Showoff
took place, the success and excitement of the event
caused drifting to spread across the country like
wildfire. Featuring professional drivers and “drift-specific”
vehicles from Japan, the DX Drift Showoff is designed
to promote the sport of drifting in the Canada.
On June 6th, 2004 - the city of Toronto was taken
over by aftermarket tuning houses from Japan. This
second drifting exhibition DX-2 was an incredible
event! For the first time ever DriftNation brought
Signal Auto's 1000hp Skyline GTR34 to Canada. Marking
another first ever in Canada, Team Drift Xtreme came
to perform using 3 pro drift cars. Team Signal and
Drift Xtreme put on a stunning show of extreme high
speed drifting filled with showmanship and skill.
They wowed the crowd with some insane 'dorifto' action,
as well as entertained them with their crazy antics.
Spectators lined the field awaiting the gates which
opened at 1500 hours the lines leading into the event
were backed up. Tickets weren’t sold out but
the line was long and the crowd was eager to see the
best of the best do a sideways battle. The grandstands
were packed and the track was filled with media crowding
the surrounding area around the infield track hungry
for the taste of burning rubber. Attendees who were
lucky enough to catch the last event made a point
to frequent this familiar track once again. Those
who missed last years ground breaking action anxiously
made the trek to see what all the buzz was about.
Over 500 spectators rushed the bleachers for a glimpse
of their favorite drivers and team cars they've ogled
over in numerous videos and Japanese magazines.
For the fans all along the three-quarter-mile drift
course, the sport's appeal seemed clear. Pressing
up against the chain-link fence, they cheered loudly
as drivers pendulumed back and forth amid choking
clouds of smoke. At least once each run, a crash between
sliding vehicles was narrowly averted, and several
160 km/h fender scuffs and spinouts elicited roars.
''There's just no ignoring the cool factor,'' said
one spectator, who added that the track was holding
this drifting event to draw more younger fans than
traditional races do. "The best part in racing
is when the tires break away. That's when people stand
up."
If there is any doubt that the next paradigm shift
in sport compact / import motorsports has arrived,
there's no second-guessing it now. Building on the
incredible success of the DX2 Drift Showoff the audience
could only yell and scream at the automotive dance
before their eyes, with fantasies of their own sideways
dance lingering in their minds. Unlike other forms
of motorsports, drifting offers the chance for the
average Joe to build a capable car for a relatively
bargain price. It's not necessarily about going fast
against the clock but an opportunity to show off what
you can do behind the wheel. And for an audience that
has traditionally been far removed from the action,
it offers an opportunity to get up close and personal
trackside. So close, as a matter of fact, that you
would get doused with track debris whenever one of
the Signal drivers decided to take it close to the
retaining barrier. How's that for interaction? It
remains to be seen whether capable drivers will be
born on this side of the world to compete against
the drivers from Japan. With more events and the interest
level in drifting growing at a seemingly exponential
rate on a daily basis, someone will likely step up
to the plate very soon.
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