Drift Australia

[m3gtr]

i placed this in the S.A section but i wanted to make this a general address..

Ive been thinking about this a bit and since i love the sport as much as the next man i felt the need to state my opinion.

I guess my goal is to try and foster some dialog here so comments are more than welcome.

cheers.

YESTERDAY .....

"I feel the need to clarify what i was trying to say out of frustration in previous posts and in that i wasnt trying to offend anyone who loves or is involved in drift in any way shape or form. if i have offended anyone i apologize but allow me to explain my train of thought..

In japan,for example, Drift is a family event. Ive seen women and children, children young enough to still be sucking at a teat at D1 events..

Its a family day out over here! is it like that in Oz, or would you just like it to be?

In Japan, drifters are revered, respected and held in high esteem so much so they are immortalized in videos, manga, cartoons and print. Think Initial D for crying out loud. EVERYONE young and old in Japan knows that title.

wouldnt that be the dream of australian drift i wonder...at least to be associated with that stigma?

In Japan, Drifters have a place in society and they are accepted to a certain degree by not just the public but the racing fraternity at large. Not only are they accepted, but they are admired and embellished with praise by the mass media and that speaks volumes.

Its a shame, a real shame the australian government ( and im not going to get political on any other point besides this ) holds such a dim and ignorant view on what is in reality a variation of the artform of driving but there are legitimate and understandable reasons for this..

One of my questions is that is there that much negativity surrounding the sport in general in Australia that is preventing it from becoming a fully-fledged and respected motorsport? And yet, that is exactly what it is in Australia...fledgling and mis understood. Questions must be asked.

Put aside my ideas on what is accepted or shunned upon when it comes to choice of sponsor, colour etc ( or lack thereof ), or choice of ride.. yet even then, i cant remember the last time i saw a drift FD or FC in an Oz event even though they are so common over here.. and its not like theres a shortage of them. Im digressing.

In my humble and honest opinion Oz drift has a long way to grow and its no good trying to build it up while simultaneously ignoring the roots. Its like sticking a tropical plant in the desert and telling the bastard to grow which is ironically what is happening over there...

I know what the sport needs and its not even over the money. That is secondary. Its an image and within that image is respect. Unfortunately the public at large and media more importantly again, holds a very negative view of drift and its not without its merits...Young people either lack the wisdom or knowledge to respect the fact that they have a legitimate and understandable reason to nurture this sport in Australia and sad to say have taken it upon themselves whether anyone else cares or not to do what they please with it thereby destroying any good will built up through those that promote the sport in a positive and meaningful way.

If Australia is serious about the sport and it seems the crowd of admirers is growing, then it needs to realize that "unacceptable" behaviour will not be tolerated and thank heavens the same applies to this forum too. Im not surprised it doesnt, it is Australia after all and Australians that admire drift because it is what it is, need to remember what is accepted over here is accepted because of a very bloody good reason..the word starts with a letter "R". Failing that as is often the case from my limited understanding from what i have read, experienced and understand of motorsport and Ozzie motorsport in general, there will obviously be non acceptance.

The sport needs mentors, Senpai ( people who are senior to you and deserve respect but not within arrogance or indifference ) who are willing to champion the sport for the good of those who love it. This is the anti thesis of competition, money, arrogance, ignorance, conceitedness and all the evil it breeds with it.

Unfortunately and sad to say there are too many egos, moneymakers, and ignorants and not enough leaders, disciplinarians, spokesmen and shining lights in Oz drift to make that happen...at least for now..

And least of all because of my uneducated opinion.

Thanks for reading the thesis.

cheers. "

[Kwyjibo]

Its kind of the same deal with Football(Soccer). Everywhere in the world except North America its huge and the players are very well respected, yet over here they are kind of laughed at. Seems to be changing a bit here but people will always respect Warne, Judd, or Tuquiri(sp?) more than Kewell, Viduka and Timmy even though they have probably made the biggest impact of any Aussie sportsman in the world. Just like Australia sees hooliganism in soccer, they see the hoons in drifting, the media takes these massively out of proportion. It ruins both sports and there is not much you can do about it except just enjoy it as much as possible and drag as many people as you can along to events.

Just like you say there are too many egos, moneymakes and ignorants, it was exactly the same with the NSL, sure there was a lot of passion but there were no true business people who knew how to make a profit and appeal to the mainstream. Once drifting gets administration like this it will have the ability to become more popular.

Edited June 12, 2007 by Kwyjibo

[Dean_HR31]

I didnt have time to read ur complete post, but from what i DID read i agree, that drifting isnt any where near respected

here in Aus as much as it is overseas.. Australia for some reason is all about quater mile times

i think there is a good reason though as to why it isnt as respected/well known over here... Most people cant drift...

i believe that is the case becuase we r in australia so therefor most people are driving boats such as holdens & fords

not Silvia's with coilovers etc. However these sought of cars are building in popularity so i think it will jst get better.

Australia is a place where 300rwkws comes first & then brakes & suspension second... unfortunatly.

Edited June 12, 2007 by Dean_HR31

[m3gtr]

Just like you say there are too many egos, moneymakes and ignorants, it was exactly the same with the NSL, sure there was a lot of passion but there were no true business people who knew how to make a profit and appeal to the mainstream. Once drifting gets administration like this it will have the ability to become more popular.

thats very true but I think there are people already within the sport who have the ability and nous to take it to the next level but it wont happen without japanese support. That has to come from manufacturers. There have been people living in japan that have returned to oz after visiting and being in touch with the drift scene over here but all i see them doing is damaging the sports reputations. They know who they are.

I watched a round of Oz drift via a download and i couldnt believe the "anger" and " arrogance " that i noticed from drivers as well as media representatives,

To compare for comparisons sake, The japanese playfully poke and prod each other and its always part of the show and the action. Its comic, lighthearted and funny and i never get that impression when watching aussie guys drift or speak into the microphone..

why is that?

Its supposed to be fun. D1 guys only take things seriously inside the car and only when the action has started. Ive met many of them and even in public they are composed, affable, and completely free of conceitedness. I really wish i would feel those things for aussie drift and motorsport in general.

I got SO sick of V8 supercars. The trash talk, the bloody show where they had them bitching at each other..it was worse than a damned jerry springer show! Is that what people want to see the best drivers in australia doing?

man how i wish attitudes would change there....

[Dean_HR31]

Australia needs to get into the handbrake pulling scene more...

[R TUNE]

i agree with what every one is saying, drift altho young does not have an image and there is no were, were you can learn. there was a school in QLD but it got shut down by the goverment caused it was believed to be teaching hoon driving.

the only thing i dont like about the oz drfit scean is the way the race are done. there is more emphisie from what i understand on smoke and angle then there is in beating your opponet. the 2nd point i dont like is that they only 4-5 corners to race, why not use a whole track and have the guys race 1 lap and the first accross the line wins, a bit like in Inital d. it would then be more consided a proper race and not a judge event, which i think puts most motor raceing fans who dont know drfit off.

[bubba]

This sounds a lot like what competitive paintball is going through at the moment.

[m3gtr]

i agree with what every one is saying, drift altho young does not have an image and there is no were, were you can learn. there was a school in QLD but it got shut down by the goverment caused it was believed to be teaching hoon driving.

the only thing i dont like about the oz drfit scean is the way the race are done. there is more emphisie from what i understand on smoke and angle then there is in beating your opponet. the 2nd point i dont like is that they only 4-5 corners to race, why not use a whole track and have the guys race 1 lap and the first accross the line wins, a bit like in Inital d. it would then be more consided a proper race and not a judge event, which i think puts most motor raceing fans who dont know drfit off.

oh boy. Listen. D1 is ALL about a few corners. Its not just smoke and angle although the damned commentators will garbage on about it " wow look at the angel on that and what about the smoke!"....

they have no other words in their vocabulary to describe why the drift was good. Its the chasing cars perogative to get as close to the bumper and up inside of the car in front and show as much aggressive style as possible. The closer he or she is, the better of he'll or she'll be on points.

Have you ever been to a D1 event? At Fuji speedway theyd come hammering down a short straight ands throw it in at over 180kph and then drift through a double apex corner and then disappear up and around the next left hander. That was it, but ill be damned it was HOT.

[m3gtr]

This sounds a lot like what competitive paintball is going through at the moment.

and has the same social standing too i guess you will venture. remember, guns and cars kill people...

[BAMR33]

Japan over does the whole drift thing as they've found a niche in the US market where they can not only advertise after market products but also jap cars i.e. 350z, rx8's... I think the success of drift in Japan was largely due to the infatuation of U.S. with the sport. As for drift being a family sport, if you advertise for something enough people are going go and what more advertising do you need than a big time U.S. movie such as Tokyo drift.

And remember for the majority of the population, drift in Australia isn't really a sport. I know for one my Dad thinks it's all the young hoons that do skids on the streets that compete at the drift events and I think this how a lot of people over 30 see it as.

[STATUS]

australia does not have the track support to boost the profile sufficiently, drift australia does a great job and we will continue to support them.

[R TUNE]

yes i have never being to a d1 drift event, but its what i see on tv and read in magerines that makes me lose intest in the sport. i would rather see it promoted as a race rather then a show event. (i.e focus on smoke and angle).

[BAMR33]

australia does not have the track support to boost the profile sufficiently, drift australia does a great job and we will continue to support them.

And why don't they have the track support... because not enough people are not interested. If drifting did bring the crowds I'm sure the tracks would be more than willing to help out. I'm sure as the current generation of drift fans get older and more younger people join the scene the sport will take off, just needs more time and more publicity.

[FineLine]

Approximately 30 years ago I became involved in drag racing via the usual street scene channels. In those days draggin was looked upon in much the same light that drifting is today. We were the hoons, the street racers, the bodgies or whatever other derogatory title you wish to bestow.

I gave it all away and did the marriage kid deal till now i have the time to do it all again. I am so impressed with the way ANDRA and others have progressed drag racing to where it is right now. The winter nats just finished and i could not help but be amazed by the crowd and the demographics relating to.

There were mums and dads with nippers in tow, grand dad and grandma. Lots of couples all reasonably well dressed and very well behaved. The grounds were relatively clean given the crowd size and the no alcohol rule is well supported and appears to be a major positive. The car parks were full of late model family sedans, wagons, and 4wd's denoting a wide acceptance of the sport by middle class Australia.

The race teams are proffessionally presented and sponsor banners are thick on the ground. All in all the sport has come from obscurity to one of wide acceptance and public support.

I recently dropped by qld raceway to have a look at a drift comp and I can honestly say drifters get what they deserve, Maybe not all of them but compared to the drag racing fraternity they are grubs. How in hell do you expect to attract corporate support when the best you have to offer is a sense of dress that can at best be described as slovenly. The filth and litter just thrown on the ground was worse than any football crowd I ever saw. Drink bottles, food packets. worn out tyres, bits of cars just left laying on the ground. The drift cars themselves were generally untidy and not at all of a standard of finish you could present to a national tv audience much less expect Joe public to pay good money to come and watch.

Some of the driving skills were darn good but on the whole i certainly wouldnt bother returning to see more of the same.

I am not a snob. I am working class and somewhat of a bogan but it isnt rocket science to see why the drift scene is wallowing at the gate and cant really get up and running.

[scathing]

I recently dropped by qld raceway to have a look at a drift comp and I can honestly say drifters get what they deserve, Maybe not all of them but compared to the drag racing fraternity they are grubs. How in hell do you expect to attract corporate support when the best you have to offer is a sense of dress that can at best be described as slovenly. The filth and litter just thrown on the ground was worse than any football crowd I ever saw. Drink bottles, food packets. worn out tyres, bits of cars just left laying on the ground. The drift cars themselves were generally untidy and not at all of a standard of finish you could present to a national tv audience much less expect Joe public to pay good money to come and watch

Its probably what's held rallying back, too.

It doesn't have that same clean precision that F1 does, and when you're standing in the forest in the middle of the night, during the snow season, sartorial elegance isn't quite as important as keeping your balls from getting frostbitten and falling off. And its not like they stick bins in the middle of the forest for you to throw your trash into. And the mechanics, having to prep a car that's bounced off a few trees and embankments, are too busy trying to get the car running before the next stage starts to worry about being neat and tidy.

Forget that its a motorsport that requires a great deal of driver skill and bravery, and to a certain extent is more comparable to the kind of driving your average punter does (in terms of approaching blind corners with an unpredictable surface, without plenty of runoff), they just don't care if it doesn't look shiny.

If people want to see something pretty, they should go to a fashion parade. If they actually want to see good driving and competition, they shouldn't be noticing what's happening off the course. If they are getting distracted from the action, then clearly they're not interested enough in what's happening on the course. That means either the competitors are not driving well enough, or they're not actually into the sport.

Edited June 12, 2007 by scathing

[FineLine]

Its probably what's held rallying back, too.

It doesn't have that same clean precision that F1 does, and when you're standing in the forest in the middle of the night, during the snow season, sartorial elegance isn't quite as important as keeping your balls from getting frostbitten and falling off. And its not like they stick bins in the middle of the forest for you to throw your trash into. And the mechanics, having to prep a car that's bounced off a few trees and embankments, are too busy trying to get the car running before the next stage starts to worry about being neat and tidy.

Forget that its a motorsport that requires a great deal of driver skill and bravery, and to a certain extent is more comparable to the kind of driving your average punter does (in terms of approaching blind corners with an unpredictable surface, without plenty of runoff), they just don't care if it doesn't look shiny.

If people want to see something pretty, they should go to a fashion parade. If they actually want to see good driving and competition, they shouldn't be noticing what's happening off the course. If they are getting distracted from the action, then clearly they're not interested enough in what's happening on the course. That means either the competitors are not driving well enough, or they're not actually into the sport.

The top level of rallying is as respected by the community at large as any other form of motorsport.. The bravado on display at rally events is amazing and I for one am in complete awe of the driving talent of the dirt trackers. However when you have to walk from your car through a mountain of shit to get a vantage point to watch a drift event it isnt excactly inspiring.

Dirty cars are the norm at a rally event but even they attempt to clean them up for the sake of sponsors between the stages. A sealed event like a drift race offers no excuse for a dirty car other than the usual rubber spray around the rear quarters.

I doubt there is a form of motor sport that I am not interested in from billy kart racing to tractor pulls to F1 and the good news is, there are plenty of motorsport events to choose from without having to wade through acres of rubbish and unkempt people to see it.

[Rissole]

Good topic, great post.

This subjects been on my mind for a while and i agree with everyone above...

I kind of like the drifting scene right now and im not sure if i would want it to get any bigger.?

Id be happy if the scene stayed underground in a way and wasnt as big as it was at the moment..

However publicity brings money with sponsors etc and with that you get insane cars like current DA ones we have seen this year.

The sport will grow and become huge over the years.. however will never be like japan. But thats good because japan is japan and OZ is OZ... different. If drift was the same in every country it would be boring. Maybe.

Within a yr or two D1GP will be held in OZ (hopefully) (somebody bloody get this happening!)

Get today tonight off the air, and get a decent reporter to do a decent report on the terrific scene... that might help.

Well done to drift australia and mainly all the drifters who have grown into awesome drivers and developed their cars into what they are today, not just in DA but just drift in general, i love the sport, think about it 24 / 7 , spend most of my time working on my car and driving it, couldnt live without it.

anyway my 2 cents..

[benm]

1. Drift is essentially only in it's 2nd year (meaning lack of sponsors/money).

2. Generally the only people that attend the events are already in the loop (ie advertising is extremely low).

3. Australia's race tracks are barely surviving as it is for the premier category (V8SC) let alone anything else.

4. The entire field (from comentators to drivers) are full of unknowns outside the circle of people in the know.

[Trust33]

oh boy. Listen. D1 is ALL about a few corners. Its not just smoke and angle although the damned commentators will garbage on about it " wow look at the angel on that and what about the smoke!"....

they have no other words in their vocabulary to describe why the drift was good. Its the chasing cars perogative to get as close to the bumper and up inside of the car in front and show as much aggressive style as possible. The closer he or she is, the better of he'll or she'll be on points.

Have you ever been to a D1 event? At Fuji speedway theyd come hammering down a short straight ands throw it in at over 180kph and then drift through a double apex corner and then disappear up and around the next left hander. That was it, but ill be damned it was HOT.

they are idols that have been there and done that.people cant be expected to be saints all there lives.speaking from personal experience.YES!!,though not in motorsport.

those who know about drifting and drift in general and those who respect the sport have often had a background in life that allows them to appreciate what they are good at and what it takes.and as such they promote that, in just doing what it is that they do.ie:they walk the walk and talk the talk.

it comes down to personality pretty much IMO.For example:you can go to an interveiw witth the best of intentions and have all of the credentials on paper to say that you are going to be good at the job.but when it comes down to it you cant beat people that have the experience in the industry.

im not saying that you cant have your cake and eat it.all i am saying is that in order to do the right thing by everybody you need to be selfless.somthing that unfortunatly not everyone has the time for and not every1 (ie:sponsors) are broad sighted enuf or have the money,to see or finance.thus wasted talent and just another dream gone.

aussie drifters do need more recognition though and the only way to be "recognised" i think anyway is,through hard work and perciverance.rome wasnt built in a day.hey hey hey!!!

back to the big names in aussie drifting.they are doing all they can at the moment in drift australia and it is evident in the ammount of big name sonsorship that they are bringing into drifting in australia.its pretty easy to say here you go heres our money and then all you get for it in return is recognition what the sponsors want is "SALES".if they dont have any then they sure as hell wont be sponsoring any drift events.

drift as a professional sport is and has been big and going on for quite a while now in japan,they have the appeall and the direction that allot of us envy for aust drifting.we cant copy japan because we arnt from japan.but we can be similar to them.

seriously though i wouldnt worry.you are a concerned person ammongst the many and you are in japan.

end rant.want more.

[Willo]

Having never drifted but having attended a number of drift events in support of a friend who does, I probaby can't comment too much on the state of play in drift in Australia at present. However there are a few comments I'd like to throw into the ring.

It has been mentioned how different the attitude of Japanese drifters is compared to Australians. Besides the obvious cultural differences it is probably worth noting that most D1 drivers are not only competing, but also representing a workshop of some description. Workshops rely on the popularity of the driver as much as their on track performance to generate business. As such, drivers behave in a way that best represents their sponsors. With the lack of sponsorship dollars in Australian drift, it is somewhat understandable why Australian drivers wouldn't value what little money they do receive, and wouldn't be in fear of losing a sponsor over off track behaviour.

Drifting used to be an affordable motorsport. Anyone with a S13, a diff and coilovers could compete and if their skills were up to it, perform pretty well. As such the sport was dominated by 17-20 year olds and the maturity of this age group was displayed both on and off the track (geez I sound like an old bastard). While the age and maturity of the drivers has increased in the last few years the age and maturity of the spectators hasn't. It will never be a "family" event when there are ppl getting drunk, starting fights and "chucking fulli sik skids" in the car park. Similar to what Noel was saying, what kind of company would want to throw dollars at an event that attracts that kind of crowd?

As stated a lot of the problem is public perception. The points I've made only apply to the ppl already heading through the gates. Running hoon stories on Today Tonight/ACA is an easy ratings grab and will continue as long as the ratings are there. The government targetting young motorists in imports is an easy vote winner and will continue as long as the votes are there. Unfortunately both have a large influence over public perception and while this perception remains, the sport of drifting will continue to be seen as a bunch of social misfits terrorising honest hard working Australians, even from within the confines of a sanctioned track in organised competitions.

Rather than continue bitching about "what is", how do we change "what is" to "what could be"?

Change the attitude of the drivers? Not going to happen, they don't need to change as they have someone giving them dollars to drive and that isn't going to change. Having said that, I'm sure the guy driving the Autosalon S15 (can't remember his name off the top of my head) wouldn't last long acting like some of the drivers I've seen and I'm sure he knows it and behaves accordingly. So maybe that's a possible answer, more workshop sponsored big dollar cars with "hired" drivers rather than workshops driving their own tax deductions.

Change the attitude of the spectators? Not going to happen as they are the type of ppl drifting is currently targetted at, more out of necessity due to the public perception mentioned above.

Change public perception? Not going to happen while there are easy ratings and votes to be gained. How do you stop the ratings grabs? Vote with your feet, don't watch these shows. Unfortunately being an aging society a few enthusiasts boycotting current affairs shows will have little to no effect. How do you stop the vote grabs? Vote at the ballot boxes? Who do you vote for when both sides are targetting the same ppl?

There has to be a solution but who has the time, effort, dollars and influence to make it happen?

My 2c+ GST.