A Brief History of Drifting
Almost 2 decades ago, racing enthusiasts took over the mountain
passes of Japan at night and began a campaign of destroying each other
time's. However in an attempt to shave off precious seconds from their
times they began to slide out their rear ends through the corners. Thus
began the early stages of "drift", which in a large part was due to the
borrowed technique of the rally drivers who whip their cars through
corners at breakneck speeds in order to gain the fastest times.
As this style of Touge driving progressed, so did the various eccentricities of what was considered to be a good drift. Times began to take second place to style. Drivers began to compete for who could be the fastest and most daring on the Touge, who could have the most angle in their drift, who could have the fastest entry speed, and who could really put on a show.
Not being a novice to the underground, Mr. Daijiro Inada,
founder of, Option Magazine, Video Option and the Tokyo Auto Salon,
took a great interest in this underground and illegal sport. With the
added help of his friend, Keichi "Drift King" Tsuchiya, Daijiro began a
venture to bring drifting into it's own. Covered by Option, Driver
Searches, "Ika-Ten", were held and the drivers came down from the Touges
in droves. The Ika-Ten gave credibility to an otherwise outlawed
Motorsport. After almost 2 decades of perseverance the driver were
finally awarded their own series know today as the D1 Grand Prix. The
Grand Prix established a points and ranking system which helped to
finally truly crown the best fastest in the world of Drift.
Expanding even further and growing beyond its boundaries, the
sport of drifting found a new home overseas in the United States.
Building upon an already popular cult following of avid drift fans, D1
was received with open arms in 2003 and 2004 with the D1 Exhibiton
rounds. For the first time this year, February 27th 2005, the United
States played host to a full-on D1 Grand Prix points scoring round, at
the now legendary Irwindale Motor Speedway. The event was a success and
is now a fixture in the D1 Grand Prix calendar.
Note: The United Kingdom has been promised a D1 Exhibition Round later on this year, and it will no doubt provide the same amazing spectacle that Japanese and American fans have been watching and enjoying over the past years.
Judging Drift
The key principles for judging drift are:
1. Angle
2. Line of attack
3. Entry speed
4. Power
5. Style
The judges have to be professionals to note the many differences in each
drivers technique.
Drifting today
The first D1 Grand Prix series was held in 2001 with drifting spreading to the UK ever since.
GT Battle brings Drift Battle to Rockingham Motor Speedway.
The Drift Battle Final consists of twin drifting. Drifting head to head, side by side, taking turns to lead. Competition at such close quarters always ensures twin drift battles are something never to be missed!
