Lastly...

I think it's appropriate to end like I started this blog, with a video. This video is purely a celebration of speed, power and spectacle.
And i think it is fair to say it has to be one of the best drifting videos ever made.
So just view my Video section to see it.

Thanks for viewing my blog and I hope you found it interesting.
Cheers.

And it's all thanks to Drifted.com and StephenBrooksFilms.com

Quote

Shane Lynch, a proffesional drifter in the BDC with Stobart, once put drifting in a nutshell.

"JUDGEMENT TIME......ONCE YOU GO........LEAD CAR. CHASE CAR..........

 ...JUST STICK IT IN THEIR DOOR REALLY".

                                                                                Shane Lynch

                             

Drift Setup

Drivetrain = A limited slip differential is considered essential for drifting. This reduces the maximum traction through the rear wheels.

Suspension = Stiff springs are used to reduce body motion. Dampers are fine tuned to perfect drift transitions from corner to corner. Massive negative camber angles are applied to the front wheels. The rear wheels get a small amount of negative camber. 

Engine = Many cars run the bulletproof SR20 engine. This engine can be modified a great deal and when fully tuned it will put out 400-850 bhp. 

Steering = The steering angle is greatly increased allowing the driver to get bigger drift angles. With a well setup suspension system many cars are able to achieve a 90degree angle without spinning.

      

SR20 DET Engine

 

Camber

Thanks to Google Images for the pics

Thanks to Forza Motorsport 4 for information on setups

The Geography

*** This Post Is For School Purposes ***

So how does drifting relate to geography and what is geographical about it? 


Car drifting has it's origins in Japan, and to this day the number of drift racers coming from Japan outweighs other countries. There are, however, drift racers and racers adopting drifting techniques across the world, wherever auto racing exists.
Many events focused on drifting have been set up globally. There are major annual drift competitions in Japan, the United States, Malaysia, Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Canada. 
       Drifting also denies the laws of friction. A car, by right, should drive around a corner in full control with the tyres making lots of friction, but a drift racer purposely puts the car into a slide thus causing less friction between the track and the tyres. A drift car needs loads of power to overcome the force of friction.
       
        The automobile has had a huge impact on global mobility, settlement patterns, the global economy,the environment and social lives. Cars however are fast becoming an endangered species. More and more environmentalists are complaining that the car is dirty. It puts out to much Co2 emissions and uses to much precious fuel. This is a huge problem for the sport of drifting because once the combustion engine goes so will drifting, Electric cars are simply not good enough.
       Each year huge amounts of carbon dioxide are pumped into the atmosphere by the car. 300million tons in the US alone. Worldwide this is a massive problem as it is one of the main reasons why global warming is increasing.
      Whatsmore the emissions from a car are causing greater amounts of smog and damage to the environment. In built up areas the fumes from a car have nowhere to go but to hang like a black curtain over the city.
      Drifting then, is sure to die out in the coming 20 years. Their engines are being tuned to increasing amounts of power thus putting out more and more unwanted gas. The way the world is going, cars as a whole will become extinct in a few years. Companies are already producing electric and hybrid variations of their models just to obey what environmentalists are telling them.
     So, the motorsport lovers of this world will be left with nothing to watch and whole communities of people will break down and fall apart. Car clubs will become a celebration of the most eco friendly car not speed and power. Enthusieasts will have nothing to collect. And we'll all go back to riding bicycles.  


  

Judging

Drifting competitions are judged based on line, angle, speed, amount of smoke, and show factor. Line involves taking the correct line, which is usually announced beforehand by judges. The show factor is based on multiple things, such as the amount of smoke, how close the car is to the wall or designated clipping point, and the crowd's reaction. Angle is the angle of a car in a drift, speed is the speed entering a turn, the speed through a turn, and the speed exiting the turn; faster is better. The course is usually small with linking corners making it easy for drifting. These corners are the ones judged.
      There are a number of sessions before the final. there is qualifying, determining shich driver is against another. This is followed by top 16 then a top 8 battle and finally the top 4. The winner of this is crowned champion. A driver can be eliminated by the judges are if they spin, hit a wall, leave the designated course or hit the other driver in the tandem drift.


tandem drifting

thanks to drifted.com for picture

Cars

Drift cars are usually very light and most are rear wheel drive with high power (300-500bhp). Japanese
cars are the most common although some rare types show up on occasion.
The most common types of drift car are:

Toyota Corrolla AE86       

Nissan Silvia S15 / S14 / S13       

Nissan 180sx/200sx         

BMW M3 E30              

Toyota Supra                     

thanks to drifted.com and speedhunters.com for the images
Thanks to my brain for cars ;)

History

Drifting began in the mountain passes of Japan when a man called Keiichi Tsuchiya entered a hillclimb event in his Toyota Corrolla. He wowed the crowd by sliding his car through the corners maintaining a high exit speed. This technique made him very popular and he won many events because of it. Tsuchiya is known as the Dorikin or Drift King throughout the world and because of him the Toyota Corrolla is the most commonly used drift car to date.

Keiichi Tsuchiya

Thanks to Google Images for image