The History of Drifting and its Culture

Although nobody knows the exact place in history where drifting began, we do know that it happened at about the mid-1960's. To most people, the thought of drifting probably brings images of the “Fast and The Furious” like a lot of the racing forms you see these days, the high-powered adrenaline rush of drifting today has evolved from what was once an illegal form of racing. As the racers improved and their lap times became faster, these racers started going over the grip limit of their tires. They found out that by going over the limit the car was still controllable. In the end it didn't seem to be faster, but it sure was an outrageous and exciting way to show off car control skills. It was then that racers in Japan first studied this driving technique.

This usually took place on curving mountain roads which were referred to as “Touge”. Touge was taken on by some really dedicated enthusiasts which were known as the rolling “zoku” whose main goals were to lower their times from point A to B. Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels or all tires, while maintaining control for the entirety of a corner. A car is drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, to such an extent that often the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn.

The Drift King: Keiichi Tsuchiya

"I drift not because it is a quicker way around a corner, but it is the most exciting way...."

- Keiichi Tsuchiya-

Later on in the 1970’s there was the All Japan Touring Car Championship. The racers were heavily competing against each other, and each lap the racers increased their lap times bit by bit, testing the tires grip to the limit! This resulted in an awesome spectacle of car control where the racing drivers drifted their cars incredibly fast through the corners. In Japan, drift champions are as popular and recognized as celebrities are in the US. In fact, drifting has become so popular in Japan that the government has taken steps to prevent the more dangerous areas of drifting. On the most popular mountain pass, Mount “Haruna”, large speed bumps have been placed at the entrance and exit corners of most sequential turns.Plastic poles are also placed in the middle of lanes on both the mountain roads and busy streets, however, these poles are frequently removed by the drifters.

According to research done by Formula D, the following are findings about drifting enthusiasts:

•  Drifting fans are usually males between the ages of 16-29 years old.
•  Most fans have either attended or graduated from college.
• Online use is very important to drifters. They spend between 8 and 30 hours a week online.
• Almost all drifting fans are gamers.
• Most drift enthusiasts buy their car parts online or at specialty/tuner shops. Chain stores are not the primary resource for a drifter.
•  Although some fans of drifting are drifters themselves, most just enjoy watching the sport.
•  Most fans own their own car, with the most popular makes being Nissan, Toyota and Honda

Source: www.driftingstreet.com