As the sun was setting on what seemed to be just another day in Irwindale California, the 240's, Corolla's, MR2's, 350z's, rx-7's and pretty much any rear wheel drive car imaginable, drifted into and all around, Irwindale speedway. With bruised bumpers and a lot of zip ties, these cars are special in their own unique way. Now you may or may not have heard of drifting yet. For those of you who don't, it is the biggest thing to hit the motorsports world in the last 30 years. It is the art of oversteer... I.E., Slinging your car into a turn at a high rate of speed, breaking the rear tires loose while controlling the slide with a mixture of gas and steering all whileshowering the crowd with tire smoke, dirt, and rubber. Drifting is more then a sport. It is an experience, an art, and definitely a passion. These guys are hard core to say the least. Imagine coming into a hairpin turn at 50-60 MPH, yanking the wheel, getting on the gas, and sliding the whole way through the turn sideways. With a lot of practice, the right car, and some luck, they make it through the turn unscathed and look good doing it!
Drifting originated in Japan over 30 years ago and officially moved into the US at Willow Springs Raceway in California in 1996. It has grown from a few guys on the Touge roads in Japan to fully sanctioned events and competitions. It has grown to the D1 Grand Prix in Japan, Pro-drift in Europe, BDC in the United Kingdom, URC (United Racers Club) in Bangladesh, SUPERDRIFT in Italy, Formula D in the United States, King of Europe Drift Series in Europe, Drift Mania in Canada, and the NZ Drift Series in New Zealand... This barely covers it today. This particular event was thrown by the guys over at Adams Speedway in Riverside who also throw their own drift event at their own track once a week.
I want to thank everyone who came out for a great show and for the people at Irwindale Speedway and the people at Adams for throwing this and allowing us access to get these amazing shots.
Comments
Post a Comment