D1NZ

DRIFTING HISTORY

Get the Drift? What is Drifting?

Without a doubt Drifting is the fastest growing motorsport today! The intensely addictive formula of Speed, Smoke and Sideways action has taken the world by storm. Drifting is a highly skilled motorsport requiring drivers to hold their vehicles beyond the limits of traction in a way traditional motorsport never imagined possible.

Drifting as a Motorsport:

I am sure you know what a tail slide or a "Drift" is in Motorsport, but do you know what drifting is? There is a lot of hype around the sport of drifting, but few people do or can explain what it really is.

Drifting as a Motorsport is basically causing your vehicle's rear wheels to lose traction and go into a tail slide (Drift). Holding this slide through a set of corners while maintaining the closest possible distance between you and your opponent.

The idea is to get as much angle during the drift as possible, maintaining as much speed, angle and smoothness as you can and adding your own personal style and touch while maintaining the closest distance to your rival. Drifting is judged on how well you can perform these skills.

Drifting is the tail sliding from motorsports such as Rally combined with the exhibition of extreme sports like Free Style MotorX, all tied up with the intensely close action of Circuit Racing. The perfect recipe for pure action!

Where Drifting Came From?

So now you know what drifting is, where did it come from?

Drifting really came into it's own back in the late 80's, in the picturesque TOUGE (toe-geh) of Japan, where for many years drivers would race up and down the steep and windy mountain roads in the same way Rally is done today, tyring to get from point to point as quick as possible. Discovering that the fastest way around a corner was not always the way with the most traction, drivers would use highly skilful rally techniques to slide around corners improving their times. Soon drivers who could cause their vehicles rear wheels to lose traction around a corner and then gain traction again afterwards without spinning, became very respected and the intense enjoyment of such an extreme driving style evolved into purely that, Drifting.

The Japanese soon caught on to the trend and started holding Drifting competitions, which today provide one of the biggest and still growing Motorsport industries in Japan.

Drifting is now growing rapidly all over the world and is no doubt the fastest growing Motorsport in the U.S now attracting over 20,000 spectators and 100 teams to events and creating a whole new industry.

Its here though in New Zealand with its relatively relaxed import laws we have the largest Japanese imports per population outside of Japan itself. This import phenomenon has spawned many industries and an import car culture second to none.

Drifting was always within us with street racing and mountain road racing, but now has come into the public's eye in the form of the D1NZ Championship and the ever-increasing media interest across the board.

Auckland is New Zealand's largest urban area with a population of 1.3 million people and also home to the D1NZ hub office, from which it coordinates the rest of the country and its many Drifters and thousands of supporters.