It is always good to see drifting mentioned in the mainstream media. It is especially good when it is portrayed in a positive light. Last Friday evening there was an open track event at Saskatoon’s Auto Clearing Speedway and some of the local drivers took to the banks and showed a reporter from the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix a good time.

Drifting into the mainstream

By Jordan Hartshorn, The StarPhoenix July 14, 2010

When driver Wade Longstaff started cussing as we skidded around the first bend, Todd Jalbert’s words flashed in my mind like a red flag.

“Remember,” the Auto Clearing Motor Speedway director said before we got in the car. “These walls do not move.”

I wasn’t panicked, but I wasn’t prepared to test that theory, either.

Longstaff knew precisely what he was doing with his Nissan 180 SX, even if his language betrayed him. He was drifting, a racing style which calls for the driver to intentionally oversteer, making the vehicle squeal and grind around turns.

Paradoxically, if executed properly the vehicle is always on the cusp of spinning out of control. But once the vehicle comes to, the reward is a whip-like high exit speed, propelling the car forward.

For the uninitiated it’s stomach churning. But for the drifter it’s an adrenaline pumping thrill ride.

“There’s no feeling like it,” said Chris Klein after ripping around the Auto Clearing oval.

Auto Clearing isn’t an optimal course for drifting. With only two turns, the action can be rather banal. An ideal drifting course provides many twists and turns, keeping the car in almost a constant drift. For that, Klein and his cohorts use a small track near Lumsden.

But that’s not the point of getting people together for these drifting events, such as the one Klein put together last Friday. They’re more for kicking back and giving it a whirl.

“I’m happy with just running events like these — everyone just comes out, drives and haves fun with it.”

If any of the Saskatoon drifters want to take part in professional drifting they need to travel to other centres such as Edmonton or Regina.

Professional competitions are not based upon speed and time. Instead, racers compete in front of judges for points. After a qualifying heat based upon showmanship — such as style or smoke generated — qualifiers face off in tandem runs. Tandem races consist of two vehicles alternating as the lead and chase car and points are awarded for passing the opposing vehicle while still maintaining an ideal drift.

Klein himself has taken part in several pro events across western Canada. He and several other enthusiasts drive under the banner of Herpes Drift Friends.

Klein was first drawn to the style of racing after seeing an event in Seattle in 2006. When he came home he didn’t find it difficult to track down other enthusiasts. Internet message boards such as www.driftwest.ca offer an easy route into the subculture.

To him, drifters naturally gravitate to one another.

“It seems everyone who is in to it kind of finds the same kind of people around the province,” he said. “You end end up being in the same places.”

Klein’s 1991 Mazda Miata bears the scars that come with drifting. His custom running board is mangled and he’s always putting new tires on. Yet, on the inside one couldn’t be safer.

It’s fitted with a roll cage, as required for professional competitions. The seatbelt is so elaborate I needed Jalbert’s assistance to get strapped in. I was so tightly bound to my seat that I hardly moved while Klein whipped us around the course, rarely dropping below 100 km/hour.

“You did a lot better than most people do the first time they try it,” said Klein when we finished. “Girls usually scream the whole time.

“I just hope you didn’t crap in my car.”
Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/sports/Drifting+into+mainstream/3274695/story.html#ixzz0thUIB24C

With the scene in Saskatchewan currently in transition, it is comforting to know that guys like Chris Klein and Wade Longstaff are helping get the word out to the public about drifting. Hopefully, with hard work and a little luck, Saskatchewan drifters will find and secure a venue to use for years to come.