The big day is tomorrow and once again the ‘Big Valley Drifto-ree’ gets some ink in the Regina Leader-Post.
Drifting gives an edge to traditional racing
By Ian Hamilton, Leader-PostSeptember 18, 2009 4:05 AM
A number of drivers are hoping people get their drift Saturday.
The Big Valley Drift-oree — a competition geared toward the motorsport of drifting — is set for Saturday, 1 p.m., at the 3Flags Motorspeedway near Lumsden.
“It’s a sport a lot of people will enjoy watching,” says Ryan Gaudet, who’s one of the event’s organizers. “It’s a sport that keeps you on the edge of car control. It’s exciting, it’s loud — and there’s lots of tire smoke!”
Drifting, which is one of the world’s fastest-growing motorsports, originated in Japan. Drivers intentionally oversteer, prompting a loss of traction in the rear wheels and allowing the car to slide sideways around the track.
“Depending on how the course is set up,” Gaudet says, “the goal is to do it sideways.”
Competitors usually are judged on their angle, speed and show factor. The latter involves such things as the amount of tire smoke generated by the driver during his time on the track and the crowd’s reaction to the run.
“You’re on the edge of possible disaster,” Gaudet says. “It’s an adrenalin rush to be on the edge like that. The slightest little mistake and you’ll spin out or spin into the tire wall.”
Gaudet, 21, says he was first introduced to drifting a couple of years ago — in the video game Gran Turismo. He subsequently saw it in other games, on YouTube and on TV and decided to try it himself.
He and other drifters started practising last year at 3Flags and this year decided to hold a couple of competitions. The event Saturday is the second of the season.
Gaudet hoped to be one of the drivers, but he blew the motor in his Nissan Skyline GTS-4 in his first practice session of the year in May.
“That’s unfortunate because I really wanted to be drifting with all of my friends,” he says. “Next year. Next year I’ll be ready to drive.”
Gaudet says there about 20 competitors currently registered for Saturday’s event, including 10 from Regina. The remainder of the entrants hail from Saskatoon along with centres in Alberta.
Anyone interested in competing should send an e-mail to Ryan.Skyline@live.com. There’s an entry fee of $100.
Admission for spectators is free. After qualifying, anyone interested in visiting the pits can pay $3 to see the cars and meet the drivers.
© Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post
I did not write this……DAVE! lol hahaha
My bad. I was in a rush this morning and wanted to get it up. I was logged in under the admin account and I guess it defaults to you because of the alphabet or something. 🙂
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