Why Drifting?
 

Can any of you explain to me the seeming popularity of "drifting" I've never been to a competitive event, but probably would never understand the rules anyway.

I can accept the notion that the activity - I refuse to think of it as a sport - would perhaps impart some car control skills and dynamics, but to what end?

Please understand I am not trying to be critical here, I just don't understand why somebody would go out and ruin a perfectly good set of tires in an evening.

I haven't followed the activity, but am I wrong in noticing that it appears some events are actually sponsored or supported by tire manufacturers? Thus far, that's the one thing that makes sense. Kinda a fox guarding the henhouse sort of thing?

Please explain this activity to me. Come to think of it, I never see any posters or events posted in local club newsletters.

It's not quite "event" season here, lol, but drifting is just plain good ol' fashion fun, that's the draw. Burnin' rubber is fun, and doing it at 60mph as you enter the first turn at Evergreen Speedway, and carrying it 3 city blocks is exhilarating. It's like standing at the top of that monster slide at the waterpark that's almost 90° to the ground. Slap on a set of 17's, buy some cheap used tires from Les Schwab or wherever, and go destroy them one night, you might get hooked! They have traditionally had open drift often at Evergreen during the summer. I used to go a lot more when I lived in Snohomish :/

Oh, that's it? Thanks Eric for explaining the appeal of the activity. Does sound like fun the way you are engaged in it. For some reason, commercials 0n TV and magazines about drifting that had me thinking it was a serious organized sport say, like auto crossing.

Truly appreciate your reply. I was afraid I might get a few rude responses from people who take themselves too seriously sometimes. So far, no such comments

I can be guilty of such seriousness myself, and Corvette types can be brutal, so I understand :yesnod: it is very organized, but it's all style. I just like to burn rubber, lol, I couldn't personally care less about the rules, but there is some big money in it out there.

It is engaging, they let the public wander the pits, and they give people the used tires off the cars if they ask, and there's usually a car show in the parking lot at the same time; it's fun.

People do it because it's fun.

And then, like everything else people do for fun, they started wondering who was better, so they came up with contests.

And it turned out that a lot of people think it's fun to watch, so the contests became kind of popular.

It's basically freestyle driving. Lots of activities have branches where the goal is to beat an objective measurement, like racing, and branches where the goal is to impress judges instead.