4 'drifting' car-race events OK'd for Aloha Stadium parking lot
Drivers will be allowed to hold at least four "drifting" events inside the Aloha Stadium parking lot beginning next week.
In a 7-1 vote, Aloha Stadium Authority members approved four of the daylong racing events at the stadium's Lower Halawa lot, the same site where the 50th State Fair is held, spokesman Patrick Leonard said.
The vote came as a victory for professional and amateur motorists who have been eyeing the stadium as their gathering place on Oahu since the Hawaii Raceway Park shut down in April. In a previous meeting, the authority had asked organizers to come back with safety measures for the event, including proof that all participants would be covered by health insurance.
Drifting is a controlled skid done by intentionally oversteering and controlling the turn.
The first event, set for Dec. 15, will be a pre-run rehearsal closed to the public where drivers plan to film a public service announcement with Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said Steve Oliberos, director of race operations for Extreme Drift World Tour.
Organizers also will spend the day familiarizing themselves with the site by rearranging cones to test different courses and deciding on the best areas to place spectators. The first contest, schedule to start at about 10 a.m. on Jan. 6, will be a qualifier where the top 32 drivers will move on to the finals on Feb. 2 and 3, Oliberos said.
The last day of competition on Feb. 3 should start at about 5 p.m. and finish with a fireworks show. Admission will be $10 and drivers will pay between $35 and $60 in entry fees, Oliberos said.
The stadium authority will review the events before deciding whether to issue permits for similar competitions in the future, Leonard said. At least two other stadiums on the mainland -- Chicago's Soldier Field Stadium and Houston's Texans Stadium -- have tried drifting in the past with no problems except for some noise, Leonard said.
Oliberos said drifting is a safe sport, and noted that events could give local drivers the opportunity to become professionals who compete overseas.
"We are trying to push the drivers to be professional," he said. "Should we be the entity that takes a driver from their local roots and sends them national or international -- and this is where they got their start -- that would be great."