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Racetrack lets In the end, it's not just about speed, but about control.
enthusiasts control
their wild car spins
"Drifting," imported from Japan,
is called "crazy, nuts, fun"By Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.comImported from Japan about a decade ago, "drifting" is an increasingly popular sport in Hawaii and is described by one local enthusiast as "crazy, nuts, fun."
David Shimokawa, who runs the monthly drift sessions at Hawaii Raceway Park since last summer says drifting, is "a controlled loss of traction that allows you to slide your vehicle through turns at high speeds and sharp angles."
In other words, the drivers speed up, then turn suddenly which causes the car to slide amid a cloud of gray smoke from burning rubber.
"This sport is about people truly trying to master their vehicle and learn what it takes to push the vehicle over its physical limits as they struggle to maintain control of their vehicle even though it is physically out of control."
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Shimokawa said the reason he started the monthly event is to get drifters off the street where it's illegal and onto the track where it's legal and safer."Before we started this, there were no tracks or events for what we like to do," he said.
"Getting people off the roads is our biggest problem. ... We do love racing, we do love driving. We want people to learn how to do (it) safely and responsibly and at the same time get better."
Justin Kikawa, a 28-year-old driver who won the January drift session, said he tried to learn drifting the street "wherever you find nice turns." But after coming to the track and meeting experienced drifters he said, "most everything about drifting I learned over here instead of on the street."
"Nobody's in danger driving on the tracks," he said.
Even though most agreed drifting should be done on the track rather than the street, drivers had mixed opinions about a proposal in the Legislature to allow police to seize the cars of repeat speeders.
"It would be safer for our roads if something like that goes through," said Neil Rees, 24, a drifting enthusiast.
"Everybody wants to speed once in awhile but revoking the cars, that's wrong," Kikawa said.
Yesterday, 35 cars signed up for a run on the curvy quarter-mile track, with 16 competing for prizes including DVDs, certificates for Dave & Busters and other things.
Judges rate each driver based on how well they perform the maneuver.
Motorcyclists also put their machines to the test yesterday, performing wheelies and stunts for an enthusiastic crowd of onlookers -- more than 150 spectators arrived on motorcycles alone.
Some telltale signs that you're in the right place for a drift session are the piles of tires on the side of the roadway -- tires are one of the casualties of putting your car through that kind of stress, as are broken struts -- and the clouds of burning rubber in the air.
Shimokawa admits the sport is not made for spectators. "It doesn't always appeal to spectators unless they've attempted it themselves," he said. But the ride itself is a thrill because you're "approaching turns at speeds and angles that you know should be physically impossible for you to negotiate," he said.