This coming weekend, the streets of Lengthy Seaside will come alive with all the color and pleasure of a brand new Method Drift championship.

FD has been kicking off new seasons right here since 2006, and over that point, the difficult concrete barrier-lined road course has seen as a lot glory because it has heartache. Ten years in the past, Larry was on the bottom in Lengthy Seaside to seize all of the motion of the 2014 Method Drift season opener, so for this week’s throwback publish, we’re revisiting that occasion protection. How a lot has skilled drifting within the USA modified during the last decade? Let’s discover out…

2014 Function

Irwindale will all the time be ‘The Home of Drift’ – the place the place essentially the most epic of occasions happen and Method Drift champions are crown. However what about Spherical 1 on the streets of Lengthy Seaside, California?

I believe Lengthy Seaside is the right venue to showcase what drifting has grow to be as an internationally acknowledged motorsport. It’s truthful to say that it needs to be dubbed ‘The Streets of Drift.’ Yearly I sit up for seeing the highest drifters from all around the world collect within the seventh largest metropolis in California and residential to nearly half one million residents.

2014 marks the ninth season of Method Drift competitors at Lengthy Seaside, and I’ve watched it evolve into what it’s at this time from the very starting.

Although I’m only a journalist trying in from the skin, I really feel like I’m part of the Method Drift household. The game has developed a lot through the years, however all the folks nonetheless behind the wheel stay the identical. Drift Alliance could also be grown up now, however they’re nonetheless better of associates.

I remembered a time when there was nonetheless room within the stands throughout the Prime 16 introductions. Today there’s standing room solely, and additional house for essentially the most devoted of followers to get the VIP therapy and watch the formalities from the precise observe.

I believe a part of the success of Method Drift will be attributed to town of Lengthy Seaside, and its willingness to not solely settle for, however welcome with open arms this superior type of motorsport.

Lengthy Seaside is the right place to kick off a brand new season, and the extent of dedication drivers need to put in right here to do nicely, is in contrast to some other cease on the Method Drift calendar.

Drifting continues to develop, as does the variety of licensed Method Drift drivers. Nonetheless, for 2014’s inaugural occasion there have been much less drivers than final yr on account of most of the groups not having their vehicles completed in time.

I believed that was going to be the case for Michael Essa, as a result of lower than a month out from Lengthy Seaside his E46 M3 was sitting in his store as a naked chassis. I solely assume he completed in time as a result of he obtained a clone to assist him out.

By now you in all probability heard that Chris Forsberg nabbed the win.

Final yr’s championship battle wore on him, as he was only a stone’s throw away from incomes his second title.

Chris was strolling on air when he gained. There isn’t a higher method to begin off the season than with the highest step on the rostrum – particularly while you’re in search of a brand new title sponsor.

I suppose it was a bit overwhelming, however over the course of the low season loads of effort when into enhancing his Nissan 370Z’s setup.

Ray Shake and Brian Wilkerson from MA Motorsports pushed laborious to construct a automobile with not solely extra energy than ever earlier than, however with elevated reliability too.

I do know Chris and the workforce’s hearts dropped after they needed to name 5 minutes throughout competitors when the Nissan wouldn’t fireplace. However it simply turned out to be a free battery cable. All the pieces else throughout the occasion appeared to run easily, and if that’s saved up throughout the remainder of the season, Chris Forsberg Racing might be in with an excellent likelihood of incomes their second championship.

Our personal Vaughn Gittin Jr. is one other top-ranked Method Drift driver working laborious to safe his second title, too.

I don’t assume there’s one other driver within the ranks of Method Drift that’s extra invested on this sport than Vaughn. I actually do not know how he juggles so many issues directly. One week he’s in Europe and the subsequent week he’s in China – it’s limitless with this man.

Throughout the driver assembly he was reunited with Nobushige Kumakubo, whom he battled with again when D1 Grand Prix nonetheless had North America on its radar.

After all, a lot has modified since then. Perhaps Mr Crew Orange will make the leap over to compete in Method Drift, identical to Daigo Saito did in 2012.

I believe we’ll see an increasing number of Japanese drivers within the FD ranks, which needs to be nice for the game – and it’s principally because of this man. Nonetheless, the champion bumped into issues in Lengthy Seaside with a automobile that was affected by drivetrain points. Uncharacteristically, he was knocked out of competition within the Prime 32 in consequence.

Our Scandinavian driver, Fredric Aasbø, is without doubt one of the few worldwide opponents in Method Drift dwelling a dream. He got here to North America with nothing greater than a automobile and hopes of selecting up a significant sponsor.

He has gone from sharing a tiny lodge room mattress along with his spotter/mechanic/finest good friend and solely in a position to afford to run just a few rounds, to being sponsored by Toyota and having the chance to take his drifting skills all around the world.

He’s even changed Manabu Orido because the Crew RS-R driver now, however the true problem for him is to win his first Professional Championship occasion. He has come shut a number of instances, so it’s only a matter of all his playing cards falling in the suitable place.

There’s one thing about these Norwegians that maintain them pushing laborious each single time they go to battle. Perhaps it’s the Viking spirit of their blood?

After a few years of heartbreak and up-close-and-personal encounters with the wall, Kenny Moen lastly earned his very first Method Drift podium at Spherical 1.

He’s in a terrific place to win the championship this yr, however he simply has to stay constant sufficient all through the remainder of the season.

I’ve talked about just a few worldwide drivers, however we will’t neglect about our associates to the North both. Method Drift’s 2013 Rookie of the 12 months, Mats Baribeau, continues to impress me everytime he hits the observe. He certified excessive at Lengthy Seaside and made it into the Prime 16, which is fairly superb when you think about it was his very first time competing on the road course.

There are actually three Canadian drivers competing within the Professional ranks, together with Dave Briggs and Marc Landreville. It in all probability helps that FD is planning an exhibition spherical in Canada later this yr too.

Speak of Method Drift holding worldwide championship has been out for some time, nevertheless it didn’t actually hit me till I bit into an FD cookie over the weekend.

Method Drift’s president and co-founder, Jim Liaw, is placing all the things into the game to assist take it to the subsequent stage. A global competitors is a big step.

Co-founder Ryan Sage and a small crew from North America has been serving to plan occasions in South-East Asia for years, and extra not too long ago in Australia. So it solely is sensible to broaden to Europe and past.

A part of that worldwide crew is Jarod DeAnda – the person who has introduced each single FD competitors since day one. When he’s not on the mic, he works very laborious behind-the-scenes to amass extra sponsors, which in fact advantages everybody in the long term. He helped to debut the REV’D award this spherical, which will likely be granted to essentially the most deserving driver of the 2014 season.

It wouldn’t be Lengthy Seaside and not using a few nasty wrecks. In my first publish from the occasion I touched on Joon Maeng’s crash, which was one of many worst I’ve seen shortly.

Essentially the most notable incident throughout competitors although, was undoubtedly the one involving Kyle Mohan throughout a battle with Robbie Nishida.

The Lengthy Seaside native hit the clipping level wall laborious, shattering one among his wheels within the course of. You could possibly really see components of the damaged middle and spokes overtake the automobile because of the huge influence.

It didn’t look good, and I believed the automobile was accomplished for certain. Then they introduced that Kyle had gained as a result of Robbie spun independently to Kyle’s wreck. How loopy is that? Solely in drifting I suppose…

So the workforce spent all the half time break borrowing components off different RX-8s within the paddock to get the Mazda again collectively in time for the Prime 16.

Though it appeared just a little worse for put on, the automobile was principally collectively for Kyle’s tandem with Kenny Moen. The body was tweaked nevertheless, so the Mazda didn’t drive the best way it ought to.

It was unlucky for Kyle, however he put up an actual good combat within the circumstances.

Contemplating he misplaced his tire sponsor simply days out from Lengthy Seaside as nicely, I don’t assume he’ll be forgetting this spherical in hurry. Fortunately for him, GT Radial got here to the rescue within the eleventh hour, leaving simply sufficient time for just a few laps of testing earlier than heading into competitors.

It takes a lot ability to have the ability to drive the course and never stuff your automobile right into a concrete wall. Forest Wang demonstrates this completely.

Lengthy Seaside may be very robust for the rookies. It’s the harshest observe within the sequence.

Matt Coffman got here in charging laborious and ended up within the tire limitations throughout qualifying. The model new workforce will likely be again to combat one other day at Spherical 2 at Highway Atlanta subsequent month.

Kyle Mohan’s teammate, Tyler Wolfson, can be driving for GT Radial this yr in one other rotary-powered Mazda.

He’s additionally a rookie, and operating the least quantity of horsepower out of the complete grid. It’s going to be a tricky street forward for him to earn Rookie of the 12 months, however truthfully, just a few good qualifying runs and he’d be in with an opportunity on the coveted title.

The drifting fan base normally has grow to be so big. I’ve by no means seen so many individuals on the autograph session as I did this spherical.

It’s superb {that a} driver like Danny George can run a program that’s fully funded by followers. They only love being part of one thing superb.

That is because of the absolute dedication that every particular person within the sequence offers to the game.

Every workers member; whether or not or not it’s the starter, the judges, or the groups, wholeheartedly imagine on this sport with each fiber of their existence. They adore it simply as a lot as I do.

The drivers adore it too, in fact. That’s why they maintain coming again year-after-year, wreck-after-wreck. A couple of encounters with a concrete Okay-rail by no means stopped anybody.

Subsequent time you guys come to Method Drift, strike up a dialog with one of many drivers – you’ll see how a lot they love what they do.

Chris Forsberg might have gone to the darkish aspect with a blacked out automobile and matching race swimsuit, however he’s nonetheless one of many nicest and most devoted drivers within the sport. On numerous events I’ve seen him cease no matter he was doing simply to say hey to his followers.

It’s going to be enjoyable to observe him push laborious for the remainder of the season.

Congratulations to Chris Forsberg for such an ideal begin of the season. I simply can’t wait to see what is going to unfold for the remainder of the eleventh yr of Method Drift.

Larry Chen
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