DaveAVT

No, Burt Reyolds in Smokey and the Bandit started it all...

Garage19

Buford T. Justice: I'm gonna barbeque your ass in molasses.

DaveAVT

Eligible, as in they could get a licence, and have been told they can pass, as you have just said, but they can't afford to spec their cars to D1 spec..so......

Stavros

No offence, but being 'told' by someone you could've passed that licence test dont mean owt, its not a simple test to see if you can drift a bit like the Eurodrift one etc, a lot of good people didnt pass, was a proper fast drift track with Kazama judging it.

You didnt need a D1 spec car as such for the licence test, a few people didnt, the test is for the driver rather than the car, a few people are driving "team" cars rather than their own, so couldve passed the test and then blagged a team entry.

Either way, cant be arsed going on about this as makes it sound like im saying they crap when im not, as they all really good, just making a point.

DaveAVT

Yes, you are making them sound like arses. They have been told by current judges they are up to D1 standard, and it was them who reccommended them to apply, and if entered they would most likely pass - of course this is not fact, their wheels could fall off..but you get the jist..

You don't need a D1 spec car to get a licence . You need a D1 spec car to compete, ie full regulation cage, cabin extinguisher system etc...

Only James has gone the full hog and spent the money on the car and went for the license.

Stavros

No im not, im even explaining that they all bloody good, but to say someones good enough without them taking the same test everyone else has is daft.

What judges? IIRC Test was Kazama, Round1 was Nomura, Round2 was Tsuchiya, and so on, cant imagine any of them saying so, esp when they dont speak English.

I think they all good enough to be worth going for the licence, they all pretty good, but going for it dont mean you will pass, only a certain amount of people per year could get one, its not just a case of if your up to a certain set standard your in, if you dont perform on the day you dont get it, such is drifting, consistancy is rare, but mistakes arnt.

And like said, you didnt need a D1-spec car to get a licence, just to compete. If anyone wanted to they couldve went for licence and hoped to blag a D1 spec car to compete in.

I could say I think I could win the F1 season in a Minardi first time out if I had the chance, but cant say that without doing it.

MWF

As far as I am ware Keiichi Tsuchiya didn't so much as start drifting but brought drifting into the public eye. I may be wrong but I believe he had a touge racing history prior, or alongside his professional racing in which drifting downhill was a common trick to increase cornering speed. I think he then adopted the technique in his racing (in Trueno) and once even showed off for a lap (after spinning out) by drifting each bend. I think this then went on to Initial D being based on his earlier street racing days.

That may all be utter drivel but it's how I understand it.

DaveAVT

Not really, the team have talked about this in the past, putting money together to get one car up to D1 spec, but then all of them have to use the same vehicle, which is going to be hard when they all practice in different vehicles compared to the D1 car, and your a bit screwed with one car when you competing against somebody in your own team and need to go twin drift...

Stavros

By team you mean D:Mon I guess?
Yeah, would be madness from Steve/Jase/Steve/etc to share 1 car and compete in same event, can see that, would never work.

There are hired drivers for various cars in D1GB, and very few teams have all the same cars, infact most teams just have 1 car and 1 driver.

Two obvious cars I can think of with hired drivers are the Sumo and SVA 350Zs, neither drivers own the cars, they just drive for the company.

Other multi-car teams from around the world have various cars, none the same, Team Orange have Subaru's, Silvias, and a Skyline, Falken in USA have a Mustang, an RX7, and a few other stuff I forget, and so on.

Racey

back to the original point of the post .... I thought the ramp sequence was great - and even better now I know it's real

DaveAVT - grimsey took me out for a ride on one of his drifting days once - I can imagine he's an absolute nutter now