Yup, we added the reverse feature today. Now you can go on the *right* side of the orange cones off of the staging line to run the course in reverse, or go on the *left* side of the orange cones to run the course normally.
And he's OK, but Adam wrecked his DRIFT car on the highway tonight. He's looking for an S13 shell now if any of you have a lead; his engine is still good, though so he can do a swap.
U-Drift is closing to the public for private events Sunday and Monday, by the way.
Radio ads start at 10 AM Monday on 103.7, so tune in your radios (5 ads per day for two weeks).
103.7 DJ's will be out drifting with us on Thursday.
Still no noise complaints, even though we were running the reverse course in the dry at several points today.
my bad. thought it was last week. ok for real though wheres the update?
They came out and got ride-alongs, then one of them wanted to drive so we gave him a car and let him do figure-8's and donuts in Gary Lang's training area. He was really getting into it. He wants to come back to hit the larger skidpad, and one more DJ is going to come out next week to do the same.
They're going to talk about drifting with us tomorrow morning on at least one morning talk show, probably 105.5 instead of 103.7.
You know, as much as I like U-Drift, I won't miss having to drift in the wet . . .
It's the silent slide...I've been pushing myself and I can initiate my drift in the wet, hold the slide, turn in the direction that I want while sliding, and reverse direction during the slide at will now.
Very stealthy. Very wet. Tres cool.
My next drift park will have dry sliding, though. I need smoke. Tires...must...burn.
Oh, and on a side note...Yokohama tires are the LOUDEST squealing tires that I've ever heard.
-- Edited by Drifter on Thursday 24th of December 2009 05:56:11 AM
I love your pic of Nick's hand going up through his sunroof, tire spray behind him as he slides, with checkered flag flying in the background from his antenna.
Well, as you'll see with the drifting thing, tires of different compounds and of different ratings have different loudness.
You buy some top of the line Yokos and run them at high wheel speed, you won't really hear em.
However you buy some crappy ones, and they'll squeal like pigs, that's of any brand.
Get some dry runs, and if we can get a bigger lot, get a much bigger lot. I'm not trying to sound too pretentious but that'll show people that there's more to drifting, and that once you start rolling with these larger tracks, you'll see how, almost rudimentary, the size lot at U-Drift is.
It's great for learning and for 50 bucks on the weekdays, you can NOT beat it. No where else compares, at all. You can't beat the overall VALUE per RUN at U-Drift. But I mean, even my girlfriend said the track is a bit small, and she has almost no clue what drifting is about.
I'll upload a run from U-Drift and put it up against a run at Turner Field for comparison.
Also, like Down Shift said, you can also try different lay outs and that'd allow for the more advanced drivers to feel gratification out of each run.
This is during Elite Summer Nationals of 2008. The lot is maybe slightly larger than that of U-Drifts, but it takes advantage of cone placement and layout. And it makes it seem a lot larger than it really is . . .
On the other hand . . .here's a run from Turner Field . . .a rather large lot to use. . .
As you can see, with an incorrect setup, even the largest parking lots can seem small.
Here's a run from the SAME lot, just in a different direction, using a different course setup . . .
You can definitely see how layout makes ALL the difference in catering towards beginner, intermediate, and advanced drivers. :)
What we saw when we were looking at properties was a local go-cart track that had a large, long track. It was *excellent* for drivers.
But the spectators could only see a tiny fraction of the action. And the go-cart track couldn't do enough business to stay open. It eventually resorted to gimmicks like selling "season passes" and "memberships" and the owner was even desperate enough to start crashing car-club get-togethers to pass out his flyers. He had spent too much money on his building (which generates no revenue), and he had made his track too large for spectators to really get in on the action.
Fun place to drive your go-cart, no doubt, but not sustainable.
Whatever we do next, the spectators are going to get a better show than they can get anywhere else, in any sport.
We are going to lay out the course (or courses) around the spectator area. Think, a grown-up infield at Talladega Superspeedway (but on a drifter's budget!).
As a sport, drifting already has places that drivers love. That's covered. The pro-level events are covered, too. It makes no sense for me to jump into direct competition in those dimensions.
However, the spectator experience angle is untouched...and frankly, when I'm out there drifting I *want* people to enjoy what they see. That I can dig.
Make a great spectator experience and we'll become the place for sponsors to come spend time at. This is also how we will single-handedly grow drifting as a sport.
Drifting right now is where golf was before Tiger Woods. U-Drift will change that.
So now it's on to a bigger and better location. Miami, Atlanta, and Vegas are all on our prospect list. It's gonna be fun!
Whatever we do next, the spectators are going to get a better show than they can get anywhere else, in any sport.
We are going to lay out the course (or courses) around the spectator area. Think, a grown-up infield at Talladega Superspeedway (but on a drifter's budget!).
As a sport, drifting already has places that drivers love. That's covered. The pro-level events are covered, too. It makes no sense for me to jump into direct competition in those dimensions.
However, the spectator experience angle is untouched...and frankly, when I'm out there drifting I *want* people to enjoy what they see. That I can dig.
Make a great spectator experience and we'll become the place for sponsors to come spend time at. This is also how we will single-handedly grow drifting as a sport.
Drifting right now is where golf was before Tiger Woods. U-Drift will change that.
So now it's on to a bigger and better location. Miami, Atlanta, and Vegas are all on our prospect list. It's gonna be fun!
Thats good and all but you have to keep the drivers happy. that should be your #1 priority. the fastest way to lose drivers is to make it seem like your just there to make money off of them. otherwise you won't have anything for people to watch.
can you clarify what you mean by "pro level" drifting being "covered"?
Negative. He's saying that other people are already doing that (Pro Level events). U-Drift is not going to try to compete on a pro level with venues that have been established for years.
And I don't think Chris will have a problem keeping drivers happy. Except for the drift ELITISTS; and we don't want them there, anyways. Bitches.
__________________
"...every time my fingers touch brain, I'm superfly T.N.T.!"
Okay, yeah I was confused myself on that one. Well that works, as long as he's trying to fill a niche, it sounds like one that needs to be filled. Lets just hope that this catches on and this time holds on :)
Negative. He's saying that other people are already doing that (Pro Level events). U-Drift is not going to try to compete on a pro level with venues that have been established for years.
And I don't think Chris will have a problem keeping drivers happy. Except for the drift ELITISTS; and we don't want them there, anyways. Bitches.
and my question is still was what is meant by "pro level events". is he talking about Formula D, D1 etc? or is he talking about TND, Traction Optional, SED, SWD, etc?
yea makes sense not to get help from people with actual experience.
I don't know which events and venues he is speaking of. It just seems to me like he's trying to do something different. I like that.
...and by drift ELITISTS, I meant: The guys who talk like they are too awesome to come try it out and sit on their computers, saying "You can't have this, unless you have that." I hate it when people speak in generalities just because they know nothing different. I'm just saying: Don't knock it till you try it.
__________________
"...every time my fingers touch brain, I'm superfly T.N.T.!"