Drifting

All day Sunday, while working on my car I'm hearing these squeeling
tires and the buzzing of fart-canned fours. They sometimes run
autocross in the parking lot at the horse race track near my house, so
I figure that's what it is.

The noise continues even after dinner so my wife and I drive down there
to take a look. Sho nuff there's orange cones marking a course on the
parking lot. What we see is this Nissan 240SX going from a standing
start at the far end, about a 1/8th mile away. He gets to the corner
where we're sitting and he just jerks the wheel hard to the right and
sliiiiides that thing about 100 degrees into a 90 degree turn, coming
out all opposite lock. Down to the next corner, another 1/8th mile,
same deal, jerking the wheel and sliding through. Then some twisty
parts through the middle, every time going for maximum oversteer,
another turn at the far corner and back to the start/finish and off the
course.

It was crazy. They keep starting more cars while others are on the
course, so there's three or four going all the time. Not the fastest
way around, but it looked like ten times more fun than the usual Solo
II parking lot stuff. Very low price of entry, too, because all we saw
were crappy lookin 240SX's and old rear drive Toyota Corollas. One RX7,
all stickered and pro looking. I guess the participants have to save
their $$$ for the tires, which I'm sure you go through more than one
set in an 8 hour day. I mean, when four cars were on the course at one
time the smoke got so thick you could hardly see the cars.

Then on Monday I'm sitting at a red light at the intersections of two
six lane streets. Across the intersection from me, a BMW 325 has got
the green arrow for a left turn. But it's doing a U, not a left. At
about the 90 degree point, the driver gets on the gas and slides the
car the rest of the way around and burns rubber half way to the next
corner. More craziness!

Is this the thing now? Not handling, not horsepower, just trying to
drive like you're on ice but you're not, you're on asphalt.

There's long been the side show thing here in the East Bay, many years
now, but that's different. It's mainly 5.0's and Z/28's, and it's in
nabes in east Oakland where I never go anyway. (I even see dark black
donut marks on an eight lane Interstate sometimes, traces of the
morning after.) Now I'll be looking out for these kids in their
Nissans and BMW's, pulling this stuff on the streets where I live.

180 Out

THAT my friend it the up and coming thing.
Kristen and her friends in California were all into it.
The whole idea of it looks like fun tough on tires and dang - dangerous as
hell to your car!

--
Kate
2O|||||||O5 Liberty


> wrote in message
oups.com...
: All day Sunday, while working on my car I'm hearing these squeeling
: tires and the buzzing of fart-canned fours. They sometimes run
: autocross in the parking lot at the horse race track near my house, so
: I figure that's what it is.
:
: The noise continues even after dinner so my wife and I drive down there
: to take a look. Sho nuff there's orange cones marking a course on the
: parking lot. What we see is this Nissan 240SX going from a standing
: start at the far end, about a 1/8th mile away. He gets to the corner
: where we're sitting and he just jerks the wheel hard to the right and
: sliiiiides that thing about 100 degrees into a 90 degree turn, coming
: out all opposite lock. Down to the next corner, another 1/8th mile,
: same deal, jerking the wheel and sliding through. Then some twisty
: parts through the middle, every time going for maximum oversteer,
: another turn at the far corner and back to the start/finish and off the
: course.
:
: It was crazy. They keep starting more cars while others are on the
: course, so there's three or four going all the time. Not the fastest
: way around, but it looked like ten times more fun than the usual Solo
: II parking lot stuff. Very low price of entry, too, because all we saw
: were crappy lookin 240SX's and old rear drive Toyota Corollas. One RX7,
: all stickered and pro looking. I guess the participants have to save
: their $$$ for the tires, which I'm sure you go through more than one
: set in an 8 hour day. I mean, when four cars were on the course at one
: time the smoke got so thick you could hardly see the cars.
:
: Then on Monday I'm sitting at a red light at the intersections of two
: six lane streets. Across the intersection from me, a BMW 325 has got
: the green arrow for a left turn. But it's doing a U, not a left. At
: about the 90 degree point, the driver gets on the gas and slides the
: car the rest of the way around and burns rubber half way to the next
: corner. More craziness!
:
: Is this the thing now? Not handling, not horsepower, just trying to
: drive like you're on ice but you're not, you're on asphalt.
:
: There's long been the side show thing here in the East Bay, many years
: now, but that's different. It's mainly 5.0's and Z/28's, and it's in
: nabes in east Oakland where I never go anyway. (I even see dark black
: donut marks on an eight lane Interstate sometimes, traces of the
: morning after.) Now I'll be looking out for these kids in their
: Nissans and BMW's, pulling this stuff on the streets where I live.
:
: 180 Out
: