It’s time again for the Sno*Drift Rally that brings thousands of race car fans to Northern Michigan. Sno*Drift is the only Rally America National Championship race that takes place on icy, snow-covered back roads.
Sno*Drift will be held Friday, Jan. 28, and Saturday, Jan. 29, within Montmorency County. It will utilize the towns of Lewiston, Atlanta and Hillman for specific events. Participants come from across the United States, Canada and occasionally overseas.
The event will begin with a public viewing in downtown Lewiston from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Friday. The opening ceremony will take place at 2:31 p.m. On Saturday in downtown Atlanta, cars will be available for viewing from 8 to 10 a.m. and the opening ceremony begins at 9:01 a.m.
Since its inception in 2005, the Sno*Drift has traditionally been the first race of the series of six races held by Rally America across the country. It is organized each year by the Sno*Drift Rally committee. Kent Balogh of Lewiston is the only committee member who resides in Northern Michigan.
“The rest live downstate,” Balogh said. “I lived downstate when I first joined the committee, but then I decided to retire up here.”
Balogh pointed out there is a new event on Saturday this year called the Super Special. It will permit spectators a good view of the race for two stages and will be held at Lewiston Sand & Gravel. The entry fee is $5, but children are admitted free.
There will be limited parking for the Super Special at $10 per car, but it is highly recommended that Lewiston spectators take the free bus that will run continuously from Ace Hardware on the corner of County Roads 612 and 489, starting at 12:15 p.m. Atlanta spectators can take the bus that runs from noon from Atlanta High School.
“We usually have a crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 at the Sno*Drift,” Balogh said. “It’s a big party; people have a really good time at it.”
Sno*Drift guides with details about the event can be found at most businesses in Atlanta and Lewiston. In Gaylord, guides are available at the Alpine Chocolat Haus, Jim’s Alpine Auto Parts, Big Boy and other businesses. Details also may be found at www.sno-drift.org.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Titan Motorsports Sponsors Toyota Supra in Europe Driven by Mark Luney
Japanese Drifters Get Their Race On
The first race in the eight rounds in the competition does not start until March 26, but the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon event has a section dedicated to the men and machines that will be competing this year, titled Kick Off Drift.
Over the event's three-day run, the parking lot outside the convention hall will be turned into a high-speed mini-drifting course where top racers will show off their moves along the sharp curves.
The first race of the season will be held at the Odaiba circuit in Tokyo, when 40 of the best drivers from around the world will begin a campaign that will see one of them crowned overall winner of the series at the Fuji Speedway track after the final race of the season on October 23.
Drifting started out as a technique used by racers in the All Japan Touring Car Championship in the 1970s. It is caused by the driver intentionally over-steering to cause a loss of traction in the rear wheels through a turn while at the same time retaining control over the vehicle and giving the driver a rapid exit from the bend.
The technique began to be copied by street racers, notably Keiichi Tsuchiya, who became know as the "Drift King," and was picked up by auto magazines and specialist tuning garages. Gaining in popularity, drifting went mainstream when Tsuchiya helped set up the first D1 Grand Prix in 2000.
The sport attracted a similar following overseas, particularly in the United States, helped in part by computer games such as Sega Rally and Ridge Racer, as well as the hit feature filmThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Unlike other motor sports, winning is not all about how fast the vehicle goes, as the judges award points based on angle, speed, engine noise and even the amount of smoke a vehicle kicks out.
In D1 events, drivers first compete in the solo "Tanso" round, where they must follow a set course line.
The top 16 performers then progress to the "Tuiso" stage, which comprises a series of head-to-head races that continue until the winner emerges.
2011 D1 Grand Prix schedule:
Rounds 1 and 2 - March 26-27, Tokyo Drift in Odaiba (Tokyo)
Round 3 - April 23-24, Autopolis (Oita, Kyushu)
Round 4 - May 21-22, Suzuka Circuit (Mie)
Round 5 - June 25-26, Okayama International Circuit (Okayama)
Rounds 6 and 7 - August 6-7, Ebisu Circuit (Fukushima)
Round 8 - October 22-23, Fuji Speedway (Shizuoka)
More information: http://www.d1gp.co.jp
Over the event's three-day run, the parking lot outside the convention hall will be turned into a high-speed mini-drifting course where top racers will show off their moves along the sharp curves.
The first race of the season will be held at the Odaiba circuit in Tokyo, when 40 of the best drivers from around the world will begin a campaign that will see one of them crowned overall winner of the series at the Fuji Speedway track after the final race of the season on October 23.
Drifting started out as a technique used by racers in the All Japan Touring Car Championship in the 1970s. It is caused by the driver intentionally over-steering to cause a loss of traction in the rear wheels through a turn while at the same time retaining control over the vehicle and giving the driver a rapid exit from the bend.
The technique began to be copied by street racers, notably Keiichi Tsuchiya, who became know as the "Drift King," and was picked up by auto magazines and specialist tuning garages. Gaining in popularity, drifting went mainstream when Tsuchiya helped set up the first D1 Grand Prix in 2000.
The sport attracted a similar following overseas, particularly in the United States, helped in part by computer games such as Sega Rally and Ridge Racer, as well as the hit feature filmThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Unlike other motor sports, winning is not all about how fast the vehicle goes, as the judges award points based on angle, speed, engine noise and even the amount of smoke a vehicle kicks out.
In D1 events, drivers first compete in the solo "Tanso" round, where they must follow a set course line.
The top 16 performers then progress to the "Tuiso" stage, which comprises a series of head-to-head races that continue until the winner emerges.
2011 D1 Grand Prix schedule:
Rounds 1 and 2 - March 26-27, Tokyo Drift in Odaiba (Tokyo)
Round 3 - April 23-24, Autopolis (Oita, Kyushu)
Round 4 - May 21-22, Suzuka Circuit (Mie)
Round 5 - June 25-26, Okayama International Circuit (Okayama)
Rounds 6 and 7 - August 6-7, Ebisu Circuit (Fukushima)
Round 8 - October 22-23, Fuji Speedway (Shizuoka)
More information: http://www.d1gp.co.jp
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Another Drift Gone Wrong
When we where kids growing up, we couldn’t wait to hit the age of 16 so we could pick up our driver’s license and have the freedom of the open road. Now, if you want to admit it or not, we all did some pretty dumb things after we started driving; it might just be a learning process and the curiosity of getting a new car, but we all did it. While some are smart about it and go out into the country to do some donuts or a burn out with the family station wagon, others do it next door in the church parking lot with there parents’ Dodge Caliber.
Within the last ten years and the release of the Fast and Furiousmovies, drifting has become an intense sport for professionals as well as for some amateurs that like to drift unsafely on public roads and parking lots.
We came across a video over on YouTube.com that shows a couple teenagers that tried to drift and didn’t quite pull it off. In the video, a few kids tried drifting a Dodge Caliber while in a snow and ice-filled parking lot. After the first pass, the car didn’t have enough speed and made a 180 slide. The second pass would be a lot more eventful, as the car picked up speed, the driver turned the wheel and the car started to slide sideways. Suddenly, it hit a snow pile, flipping it on its roof, most likely totaling the car.
Just shows you leave it to the pros or at least do it with a high power muscle car. Man, I bet their parents where mad the grocery getter is wrecked.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Midwest Drift Union 2011 schedule
The guys at Midwest Drift Union released a 2011 schedule with 5 events. They are headed all the way to Tennessee in the south and Michigan for the northern most event. The five event series will for the second year be a Pro-Am series. Below is the complete schedule.
April 3rd- Sportsdome Speedway- Jefferson, Indiana
May 15th- Autocity Speedway – Cilo, Michigan
July 9th- Lucas Oil Raceway – Indianapolis, Indiana
August 21st- Nashville Super Speedway – Nashville, Tennessee
September 17th- Street Life Tour – Xenia, Ohio
May 15th- Autocity Speedway – Cilo, Michigan
July 9th- Lucas Oil Raceway – Indianapolis, Indiana
August 21st- Nashville Super Speedway – Nashville, Tennessee
September 17th- Street Life Tour – Xenia, Ohio
Monday, January 17, 2011
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