Japanese cars are known for their precision engineering and are very adaptable. You can use one as a beginner car. And the same car, with a bit of tuning, can do anything, including sliding its rear out. That's why cars like the Toyota GT86 is considered to be good beginner sports car. But what some don't know is that Toyota made the GT86 in honor of the legendary Toyota Corolla AE86. And when avid car enthusiast hears that name, they quickly associate the AE86 with Initial D and drifting.
While the word "drifting" is a famous term that drivers use nowadays, there were two people who first started the trend, and both were from Japan. People hailed them as the first drivers to show the beauty of drifting. And when it became popular enough, other parts of the world took notice and even made a movie about it.
How The Art Of Drifting Began In Japan?
Most people think that Keiichi Tsuchiya invented the drifting technique. However, not everyone knows that there was someone before Keiichi that already started drifting their cars. His name was Kunimitsu Takahashi. He was Keiichi's mentor, idol, and teammate during the Japanese Touring Car Championship. Kunimitsu started drifting his Nissan Skyline 2000 "Hakosuka" GT-R during races. The other drivers called him brave as he would deliberately oversteer his car. Back then, drivers considered oversteering a driving mistake that they needed to correct in races.
Kunimitsu never knew that he was already drifting because he intentionally did it to get around corners faster. Today, his cornering technique is now referred to as the "slip angle." In some moments during races, he would throw his car completely sideways to entertain the crowd. That was also the time when Keiichi Tsuchiya saw Kunimitsu's drifting technique. It inspired Keiichi to learn it outside racetracks and on mountainous roads filled with tight turns.
And that was when Keiichi made headlines as one of the first and best drifters of his time. During the rise of drifting, he recorded the Drift Pluspy video that showcased his drifting talents on the Usui Pass. It took a while before the video found its way to the internet, and that's when viewers outside of Japan got a glimpse of drifting. Besides the different videos and Mangas for drifting, Keiichi Tsuchiya became the first icon in the modern drifting scene. Many even hailed him as the Drift King or "Dorikin" in Japanese.
The Rise Of Drifting Culture Outside Japan
Ever since the drifting scene expanded, many tried to master the driving technique, and events started popping up worldwide. One famous drifting event held in the United States is Formula Drift which started in 2004. It consists of drivers who compete against each other by driving through a short course with clipping points they need to drive through. They take turns leading and chasing each other while holding their car sideways throughout the course. And whoever has better style, hits more clipping points, has more drift angle, or drives the closest during the chase round wins. Take note that the cars they drive can pack up to 1,200 horsepower just to add more speed and power for drifting.
Apart from high-stakes events, drifting also created a car scene where drivers bring their drift cars and drive in closed racetracks. Final Bout is one of many events where people get together and show off their JDM drift cars. It aims to rekindle how people felt when they discovered drifting for the first time in the 90s and early 2000s. Final Bout gained social media hype that drifters from Japan personally flew to the event. They brought along their cars and showed everyone the true meaning of Japanese drift culture.
Fast And Furious Tokyo Drift Made Drifting Look Even Better
Drifting showed Hollywood how sliding your car sideways can make for a great movie. While some already knew about drifting through TV shows and Mangas like Initial D, The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift movie further solidified drifting. The movie plot starts out by introducing Sean Boswell. He has a knack for cars and likes challenging other drivers even when the odds aren't in his favor. And when his mother has had enough of his antics, she sent him to Japan to live with his father.
From there, that's where he gets a taste of the Japanese automotive culture, specifically the drifting scene. Twinkie, an American that he met at his school, brought Sean to a parking lot where the movie introduces all types of Japanese-tuned vehicles. It's also the place where we get to see drifting for the first time and where Sean's determination to learn everything about drifting begins. Throughout the movie, viewers will see Sean gradually improve his drifting skills. He wins race after race and ultimately defeats the so-called Drift King in the last scene.
Justin Lin, the director, tried to make Tokyo Drift as authentic as possible by hiring Formula D drivers Rhys Millen, Tanner Foust, and the true-to-life drift king, Keiichi Tsuchiya. He even appeared in a scene where he commented on Sean's poor drifting skills. Keiichi taught Justin how actual drifting works. They wanted to shoot scenes where Sean Boswell would constantly spin out to show how difficult it is to drift a car. Tokyo Drift gained popularity not only because it was part of The Fast and The Furious series but because of the drifting culture.