FORMULA D

Officially, it is not a race nor is it sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de Automobile but it’s all about drifting. Yes, drifting as in violently swinging a car sideways to make it slide and look cool with all that tire smoke and making skid marks all over the place. And in the US it’s called Formula D. Explaining and understanding how judges award points or scores to declare a winner is an arcane procedure akin to  making a 2 sentence essay about Quantum Physics and is better left to the 12 year fans of this sport who can explain it better than any one else on this planet . Either way, it’s the coolness of seeing cars sliding about that make Formula D popular. Immensely popular.

It takes a certain degree of racing skill and talent to make a car slide sideways, and the heel and toe maneuvers with brakes, clutch and gas pedal have to be done just right. Do it all wrong, the car will flip over or nothing will happen.

When well known brands and manufacturers of car accessories like HRE rims, K&N Intakes, Kelford camshafts, Larini strut braces, Techart wheels, Tein coilovers as well as a thousand tire brands (tires are wasted like crazy in this sport) and brake kit start endorsing their products and are actually used in this sport, then that is a surefire sign that this is not just another run off the mill automotive event. It means tons of people avidly watch it. And the cars must be loaded with the aforementioned mentioned parts to survive in this race, most specially the brake kits and the tires. By the way, no front wheel drive cars are allowed unless these are converted to rear wheel drive and that convertibles be fitted with roll cages fro safety purposes.

Drifting originated in Japan, and somehow managed to find its way to shore of the US and other parts of the globe. Manga, anime and movies about drifting no doubt fueled interest in this unique sport. Formula D may seem new, but with its popularity, it will no doubt be around for years to come.