[voyageur]

Before I start on this post, let me take this opportunity to thank my fellow bhpian Nitrous for being kind enough to tag me along for this event. Without him, there I wouldn't be able to witness something that I have only seen in the movies. Thank you so much Nitrous. I owe you for an amazing day witnessing fun cars moving sideways. I thought this content can be shared in one of my threads, but probably that wouldn't do justice to the content. Half of the pics here are taken by Nitrous, though I have watermarked everything with my name.

I have driven some fast cars really fast. But I have not done anything like the content that I am going to share today. Drifting. Not a new concept to me or anyone around here but a new experience for me definitely. A fun filled experience with smoke, burning rubber, lot of tire screams, RWD car and it's sideways journey.



When Nitrous messaged me the other day saying that there was an event by Drift republic, I confirmed that I am in. I was sure that this will be amazeballs. We used a Nikon D5200 with 18-105 to shoot, that was the only option.

I had a couple of issues to sort out, which I managed to by 1 in the afternoon. Nitrous picks me at the same time and we are off to this event. The place is 25 kms far away from my place, it's a small tarmac ground with off road race track on the other side. On the way we see fresh tire marks and we conclude that we are headed the right way. In a bit we are at the venue. The crowd is not much I must say since the place is a far from city.

So let me start by posting a pic of our ride for the day,



The cars present for the event were

70% - Toyota GT86 / Subaru BRZ



20% - Nissan 350z / 370 z



10% - Other miscelleneous (BWM, Ford)




I am proud yet humble to mention that, I sat in 2 drift cars. Yaay! A thing to cherish throughout.

One a Blue Toyota GT86 and a BMW Z3. As I write down my experience I mention couple of things about the cars as much as I know.





The event is not a competition, but just like some amateur practice session with some good drifters, and the club members drifting in between. Each of the car was allowed a 3 min session to go around the track in the specified route, and then they have to go back in queue and wait for their turn again.

There were two area; one for the people learning and one for people who are a bit better. There were some photowalk guys covering the event with their tripods and 70-200's by which we were really humbled.

The event had Redbull banners all over, so I think Redbull sponsored the events. Entry fees for using the track was 200 Aed, which equates to a humble ~3200 rs. Helmet was mandatory as part of safety.

The 86/BRZ stole the show. It's a very cheap drift car, and some people buy it for only this one reason.

We stayed back for 3-4 hrs watching them drift. I really don't remember the 86 being straight for longer than 10 seconds in the track. It was always, sideways!

Talking about the GT86, it has a 2 liter boxer engine with 4 pots, and was a much hyped car. I must sadly say even though I don't want to, it didn't live up to its hype. In UAE at least. The exteriors are beautiful, interiors are good too. But when it comes to power, it generates only 197 hp which by itself is less for a sports car. Even a hot hatch like GTI with a 2 liter turbo has 217 hp.
I am not telling more power means more fun, but this is not adequate. They should have tuned it to produce some 250 hp or a bit more. The only reason it still sells in whatever small numbers is cos it's a rear wheel drive. This is my take on the car, though I wish to own one in the future. I like the car, and I'm fine with the power cos I don't need more than that. But it defeats the purpose of a sports car, where you have a porsche competing design but with a power figure that turns you off. I have driven this car for a short time, and it looked good. It revved to 7,500 rpm quite smoothly. Most of the people whom I ask the reason for selling the car quotes that lack of power gets them bored in a bit. Some of them use this as a second car, for drifting events like this.

By this, I mean this



this...



and this



It so happened that we were watching them for a bit, and then I looked around and asked the Drift republic crew if they allow co-passengers when they drive around. They said 'it's alright, just get a helmet from some of your friend and you should be fine'. I ask around and the blue Subaru BRZ owner, who himself is a crew member gives a positive nod. I run around and get a helmet, and finally I get to sit inside a drift car.



And then it was a world of scrreeeechh, kreeeennnss and smoke.

The first one is a 180 degree turn. I hang on to my dear life while the guy pulls the handbrake, adjusts the steering and pushes it back down. All this while adjusting the throttle. I can smell the tires burning, it smells bad... may be its the clutch burning or can be the oil. But the fumes go right into your head. There was no clutch in it since it was an AT with paddles and it was not a convertible but a hard top, so I was not affected much.

He drifts all over the track, and finally again at the 180 turn, he wrecks his rear axle. We go out, we are on the floor and I can see oil leaking. We push the car outside, and I sadly return back the helmet. But not too sad, cos I did get a taste of what drifting is all about. The moment when back is out, is a moment of panic and adrenaline rush. It needs a lot of work with the steering, and one should know when to let of the throttle and when not to. Sometimes if you don't give it the beans, you will end up doing a 360 burnout. So, throttle is one essential part of drifting.

Here is some action,

[voyageur]

If you see most of the cars in the event had different alloy at front and back, there was also a car with 16 inch tires at the back as supposed to the stock 17".

Let me post more 86/BRZ pics here,























How many times can you count the 86 being driven straight on the track?





Please take a note of the different wheel size. The back is 16 incher.





An Indian GT86,













All these were shot by Nitrous, his panning shot was superb.









Oh! I am done posting the GT86, there are still so many pics to go but I don't want to be unfair to other cars.

Moving on to the Nissan family, the younger siblings of his highness Nissan GTR. Whenever I use the name GTR my heart is full of love and respect, for it is one of the cars that I just adore. I have never got a chance to drive one, though I have sat in a couple of GTR's. I am pretty sure the day I drive the GTR one of these two things will happen; My license will get suspended or I'll die, whichever comes first. Same goes to Jag F type. So moving on,

Don't blame me, there is an 86 everywhere, in every nook and corner



The major cars were Nissan 370z or it's younger sibling 350z. Both are RWD of course. 3.7L and 3.5L v6 engines respectively, with their 0-100 timings of 5.1sec and 6 sec respecitvely are very fast cars.

Sad enough that I have never got a shot of this car, though I really contemplate to. The 370z was the successor of the 350z which was introduced in 2009.

Recently one of my colleague drove the 350z and said that he would choose not to buy it because he didn't want to die an early death. As per his words, the travel of the clutch was very less as compared to our GTI and the engine is responsive beyond words. Just a tap on the pedal and the engine growls throwing you back on your seat. The interior is nothing less than a cockpit, and it has hampered visibility like a jet plane. The blind spots, lack of visibility are the major drawback of this car.

I have no idea of the 370z as I know none of them who drive the same. Both have manual option as well. Enough rants,

The fairlady comes from Japan. It's got a rich heritage behind it. Read here.

[voyageur]

The guy who was driving the Nissan was drifting it quite well I must admit. We all loved to hear the high revs and watch him go through the cones.









The hot rubber on the mud guard, somebody is going to work hard cleaning it









The other miscellaneous cars include a Nissan 180sx, of which I have to rant a bit, a z3 , a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (isn't it) and another BMW. These are all I remember.

I have only one more picture of the GT500.



The only turn off in this car is it's heavy. But the guy drifted quite well, owing to it's high torque and high power figures.

Moving on to the silver BMW, which I believe is the 328 E36 version, which went into production from 1991-1998. The guy had added an intercooler which was visible from the grill (I believe it's an intercooler). My best guess is that he has added a turbocharger to the car too. The basic spec is like 2.8L I6 with 193 hp.

He casually mentioned that he used to drift frequently in the evening hours, and he was definitely good at that.









Now talking about the BMW Z3, this was the car I went for a second round. It was a convertible, and had an open roof.











I am there in that car holding on for my dear life and enjoying the ride more than that















I told him a thank you, before I left the car.



By the end of it all, I had rubber particles from tires all over sticking to my pants in the thigh area. I had inhaled so much smoke that my head started hurting. In another 10 mins, we left towards my place, where he dropped me and then later on he left to his place.

(To be contd with Nissan 180sx)

[voyageur]

Nissan 180sx, also known as the Nissan 200sx at some other places, was known to be a fastback, or was marketed with that name. But this had nothing left of Nissan I believe.

The guy had a 5.7L corvette engine instead of it's 1.8L 4 cylinder engine. It had sequential gearbox and a hydraulic handbrake kit installed. The guy had installed aftermarket intercoolers, also it had roll bars installed. The car was void of any other things apart from the essentials. Even the basic Nissan 180sx was a drift car.

After 3-4 laps that I saw, the car started overheating. The guy removed the bonnet cover and continued without the bonnet cover, pouring water over the intercoolers after every lap. Now that's enthusiasm, or is it lack of love for the car? Very difficult question to answer.

So let's go ahead with some pics of Nissan 180sx.

With the bonnet cover on



These were the beginning laps









The engine and the interior looks like this







And then the the bonnet-less drifting















For the first time, I happened to see plastic dip spray application. Live, and the guy did it in 5 mins. Check it out







And then couple of pics that I missed out adding...



Very well done my bwooy! Just as I taught you



Redbull Mini



Times up! Get back here.



Speaking of time, I also need to stop here. So with that bombshell, let me also end this, right here!

Good night!

Edit :

I completely forgot to add about the drifting part. As far as I noticed, the engine was kept in the power band. And if the turning radius was large, handbrakes were used. Pull the handbrakes and half the way drop it back down, control the drift on the throttle and steering. The best thing about it is that you should know when to give it the beans and when not. If you don't give the throttle when you are supposed to, you will do a 180 degree turn and stop. If it's the other way around then you will lose your control.

So yeah, a powerful RWD car, good handbrakes and some experience on how to maneuver is all it takes.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the International Scene. Thanks for sharing!

[petrolhead_neel]

Superbly written report. You really had a nice day out there, hanging around with fast cars and drifters. I have always considered drifting as one of the greatest forms of driving or motorsport. Needless to say, I am a huge fan of Ken Block.
The photography is superb and the panning shots deserve to be set as wallpapers. Would have loved some videos though!
We all would love to see these kind of events held more back in India.

The ride in the convertible BMW must be exhilarating, perhaps one which you will remember throughout your life.
Thinking of buying a GT86 and getting into this superb sport, eh?

[voyageur]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Superbly written report. You really had a nice day out there, hanging around with fast cars and drifters. I have always considered drifting as one of the greatest forms of driving or motorsport. Needless to say, I am a huge fan of Ken Block.
The photography is superb and the panning shots deserve to be set as wallpapers. Would have loved some videos though!
We all would love to see these kind of events held more back in India.

The ride in the convertible BMW must be exhilarating, perhaps one which you will remember throughout your life.
Thinking of buying a GT86 and getting into this superb sport, eh?

Hello Neel,

Thank you so much I think precision drifting is something that needs a lot of skill and experience. Ken Block's is one example of great skill, I love it too.

I think the right optics would have made the pics better, nonetheless made best of what we had.

I really want to experience what it feels like to push the back out. Hope I get a chance to buy a RWD car someday.

Cheers!

[sreejith1830]

The toyota GT86 is a sort of canvas for auto enthusiasts,Its a product with endless mod possibilities.There is a 800bhp drag build of the GT86 in Dubai.Please don`t ridicule the GT86 in its stock avatar,it out handles most of the big boys in its stock form.By the way the 350Z (I am based in Abu Dhabi and have driven most of the cars mentioned around YAS Marina circuit) is no match for the GT86 on the handling front in its stock form.
And one more thing,the GT86 even in its bare bones avatar costs around 100000 AED which is not dirt cheap..even by UAE standards.Just picture this a FJ cruiser,Nissan Maxima also costs similiar dough give or take 5000 AED.Most vehicles here are only half the price that of India.

[Cartman]

Superb report voyageur! Loved reading through.

Question: Did you like the GT86 better or the Z3?

OT: I wish events like these were organized here. Sadly, the RWDs in India are either MPVs or expensive BMWs; neither of which usually come out to play sideways. I do understand that the percentage of people who'd willingly ruin their tyres for fun here, is limited.


Cheers!

[sreejith1830]

Funny why drifting as a sport has not caught on in India.Does not require too much in the way of infrastructure or real estate.I guess the lack of good RWD cars is the main problem.

[voyageur]

Originally Posted by sreejith1830

The toyota GT86 is a sort of canvas for auto enthusiasts,Its a product with endless mod possibilities.There is a 800bhp drag build of the GT86 in Dubai.Please don`t ridicule the GT86 in its stock avatar,it out handles most of the big boys in its stock form.By the way the 350Z (I am based in Abu Dhabi and have driven most of the cars mentioned around YAS Marina circuit) is no match for the GT86 on the handling front in its stock form.
And one more thing,the GT86 even in its bare bones avatar costs around 100000 AED which is not dirt cheap..even by UAE standards.Just picture this a FJ cruiser,Nissan Maxima also costs similiar dough give or take 5000 AED.Most vehicles here are only half the price that of India.

Hi Sreejith,

There is one GT86 for sale with 340 hp aftermarket turbocharger installed, I saw that in Drift Republic official page in FB. I also saw a 1000 hp GT86 in the Dubai Motor Fest in 2013. The chassis is capable of taking much more power than it has in stock.

GT86 not being a normal car, and being a sports car needed a bit more than 197 hp is my opinion. And I think it should have been tuned for more power.

You are lucky to have driven those cars on Yas Marina. Especially the 350z. What a car!

100000Aed ~ 17 lacs in India. The car would sell for sure.17 lacs for a pure driving machine is not bad, but not cheap either. But it won't be sadly able to handle our roads. We are deprived of many good cars for bad roads and sub standard fuel.

Originally Posted by Cartman

Superb report voyageur! Loved reading through.

Question: Did you like the GT86 better or the Z3?

OT: I wish events like these were organized here. Sadly, the RWDs in India are either MPVs or expensive BMWs; neither of which usually come out to play sideways. I do understand that the percentage of people who'd willingly ruin their tyres for fun here, is limited.


Cheers!

Hello Cartman,

It is a tough question to answer mate. The reason being; the blue Subaru was being driven by a member of the club. He was very experienced in drifting and that was visible on the track.

On the other hand, Z3 was being driven by this young Arab guy. He took a couple of 180's and hit the cone once, and very aggressive driver too. I could pick up particles of rubber from my lap after the drift ended. Z3 had an open roof which made it more fun.

I hope you got the answer.

You said it right, and also not to forget the price of petrol and non-availability of good tracks in our country. It will take a bit more time before drifting goes full on in our country.

Originally Posted by sreejith1830

Funny why drifting as a sport has not caught on in India.Does not require too much in the way of infrastructure or real estate.I guess the lack of good RWD cars is the main problem.

I think our people think more economically. Petrol prices, burnt clutches and tires are still not acceptable.

If tomorrow I go and say all this to my parents, they will definitely ask me, 'Are you stupid? why would you want to go sideways?'

We are not used to it as a sport. It will take time, but we will reach there, hopefully.

[sreejith1830]

The GT86 if it comes to India will be northward og 35 lakhs,thats for sure.Even then its bang for its buck I guess.The best part is you get bulletproof reliability also as a bonus.
Even the tires of the 86 are real cheap,after all they are from the Prius.
I am the owner of a GT 86 since last 3 months and guess what I use it as my primary car.
Also accomodates my wife and 4 year old too :-)

[voyageur]

Originally Posted by sreejith1830

The GT86 if it comes to India will be northward og 35 lakhs,thats for sure.Even then its bang for its buck I guess.The best part is you get bulletproof reliability also as a bonus.
Even the tires of the 86 are real cheap,after all they are from the Prius.
I am the owner of a GT 86 since last 3 months and guess what I use it as my primary car.
Also accomodates my wife and 4 year old too :-)

With the 4 year old kid, you travel in an 86 Since it's Abu Dhabi, the roads are probably good. Anywhere other than Abu Dhabi and Dubai this is not recommended. Reason; bad roads.

Is your car a MT or paddle?

[sreejith1830]

Mine is an automatic.

[furioussphinx]

Great to see Drift Republic mentioned in Tbhp Spreading the love back home.

Am one of the admins and cofounders of DR, so whenever anyone from Tbhp wants come down to say hello, feel free to do so Small world, great family!