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Sunday May 30th, 2004 was the date
of yet another great Drift Session event at Hawaii Motorsports
Center. This special Drift Session was a night time event, but not
like our usual night time spectacles. The purpose of this Drift
Session was more like an open house rather than a "show"
in order to allow the general public to see exactly what a regular
Drift Session practice event looks like.
The day started off at 4pm as
eager drivers and spectators began to line up around the Hawaii
Motorsports Center complex, going down the main highway and down
Malakole Street. As the gates opened at 5pm, a seemingly endless
stream of drivers and spectators poured into the facility. The gate
staff made their way quickly through the lines, getting driver and
spectator alike into the facility quickly and efficiently.
Surprisingly,
many of the initial vehicles in the facility jumped straight into
the vehicle registration lineup, marking their cars down for
practice on the 3 drift courses available that evening. This event
would set a new Drift Session record for the most active drift
participants at a single event. Over 130 drivers registered to
drift, putting Hawaii above the rest of the United States in terms
of driver participation. While mainland events may bring in tons of
spectators, the Hawaii drivers are getting right into the action,
and setting the stage for years of drifting to come.
After the initial rush of drivers
and spectators, all three drift courses opened for use: the Road
Course, Long Course Turn 1, and the Skid Pad. The separation of the
Skid Pad proved totally successful as beginner drivers were allowed
to experience induced traction loss without the pressures of having
to negotiate a road course to get there and advanced drivers could
warm up and refine their basic skills there.
At first, the Road Course lineup
stretched back along the top straightaway down to Short Course Turn
1, but after drivers learned that a multiple vehicle line could be
used to run several cars at the same time, the line started to move
quickly, allowing all drivers get get in the seat time they wanted,
while still delivering a high energy show for the crowds gathered on
the grandstands.
The challenge of the evening
seemed to be the ever so tricky Sweeper in the Road Course. Leading
from the drag strip staging lanes around the drag race launch pad,
the Sweeper is a long, sweeping, left-hander that allows drivers to
set up for the straightaway. The illusion that the Sweeper's
guardrails present is that the roadway gets narrower from entrance
to exit as a driver attempts to drift through at the top of 3rd gear
going 60+ mph. Certainly a treacherous section of track, the Sweeper
claimed several vehicles this evening as drivers went careening into
the outside tire barrier, crumpling fenders and bruising egos.
The Road Course was also extended
for this event, allowing drivers to make their way down 3/4 of the
quarter mile straightaway. One of the most notable features of the
Drift Session track, the quarter mile straightaway has been a
proving ground for beginner and veteran driver alike. Currently, the
Drift Session is the only organization in the US, whose drivers
perform their choku dori drifts down a narrow straightaway
surrounded by immovable metal guardrails. Guardrails separate the
men from the boys as "choku-ing" the straight has become a
rite of passage from beginner to veteran drifter at the Drift
Session.
on the Long Course Turn 1
Straightaway, drifters could be found performing their choku-doris
without the threat of the guardrails before heading into the high
speed Turn 1. The straightaway was lengthened for this special Drift
Session, giving our drivers nearly a quarter mile of runway to gain
speed before the initiation of their drift.
Away from the actual drift
courses, the track infield was buzzing with activity. The vendor
midway contained various booths and food vendors: food and drinks
were provided by Papa John's Pizza and Mrs. Brown's Snack Stand and
the the beer garden and bar was run by Bedroq bar and grill. Eric
Alfires from Advance Graphics gathered a small crowd as his mini R/C
drift cars showed off in the pit area, executing flawless drifts on
a 1/10th scale.
Star 101.9's Hudson Hott came down
to host the event with I-94's Phat Joe, while Yung Jon Que mixed his
tunes on the 1's and 2's. Even if you weren't in range of the
speakers to hear the DJ's hosting and Jon Que spinning, everyone on
the track (and even people in Kapolei) could tune into 103.9 FM
Drift Session Radio! That's right, for this special event, the Drift
Session was broadcasting live on its own radio station, bringing the
action and excitement that much closer to our drivers and
spectators.
A very diverse crowd attended this
Drift Session as all ages ranges and backgrounds could be seen
walking through the pit areas or jumping out of registered vehicles.
Parents all over the track could be seen sharing the sport of
drifting with their children and friends were only too happy to give
each other rides in the various drift courses.
As always, there was a fair share
of crashes causing battle damaged vehicles to limp back to their pit
areas to bang out fenders and remove broken body panels. Even with
the various crashes, the drivers' spirits remained high as crashing
has become an acceptable part of learning and even an inevitable
part of the Drift Session. As quickly as cars could be made road
worthy again, there were back out on the track.
At the end of the night, the Drift
Session 2004 Championship Points Series began at the Long Course
Turn 1 Straightaway. 21 drivers managed to make it out and kicked in
$10 to the prize pot for the first place finisher. An additional $40
was also provided by Sportcraft Racing in the spirit of competition
and more prizes were donated by Central Anime Hawaii and Auto Chem
Systems.
At the end of the single pass
competition, it was Shige Hirabayashi driving his Nissan 240sx
hatchback, pulling out the win and taking home $250 in cash and a
DVD player provided by Central Anime Hawaii.
Overall, this was a great Drift
Session event and a record setting number of drivers not only for
Hawaii, but for the entire United States. We hope you has as much
fun as we did! See you again at the next Drift Session on June 12th,
9am - 3pm!!!
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