Autocross vs Drift (fans & publicity)

[Fork Sports]

this will surely end up quite controversial...hahaha
but what the heck...im not the organizer anyway

so here comes the widely asked question...
"HOW COME DRIFT IS SO SUCCESSFUL? More spectators, more publicity"

the answer is quite simple actually.
for example...action packed movies r usually very fun to watch but on the other hand, usually Oscar winners are not that fun to watch.
just like D1 Drift n R3 Time Attack (im comparing these 2 coz they are run under the same event, time n place)
if there is an autocross layout that can have long sweeping corners, 3rd gear long straights, doughnuts n u-turns, 2 car shootouts...
then autocross will attract as many spectators as drift.
in motorsports, speed will always b a 1 of the main factor.
like i said earlier, somewhere else, if drift were to be ran with only 1st n 2nd gears..........................


and here comes the question of the topic...
how come the R3 team brought in a jap drift champ n a jap drift celebrity but they forgot to bring along a jap gymkhana champ n a jap gymkhana celebrity?

as many people can see, during AMF Autocross in 2004, there were plenty of fans and publicity when they actually brought in a jap gymkhana champ to support that event!
if u r a road side dvd seller...u get a fren that looks like Smeagol/Gollum help promote n push Lord of the Rings Trilogy all the time n hope that Star Wars Trilogy sells as much by sitting on the rack itself???
crazy meh?!!
unless of course your tauke is a big fan of "THE EYE" n loves 2 b a lord of his rings...n doesnt give a s**t bout who is Darth Vader n the dark side.

for the love of motorsports...
pls dont buy pirated DVDs.

 

[Khorne]

Bro what you talking about ???
R3 team never bring in the Jap drifters lah, they only did the ground work for D1GP...
Nishihara no doubt was an excellent champ but it takes a lot of money to bring in these people... As you can clearly see it's D1GP and not R3 D1GP...
What R3 is doing is purely the Time Attack hence it's called the R3TA...

 

[faisal]

Autocross, if you were to follow closely and UNDERSTAND is about a car and driver driving on a smallish technical course. Like SCCA Autocross, R3 Time Attack and GRA Autocross. Rarely do the cars get into 3rd gear etc.

For long straights and sweeping corner we have what is called a Racing Circuit like SIC and Pasir Gudang . I believe races are held at these venues and the have multiple car shoot outs not just two cars.

End of the day Autocross is about the single driver and car attacking the course to complete it in the fastest time possible. Hence the name TIME ATTACK.

Spectators like to spectact a SPECTACULAR spectacle. Hence a show.

Face it, Drifting, where the cars (even single runs) are sideways kicking up tyre smoke while flat on the throttle, are more exiting than seeing a single car being driven on an Autocross course.

You probly would notice in Autocross comps when the car is sideways it looks more exciting and draws ooohs and aaahs from the crowd.

As someone who organise and participate in both I can say there are different satisfaction to be drawn.

Autocross rewards good driving, satisfaction gained from properly using the throttle, brakes and steering and seeing the times achived.

Drifting entertains the crowd and of course the driver.......knowing he held the angle, speed and clipping the corner and, in the case of Tsuiso, leaving the other drifter behind.

As a spectator, no offense to Nishihara, people rather watch Kazama drifting at 3 figure speeds than Nishihara going around cones. They know which is more exciting to spectate.

And with regard to bring in a Sooperstar, pls remember the R3 TA is only the Technical Sponsor, supplying Marshals and Logistics support. D1GPM decides everything with regards to promotion etc.

 

[Fork Sports]

sorry bout getting mixed up on the sponsor n organizer.
ok so r3 didnt bring the drift celebrities.
my bad...
n i think R3 is doin a helluva great job for TA.

but wat im trying 2 say here is that spectators love 2 c speed.
n furthermore, with more speed, u get 2 use more engine braking power b4 jamming into 1st gear for a tight corner.
i think this is also part of braking...which is skilled driving as well.
my definition of long straight is 3rd gear...
and sweeping corner is 2nd gear corners
coz we are still on autocross topic...not circuit racing.
racing circuits' long straight is 5th gear n sweeping corner is 4th speed.

n yes, autocross rarely goes into 3rd gear but not never.
n yes, autocross even more rarely, uses only the 1st gear throughout the whole run.
but even so rarely, its not never.....as i have driven with 1st gear from start 2 finish in sso4.5 in bukit jalil.
start...throttle, release clutch, throttle, brake, throttle, brake, throttle, brake, throttle, brake,throttle...finish (2 hands on steering wheel, left foot on foot rest)

the reason i started this thread is to highlight that autocross should attract more spectators so that maybe one day...some1 would wanna b a promoter for TA...just like D1GPM.
not to encourage drifting in autocross.
not to encourage achieving top speed in autocross.
just wanna discuss bout creating more awareness so that Sooperstars can b sponsored to drive in R3TA...
just like D1GP
n that drivers can observe n learn from the pros.
wouldnt that b great?

for the love of autocross...
maybe we can elect a local Sooperstar in the meantime

 

[prozac]

To make autocross as popular as drifting you'll need to make a cartoon about it...preferably with some blur teenager as the champ :emoticon_U:

 

[faisal]

but wat im trying 2 say here is that spectators love 2 c speed.n furthermore, with more speed, u get 2 use more engine braking power b4 jamming into 1st gear for a tight corner.
i think this is also part of braking...which is skilled driving as well.
my definition of long straight is 3rd gear...and sweeping corner is 2nd gear corners
coz we are still on autocross topic...not circuit racing.
racing circuits' long straight is 5th gear n sweeping corner is 4th speed.

MOst Autocross circuits, provided your ratios are road spec(if a Proton for example) would be taken in 1st & 2nd gear. Rarely would 3rd gear be used, exception being PA1 in SIC where R3 held SSO2.5 last year.

 

[faisal]

n yes, autocross rarely goes into 3rd gear but not never.
n yes, autocross even more rarely, uses only the 1st gear throughout the whole run.
but even so rarely, its not never.....as i have driven with 1st gear from start 2 finish in sso4.5 in bukit jalil.
start...throttle, release clutch, throttle, brake, throttle, brake, throttle, brake, throttle, brake,throttle...finish (2 hands on steering wheel, left foot on foot rest)

Most top Autocrossers would be using 1st and 2nd gear.....

 

[faisal]

the reason i started this thread is to highlight that autocross should attract more spectators so that maybe one day...some1 would wanna b a promoter for TA...just like D1GPM.
not to encourage drifting in autocross.
not to encourage achieving top speed in autocross.
just wanna discuss bout creating more awareness so that Sooperstars can b sponsored to drive in R3TA...
just like D1GP n that drivers can observe n learn from the pros.wouldnt that b great?

for the love of autocross...maybe we can elect a local Sooperstar in the meantime

The reason R3 started SSO Drift and TA (now known as R3 Time Attack) was to promote Grassroot level motorsports. ie getting newbies into motorsports at lower cost.

From the begining one would notice spectators (regardless whether they watch Initial D or not, Prozac) appreciate Drift more than Time Attack.

Like I said earlier SPECTATORS want to SPECTATE a SPECTACULAR SPECTATCLE .

In GRA Round 1, my time in my Kelisa (3rd in Class) was faster and cleaner than my time in my AE, but my run in the AE drew applause and cheers for sheer drama. Shows what the spactators wanna see. doesn't it?

Only hardcore fans really watch TA. Casual observers rather watch Drift.

 

[Crash]

Spectators like to spectact a SPECTACULAR spectacle.

Hence a show.

Good one :)

 

[MK84]

One way to grab spectators attention is to do it RoC style. 2-up battle. But space is a problem. SSO5dot5 is a good example.

 

[Crash]

I agree. I really, really had fun at 5dot5. Absolutely engaging!

 

[suzie]

as long as someone pays the bills, any sport can become big... $$$$

welcome to motorsports..i think in every aspect, it is true that a show always sells, thus in the game to survive you need people ..to spectate. Eg Rally..slow death...

maybe we can turn this around. I truly believe that it is possible if everyone works together at it..but..it all boils down to $$$.....in the end..

 

[TODA]

comparing drifting vs autocross, is like comparing Hannah n Gloria, each have their own fans n sometimes there're ppl who like em both

sideways? alright~~~
wrapping cones? cool~~~

i like both, not jz watching but b part of it........sides, its the same watching foottie, u like to watch a break-up kampung team or a kick-ass world class team? if u're good, doesnt matter u going sideways or hair-pining, ppl watch ppl talk........u get the golden tyre award