The words ‘ Teriyaki Boys’ immediately pull up a vivid imagery of one of the most coolest car-centric movie ever made. Yes!, you guessed it right- the third and the most accurate sequel of the hit petrolhead franchise Fast and the furious. Tokyo drift not only taught us about the cultural significance of burning tyre rubber but also how fun it could be if done right. The spooned engines, the excessively stanced rides, neons and the most important of them all soft compounds ( Soft tyres) caught the attention of the innermost child in all of us. The cult classic introduced the majority of us to an art-form which was restricted deep in the hills of Japan. The Godly art of Drifting. Drifting in simple terms is just to oversteer a bit while friction,traction and luck do the necessary steering. It is a different mermerising feeling on its own when done right, else brace yourself for a hefty bodywork bill. It all began when a creative boy from Japan Kunimitsu Takahasi drifted for the first time on his motorccycle. No wonder he was later called the Father of Drifting (The OG). Later on another enthusiast known by the name of Keeichi Tsuchiya (also known as the OG Drift King) followed the footsteps of Mr. Kunimitsu and and started practicing it in the foothills of Japan. He learnt it in to time and soon it was considered as an art-form, a poetry on wheels!
That being said and done, this form of driving from the foothills of Japan has gained an immense amount of popularity in the West too! It has a separate league of it’s own known as Formula D. Stellar personalities like Vaugh Gittin Jr and Chelsea Denofa are also a part of it’s already perfect roster.
Drifting is seen as a leisure activity. Not a lot of driver’s take it seriously enough to consider it as a sport!Ever-wondered why this form of driving hasn’t yet reached the Indian shores? There is a list of reasons ranging from administrative to cultural. India as a country has never paid much heed to the world of motor-racing, be it in any form. The cars used for drifting are basically Rear-wheeled and the truth of the matter is , if you plan on buying even one of the most cheapest rear wheeled cars, it would be too heavy for your pockets. Rear wheeled cars are generally more powerful and complex and require a higher level of engineering. The cheapest car in this range right now(BMW 3 Series) would cost as much as 26 Lakhs! Now that is a large amount of investment if you want to try a sport which is not dominant in the country. The second and the most crucial reason is the poor road discipline and lack of safety. Drifiting comes with multiple additional costs, the primary being tyre costs. Soft compounds cost a ton in the Indian Market and to burn them just for a few hours of fun does not satisfy our Indian conscience. To put things into a better perspective, the Indian Drift Enthusiast has to spend atleast 40 lakhs, that too just to learn the basics of this sport. When compared to the Japanese Shitboxes ( colloquial car culture lingo for old japanese rides like the Toyota AE 86) it is almost 10 times the cost! Even if you plan on ordering a stock import from Japan, it would cost almost around 40 lakhs (All thanks to the immense Import Duty the Indian Government imposes).Not so attractive right!? Well some would say so, but not all. The Indian business pioneer and the Chairman of The Raymond group – Mr Gautam Singhania thinks otherwise. He is a hardcore Indian Petrol head and has followed his passion in the truest sense! Realizing the need for the Indian Car culture to grow he organizes two of the biggest car events in the Indian petrolhead calendar. The Super Car Rally in January and a drifting event usually at the end of the year. He also owns a ton of JDM superstars like the Silvia S13, and the ever beautiful R33 Skyline. With big names like him promoting and participating in such initiatives and a huge audience of Petrolheads, the Indian Car scene has a brighter future to look forward to! It would come of no surprise if India gets its own DK in the next few years!
Hope you enjoyed the Read! Have any Drifting related storied of your own? Feel free to share them in the Comments Below!
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