Well what seems like an eternity ago the gang from Club Outrun traveled to Japan for the Summer Drift Matsuri 2009. We also saw an MSC round at Maze as well as an all 86 Day at Nikko as well as just a General Practice Day.

The DVD is finally here and its an hour of entertainment!
This is the trailer.

Club Outrun Japan 2009 from MeZ Productions on Vimeo.

DVDs will be available for purchase in a few short weeks, I will update this thread when they are available.
For those who dont check the site too often keep a tab on www.cluboutrun.net in a few weeks.

-Mez.

Somewhat a rarity in a sport where sometimes it seems like people go as quick as they came

No matter the car, the track or the opponent, the style, aggression and ability never change. And after seeing him unleash his new NEO RB25 powered S14 on SA, and soon to be the rest of Australia, I got the hard word from our Leader Beau, to go off and see exactly what made him tick.

DK: What got you into drifting? What started it all?

I used to do a lot of thrashing on the street as most kids do when they first get their license i actually didn’t even own anything cool when i was on my P’s and it was as soon as i was off my P’s i set my sights on owning a rotor. A S3 RX7 to be exact. It wasn’t long before the motor expired and i ended up getting yet another rx7 with a 13B turbo already in it… it was around this time i was out cruising and thrashing about on the streets and i met a couple of blokes who were sliding all over the place… it was at this point that drift was barely heard of and only a very select few people knew about it from seeing such old option videos in japan. Anyway these two guys i met thrashing their datto 1600 and stock s13 were no less then the now famous Christian Pickering and James Mardel…. needless to say i was hooked on drift from that point on and it would have been around 1999/2000. I then saw the light and sold the rx7 and got an AE86 with a 190hp turned 4age with all jap running gear and TRD coilovers… this car taught me all about throttle control and making do with what little power i had at the time… was such an awesome experience and i sold it because the car was too clean to thrash too much.. i then bought another ae86 with a stock 16V 4age and this became the car that i first started seriously drifting in… in fact my first come and try track day was at Lakeside with no less then the one and only Darren Appleton! it was alllllll downhill from there haha

DK: What do like the most about the SA Scene, and what would you change if you could?

I like the fact that most people get on and when out at a drift day if there is any issues most people are very approachable and more then willing to help…loads of people are more then happy to share their wreath of knowledge also

DK: Any advice to any younger people just starting out?

Start off with a basic set up… keep power levels around stock and just make the engine reliable as hell… do cooling mods and spend the extra on oil coolers and quality fluids on top of that buy a pair of NEW tyres instead of scraps with stuff all tread… this way you can spend more time on the track and less time in the pits sorting issues and changing rubber… Susp set up is the key instead of power so focus on setting your cars up and just keep on hitting the track up for practice. if your not crashing your not trying!

DK: What are your ambitions for the future? Where do you want to go with drifting?

I’d love to drift as a profession but i don’t foresee it happening in Australia for a long time. Im quite happy to keep drifting for fun at this stage as the competition side of things tends to get a little too serious sometimes and starts sapping all the fun out of drift. we should never forget why we started drifting in the first place!

DK: What’s been you’re proudest/most memorable moment so far?

Competing at Drift Fest at Calder park and coming 2nd to Shinji Minowa certainly rates up there. it was an awesome experience to drive with and battle a seasoned Japanese drifter and not only that but to get some feed back afterwards was simply awesome… it’s also the most money Ive ever made from drifting taking home $6000 for 2nd place was mind-blowing!

DK: Anything that really grinds your gears in the drifting scene? What would you do to change things?

Ego’s really get to me…there’s also a lot of bitching in the scene, A select few drivers tend to smile and shake your hand but the minute the battle is over and done with they are quick to stab you in the back afterwards and but if you tune out of all that its quite a good scene to be a part of. The other thing that i can see a major improvement is the way events are run… currently events are too boring and slow to progress… a lot of miss-communication happens and ends up with drivers sitting in form-up or on the start line for so goddamn long… its even more painful when its 40 degrees!.

DK: With the Demise of DA, you looking to head to any interstate events?

For sure! Will be doing as much as i can afford and am planning on going to Winton for drift attack along with a tassie round

DK: Would you like to head to Japan someday? Drive over there?

I would love to go to japan and i have already started planning a trip with my wife as a belated honeymoon to go over and take in the sights, culture and maybe even do a matsuri which seems popular with Aussie drivers atm!

DK: You’ve quite a list of cars, what have you had?

Ive has a few!!! 2X S3 RX7’s, 3 AE86’s, 2X volvo’s, Cefiro, R32 4 Door, KE70 and now a S14 along with a stack of unmentionable shitboxes…

DK: Can you give us a run down of your new whip?

My s14 is prob the best and prettiest car that i have built…. ive build quite a few cars from the ground up usually doing all the work myself or with the help of mates and they have always turned out well but at the same time for cost reasons corners have been cut and they usually turn out to be low budget thrashers. With the s14 the budget was also set low but the focus was on a well built car that has all of the right parts and none of the stuff that doesnt belong or work. Ive got significant help this time round with developing the car into a formidable drift weapon. no suspension part, bush or set up is standard on the car and is a point of constant development. Getting grip at speed and large angles is something were trying to fine tune and hopefully with some fine tuning we’ll get there. Am Performance and myself built a cams approved cage for it along with many other things which have been developed and put into production for AM Performance’s range of products.

DK: What are you into off the track?

Drinking up with mates and helping other people out with their projects/cars etc. drift is an expensive enough hobby without blowing cash elsewhere haha. Ive got my house and my wife which keep me pretty occupied these days.

DK: Anyone you’d like to thank?

I’d like to thank in no particular order, AM Performance for all the fabrication and performance parts on my cars. the range of products and high quality of work from AM Performance is simply mind-blowing. from simple things like a strut brace to a full on exhaust and manifold to roll cages there is nothing that this guy cant do!

Cazman Industries for helping out with high quality suspension parts which are innovative and Australian made. he’s constantly trying to come up with new ways to perfect things and the quality shows!

I’d also like to thank Jeff from The Speed lab for helping out with all my tuning over the years and he’s listened to my needs and wants and tuned accordingly… simply faultless work and the fact that ive never ever blown a motor (touch wood) to date only proves his work.

I’d also like to thank the Buckham family down at All Type Crash for their support and their help over the years without these guys my car wouldnt look any where near as good.

And last but certainly not least, My friends and family who have put up with countless hours of work and projects for helping out also you guys are tops!.

Video from Simon Michelmore
All Pics courtesy of jay019.com

I’d met benny a couple of times before I was on track with him, with rumours of “He’s so smooth, so fast” circulating in my head, and here was this guy, all 5 foot nothing, one of the most quiet and modestly spoken person Ive ever met.

Id seen footage of him taking it to the CTS 180sx, remembering this is the same car that competed in D1 All-Stars with Christian Pickering behind the wheel. And here I was, belting down the back straight of Mallala behind this humble Beige KE70. It took every ounce of skill, and a lot of sheer luck I had to be able to keep up with him, let alone get as close as I could. We did quite a few tandem laps that day, and I reckon I learnt more in that hour or so than I have in days before. He got out of the car, with a massive grin on his face… “That was fun!” Yeah. Fun. This guy has skilled in truckloads, so fast, so clean, and it’s all just a massive day of fun for him. How it should be really…

After that, I had to pick his brain a little, and let you people have an insight into the world of the Beige Bandit…. Benny Schumacher.

DK: What got you into drifting? What started it all?

Umm I guess you can credit my sister Samantha for that. She used to regularly buy me car magazines when I was younger, HPI, Hot4’s, Fast Fours etc. One issue of Hot4’s had covered a Drift Comp at Port Gawler. It looked awesome, cars sideways around corners with tires blazing. Sweet! After reading about it for a while, and watching as many videos as I could find, Dad took me to see the second ever G1 at Mallala, when I was 14. And I’ve been itching to be out there ever since.

DK: What do you like the most about the SA Scene, and what would you change if you could?

I guess I just like hanging, and driving/drifting with mates the most. It’s a good atmosphere; everyone is out for the same reason, for good times in cars.
What would I change? Track scene I think it would be awesome to have A.I.R and Port Gawler open again for more events. Street scene, maybe less police attention to car enthusiasts.

DK: Any advice to any younger people just starting out?

Younger people starting drifting, I would recommend getting a cheap car, getting it set up basic, and giving it a go.
Also, Motorkhana/Skidpan days would be a good start for anyone new to sliding. Too many people think you need lots of power, and an expensive import to go sideways, breakages and crashes always happen when learning.

So if your keen, get a car and get out there

DK: What are your ambitions for the future? Where do you want to go with drifting?

Id like to get good as I can at it I suppose, everyone competing wants to win, so it would be nice to, at least once.

I hope to have a nice, neat, reliable car for the future, so I can drive as much as possible and not be let down by it breaking..
I really want to travel around Australia doing events, I have only driven at Mallala, I think it would be fun road tripping interstate and giving a new track a go.

DK: Would you like to head to the land of the rising sun someday? Drive over there?

Fuck yeah! Unfortunately recent plans to enter the Spring Matsuri didn’t happen, but I definitely have to go someday, it would be soooo good, every drifters dream.

DK: What do you like most about the KE70? Any plans for the future with it?

I love my KE70 because it’s fun to drive, it’s reliable (touch wood) and cheap to run. It’s rough and bent, which is fine as I can drive it my hardest and not worry if I come unstuck and clip something.
I don’t have many plans for this particular KE, other than continue to drive it, get some new wheels n little treats from Japan. Hopefully it will be upgraded into a clean shell soon enough, fresh paint, more suspension work, with a new built NA motor so I can half keep up to the faster cars.

DK: Can you give us a run down of the beige bandit?

It’s pretty basic and beat up really, it runs a stock Big port 16v 4a-ge (Pod, Exhaust) Coil-overs up front, with 8kg springs, trd yellow shocks, PS arms, 25mm RCAs, Strut brace, 6kg rear springs, kyb shocks. Inside it has a Full Buddy Parts cage, Bride, Nardi, and a 4-point Velo harness. It has a great colour coded garden edging front lip, corona quad lights, dents, 14×6.5 volk-mesh up front, and assorted 13/14/15inch rears, which ever has tread.

DK: Anyone you’d like to thank?

I’d like to thanks Buddy Parts, for getting the bits for my car, doing the cage and always giving a helping hand.

Jay Duca for helping me out when I was new to track drifting, giving me advice and tips on how to improve my driving, definitely helped me get the hang of things out there quicker and always fun driving with him.

Friends and Family for coming out to events to support me, cheer me on when competing and give a hand at the track

My Dad, Paul, he has always supported me from day one and is always busy working on my car at home or track, towing it out there and keeping it running at its best. He does so much for me; I wouldn’t be out there without him.

Thanks to Drift Kulture too for this interview! It was fun guys, see you out there next time.

Benny Schumacher. from Sven Bengtsson on Vimeo.

Vid courtesy of Sven @ Svenmate Productions

All Pictures from Jay - www.jay019.com

Some very sad news out of Japan today. Veteran D1 driver Atsushi Kuroi has passed away after injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Kuroi was popular not just in Japan, but in all the countries where he drove. Anyone who’s seen him drive knows the kind of talent this man had behind the wheel of his Nissan One-Via. Besides being known as a great driver, he also made a name for himself with his River Side tuning shop in the Osaka area.

I feel very fortunate having the opportunity to see him in both the US and Japan.

Our thoughts are with his family and his friends.

-Mike Garrett

I’d also like to add while i was watching this i was not committing a murder or any other crime or sacrifacing a goat as the usual ingredients the common media will add to their mixture of hate to anything not socially accepted or within the realm of the “normal” or what is usually associated with ‘Hoons”.

So basically from this story its some punk busting some skids on public roads, and in no way am I or anyone else here at Drift Kulture (id even go as far to say the drifting community) that there is no problem with this act. It is stupid and irresponsible, even stupider to video this act and paste it on the internet, Now thats exactly what I SHOULD be saying if this guy pasted the video up!

After finding the FULL video that was NOT edited by ACA, it does appear that the guy was doing the video for Top Gear Australia Auditions to become the next Stig. He actually introduces himself so where is the mystery Tracy? Check the video below. However turns out Top Gear Australia better known as Freehand actually posted the video up. I don’t know about you but this really angers me and really shows the lengths that the media will go, to get ratings. Now in saying that I’m not going to sit here and play the innocent black sheep and I doubt anyone reading this can say they have never done a skid of any form on the streets, YES THAT INCLUDES YOU TRACY AND IAN LUFF! But if a poor guy is going to be framed and a sports reputation and future put in jeopardy you are going to get this sort of response!

Now again I am in no way saying that “Its all good cause it was for Top Gear” But it does really make you wonder why that part was edited from the video in the first place.. Oh thats why cause Channel 9 BOUGHT Top Gear for 2010. Yer you guys wouldnt want to give yourselves bad press would you? It does kinda feel like this community is getting given the raw end here. But i’ll be sure to forward this video on to Top Gear UK and ACA as well.

As I write this NSW basically has NO drift events other then competitions (which is two) scheduled for 2010, due to CAMS and the closure of Oran Park Raceway in Sydney’s West. Now this bad press has just made life even harder for those that work their butts off to give us drifters somewhere safe to drift and to continue to give us a good name. IDA, Drift Mob and Project D all drift clubs working hard to keep our wheels spinning in a safe LEGAL manner. This is already a uphill battle for these clubs now Tracy and the Gang just made our lives even harder just for the sake of their 15minutes of fame, what makes it even more painful to watch this is one of our own is jumping ship (Ian Luff).

Now this brings me to my point of posting this up, I challenge Tracy and the Gang at ACA to HELP us “RevHeads” get the legal participation we deserve to keep this sort of stuff off the road and then maybe Ian Luff can come save the day and help us all out as well. Lets see if ACA can put their money where their mouth is and take a NEGATIVE thing and turn it into a POSITIVE thing.

PEACE!

- Beau Jones

OZ Drift GP IS BACK! The same name, but a very different event…..

The OzDrift GP WAS a two day stand-alone event in Tasmania last year. It was a great event at a great track, but this time around it is back to the mainland and it’s being showcased in a very different format. The next OzDrift GP event will be at Wakefield Park, Goulburn, NSW. The format has been completely re-worked for television and as a category with the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships.

1ST PLACE - $1000

2ND PLACE $500

3RD PLACE $250

Wakefield Park is within easy reach of Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, making it relatively easy and cost effective to get to. The OzDrift GP will feature a top level drifting competition with television coverage as part of the Shannons Nationals program. The television coverage will be across;

SBS Speedweek
Fox2 Speedweek
FoxSport Inside Speed

WHERE - WAKEFIELD PARK, GOLBURN NSW

WHEN - SATURDAY 6th + SUNDAY 7th March

As an official category of the Shannons Nationals, OzDrift GP is in good company with the Formula 3 Drivers Championship, Commodore Cup, Sports Sedans, and the Future Race Car category.

Practice and qualifying (which includes a top 8 ‘shoot out’) will be on 6th March, with drift battles running though Sunday 7th, culminating in the final battle to conclude the Shannons Nationals first round for 2010. The competition will feature only OzDrift GP Pro Class cars, which will be of a high standard of presentation, and the drivers will have competed in national level competition, or have finished in the top 10 of a state level competition.

The OzDrift GP at Wakefield Park recognises that drifting can mix it with circuit racing at the highest level. It provides an affordable option for competitors and excellent television coverage on the popular SBS and Fox motorsport shows.

Limited entry spots are on offer….so if you have what it takes, then book a spot early as places will fill fast. Entry is just $500, and for that you areGUARANTEED TV coverage….ideal if your a sponsored ……or seeking sponsors entrant

Oh and entry IS OPEN! - CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!

Entrant enquiries to Tri-State Racing Pty Ltd - cmg@curkpatrick.com.au

Or check out the Oz Drift GP website - www.ozdriftgp.com.au for more details

In Tasmania we saw Leigh Pidwell slay the giants and lay claim to Number 1 title of the very first OZ DRIFT GP……but who in 2010 will take the second crown….who will be the next name added to the OZ DRIFT GP history books. IT’S ANYONE’S FOR THE TAKING!

We as drifters know how hard it is to build and fund a drift car. Let alone drive it. From removing sound deadening on 40 degree days to installing a new motor. The frustration, the pain, the headaches, the constant abuse from the significant other are in the end are worth it.

Hopefully one day I will understand why we do the things we do. In another sense, who cares. Paint it - crash it - fix it -break it - repeat. This all apart of drifting which results in that giant smile to our faces, to go home and re-weld, cable tie what you fixed just did before that day. At the end of the day we have something to show for it, something to share.

Its not easy putting in the hard yards only to be turned down, loose in the qualifying, pop that new motor. But it’s the passion that keeps our hopes up and our spirits alive. I honestly could have spat the dummy about 5 times in my time of drifting, but there is something there that makes me want to keep spending that cash, working those hours. Its especially not fun seeing your car go onto a tow truck for the wrong reasons, but on the brighter side, its on that tow truck so you can fix it, to start again, so you can get back out there.

One example I’d like to share is about a good friend of mine and one of my main inspirations. One CA18DET, One SR20DET, and now at the tail end of a year long project RB25DET, the RB took a whole year to install, but he never seemed to stop and give up, 90% of the work was his own, and the effort and desire that went into this build was just inspiring to me, after the hard yards of his effort, time and labour, every time I’d go around to his house he was under the car, or coming up with some new ideas and new concepts for some of the smallest to the biggest things of the conversion, in the end it made an initial dyno result of 295rwkw, the mental sound of the external gate, just brang a smile to all our faces, on our first track day, he just got into and after a year of being off the track, he was straight back into it better than ever before. To me this was proof that the hard work does pay off in the end, all the days of harsh reality to that final start up or the photo’s of your car producing more smoke than a smoke machine at a year 7 disco makes it worth it.

These things don’t come easy, we all work for it, we all bleed, sweat and sometimes…….cry, for the things we love, and would you do it if you didn’t love it? Even to the personal side of drifting, I have an unimpressed girlfriend 70 per cent of the time as she believes I love my car more than her………no comment, but still she is there to support me and encourages me. But the party’s missed out, the nights out with your mates spent at home, cause your pocket is empty, we all go through it, we all do it, for that one reason. Drift. You aint alone! Keep Drift alive!

- Woods

So over the next 2 months we will be heading around Japan and doing some one on one interviews with some big name guys in drifting but also some local boys that just drift on tight budgets and call the mountains there home! We always want to get you guys involved in everything we do so we firgure the best way is asking you to send us a questions you would like to know the answer too!

A couple things first, it cant be some nasty question thats going to make us look like a bunch idiots but it can be funny in nature or serious, anything is cool within reason.
Want to find out if they sleep with their night light on, Well send it in! Or maybe you want to know what they are scared off, Send it in!

1st step : Send us an email to : wearedrift@gmail.com
2nd step : Email subject must me “ask a drifter”.
3rd step : Tell us your question, name and the country your from.

If you question gets picked we will notify you via email and do a shout out on our facebook to let everyone know whats happening.

Oran Park also had a full motorcross track, skidpan, dirt track, 4wd track and a 1000 foot drag strip. So as you can see in its prime Oran Park was very serious about all motorsport and really tried to accomondate everyone. Oran Park reguarly hosted big events such as  Australian Touring Car Championship, V8 Supercar Championship Series,Australian Drivers’ Championship and Australian Sports Sedan Championship and of course Drift Australia rounds.

Oran Park is finally closing its doors after 47 years of motorsport heritage. Its with great sadness we have to say good bye to one of my personal favorite tracks, and one that has a lot of history attached to my family and I’m sure other readers are in the same boat here. Its very upsetting that Oran Park isn’t even being closed for a good reason instead in the act of profit. But as they say “Money Talks”, Lets just hope the Government gives us another track that carters for our needs or we may see a large increase in “Street Drifting”.

Please comment with your thoughts and memories on Sydney’s favorite track!