Events; SODA & Drift by Feinto-D 26 Apr 2009

We can’t say how much we love drift, the sideways action can rarely be seen in other forms of motorsport today, and like what Keiichi Tsuchiya has said, its the most exciting way around the corner. Learning to control the fine line between gripping and losing it all is tough though, and that’s where Sync Optima’s Drift Academy (or a cooler-sounding SODA) comes in. Manned by the married couple of Malaysian drift, Ariff and Jane, participants learn how to control their cars while applying driving techniques not taught in your average driving school.

Ariff on the extreme left showing out some pointers to his class of 11 would-be drifters

His classes are rather well known, and these three dudes came all the way from Singapore in their manual Civic FD2. One of them has had prior training at the Nusajaya track which was also conducted by Ariff.

Participants were encouranged to bring their own drift cars. This pristine S14 Zenki is owned by one of the participants of SODA. Calvin trying out his newly-transplanted 180SX under Jane’s tutelage. He’s still trying to learn the new dynamics of the car; SODA’s courses allows you to have safe refresher lessons by legal means.

The aforementioned S14 trying to get its tail out in the corner; understeering was rampant throughout the early stages of the training as drivers learnt ways to make the rear break loose. Swallowing cones were common too, although being new to the sport, they generally tried to avoid the poor cones, unlike the more experienced ones Mike Ng, a GRA expert was definitely the star of the day when he became the fastest learner, pulling off high-quality moves within a short timeframe. Being skillful in GRA, drifting was merely a step up the ladder of car control for Mike and his S15. Speaking about car control, look what happened to one of Mike’s tires late during the day – I name it the Tire Flower, something petrolheads present to their girlfriends/wives during Valentine’s.

Onwards to the drifting action brought to you by Feinto-D! Loyai was on-hand to manage the session, and the field was packed to the brim, thanks to a really affordable entry price of RM30. We counted over 45 cars, and then lost count as there were just too many of them! Wanbra was also seen lepaking at the area although the poor chap could not join in the fun; the new machine is not ready. After being missing in action for a few months, old-timer Lok Sifu returns with even more speed and angle. Going flat-out through the first corner, he definitely has more balls than most drifters on the field that day! Jane having a go at the track. Fast mummy’s car is fast and her wastegate is LOUD! A cool drift-spec E30 showing off what conti cars are able to achieve in a field full of Toyotas. You can put one car down, but you’ll never put it out of commission! Fast and Furious TE approaching a corner with minimal drift to slingshot the car around the apex. Standing less than 12feet away from cars like this is a exhilirating, but dangerous experience.

Before we knew it, it was lunchtime already and we all headed to the stalls nearby to fill our starving stomachs. When we were waiting for our sustenance (super-wet fried kway teow -.-), Ariff made his way to the drift track and made some exhibition runs. Sorry, no pictures of him going round; our stomachs were more important at that time!! =D =D Barry, as taken by Kou Lou.

The following images were taken at the mini K-car display, sporting most Perodua models, a Jazz and a Gen.2. The Kenari converted to L900 in the middle is running on 17″ rims, and although the dude has a turbocharged engine, it’s kinda disjarring to see such big rims on a K-car. not to mention the wierd offset of the rims. We returned back to the track after lunch, and it was H-O-T!!!! Even with two layers of sunblock (SPF120 mind you), I was still burnt at the end of the day. Such heat also meant that you do not need to go to the loo; all water intake instantly converts to sweat.

UNDA UNDA UNDA UNDA UNDA! Cone Killer caught red-handed. Jody Lim a.k.a Mason expertly drifted in front of the other car who have spun out in front of him. They better dont kiss in this situation! I didn’t know My TV3 had a drift team. If they were, you’d be expecting the TV3 colors, no? A rare RX7-FC3S soft-top takes to the track, with minimal angle. The driver, part of the KST posse should look at how Drifter Jack does it in his own RX7. A familiar 180SX made an appearance with okay drifts. Events like these will definitely attract people who want to practice their drifting in a legal and safe place. Who says VIP can’t drift? This Mark II does good power over moves, but we have yet to see it going sideways at a larger angle. A sign of things to come; three cars (out of a total of eight!!!) doing a tandem drift. As a person who fears for his life, I left the confines of the track soon after. These guys were becoming too brave to maintain a safety blanket for those on the track while we photographers are not able to keep track of all the cars at one time while shooting. A street-tuned A31 practicing on the track. This clean KE70 came shod with uber-clean Longchamp wheels. What’s the scoop on the hood for? A Nissan progenitor turned drift-machine appeared in our viewfinder. He had problems with understeer the whole day. Tire choice, perhaps? Drifters with clean cars are a rare bunch, and drifters with clean cars, good paintjobs and complete bodykits are even rarer. That is one of the reasons why I like this AE86. Kou Lou getting some action. The team is getting better and better over time, although they have yet to shift up in 3rd Massive angle from the Blacklist KE70. We just noticed that Jai’s Bluebird now has two CAI ram pipes, as evidenced by the two anodized bellmouths on the bumper. These guys were having fun smoking while drifting. Dudes, tire smoke is already cancerous as it is!! LOL Yet another clean Hachi hatch, this time with no bumper for additional cooling!

A nicely-appointed A31 with R32 front. Mr.Nismo’s pride and joy, in M.N.P. II paintjob (or something that looks like it). A genuine GTR33 Endless 6-Pot with AVS rims on Pirelli P-Zero Rosso. Mmmmmm I’m surprised with the choice of rubbers though. mawaru mawaru goes the 180SX…… Another street-tuned car which does pretty good drifts despite having a severe lack of camber. Another drifter who was having so-so runs on Sunday was Mervyn, who had hardened tires, hence lower grip levels. His car is still the smoking champion though, and its hard to find another drifter which makes more smoke than him. Perdana V6 or A31 with R32 head? People can be easily confused by this combination, especially at this angle! Jody exibiting moderate amounts of smoke from his KE70. To do that on a 4AGE powered car is not easy; a stock engine simply does not have the power required, although his car’s definitely not stock! An unknown drifter tsuiso-ing with Lok Sifu. Looking at the lines, you already know that the trailing car has an advantage over the leader. Jai trailing the two Toyotas earlier; he is able to get that much of speed and angle thanks to a monster engine. The wastegate is pretty loud too, having an atmospheric downpipe, you can hear the exact moment he slams on the throttle. Jen Shen and Barry having a fun time collecting the cones from the SODA area; kids, do not ever try this at home, and TAR students, if you want to ride on the hood of a car, make sure the driver is driving at 10km/h! p.s. a flat hood works better than a MyVI’s curved one too! Stay tune for more images and outtakes, I know you DCM members are patiently waiting for your cars too! =D