With many drift organisers in continental Europe struggling to find locations and keep the sport alive, there are many new initatives appearing that seem to throw fresh light on the possibilities.
In addition more potential sponsors have appeared meaning that the 2010 season should bring new talent to the best events.
We will be doing our best to make sure this happens and will be supporting 5 drivers in 2010. 3 of these will drive in JDM Allstars in the UK and possibly some rounds of the BDC in UK.
The RUSSIANS are coming..
Coming on a short tour in June are 8 members of the Moscow Drift Team who will visit the Nürburgring on June 20- 21 for the RECARO DAYS and also a French Drift round at L'Anneau du Rhin on June 27/28. After long negotiations with Driftpromotion and careful planning the visit has been scheduled and all are looking forward to meeting and competing with drift colleagues from western Europe.
We wish the guys good luck and lots of fun during their visit.
(Roll your mouse over a driver for details.)
(one member of the team still to be announced.)
Kawabata joins in the fun..
Japanese drift master of wall scraping and 90 degree entries Kioshi K-SAN KAWABATA of Driving Sports fame is currently in Europe awaiting the arrival of his PS13 from Japan. This car will be used primarily for the 2009 JDM Allstars championship and will be sponsored by UK based company SEVERNSIDE IMPORTS.
In discussions with DRIFTPROMOTION, it materialised that there is a lot of interest to do something in mainland Europe, so DRIFTPROMOTION got to work and has found some events where the master may just show up.
We will keep you updated!!
Sponsors for EAS drivers..
DriftKing Paul Vlasblom receives his Factory suspension from Graham Callaway of Driftpromotion.
Up and coming drift talent Sebastien Lepert (France) receives his Factory suspension from Graham Callaway of Driftpromotion.
2009 sees the entry of a new company into the European Drift Scene in the form of JSI Standard Suspensions Company. After long negotiations Graham Callaway of Driftpromotion is happy to announce the support of selected drivers for the 2009 season with full factory support and additional support from the European distributors who will soon start to market the new "ACS DRIFT-KING" suspension. (ACS = advanced coilover system).
"I was immediately impressed with the quality of the product, but also the response I got from the JSI Standard factory" said Graham.
"You can adjust almost everything on this shock including vehicle height within a few seconds due to some unique (patented) features,
and damping and rebound is so easy to change that the driver can do it within about 30 seconds on all 4 sets."
"With Paul we not only have a World Championship contender but also an experienced driver and somebody who can provide valuable feedback
so that the products can be further enhanced". "We plan to support a total of 5 European drivers this year, and the European distributor will have a fantastic sponsoring deal for anyone wanting to fit the R5 plus Drift suspension, which is exactly the system that will be used by our sponsored drivers this season".
"Sebastien is an example of up and coming drift talent, which is something we want to support together with the European AllStars concept".
"These shocks are already well tested in the Far East and have a reputation for being consistent under harsh conditions, so we are not just going to build on this reputation by putting them to work on the European Drift tracks, but also on the Nürburgring on a Time Attack car.
Interested drivers can contact Graham at: info@driftpromotion.com for details of sponsoring.
Would the real IDS please stand up!!..??
Confusion reigned for a while in Germany after the management split of the former IDC (Now known as IDS) organisation in late 2008.
Drivers and their sponsors found themselves left in a black hole regarding the 2009 season after promises made for the 2008 series never materialised. Some drivers have already stated that they will pull out of the German scene in 2009 altogether because of this.
We have now been reliably informed that there is a clear path for reorganisation in the hands of the new management team and a professionally managed series for 2009.
It also appears from our enquiries that the regulations for IDS 2009 are very professionally written and probably the best yet in Europe for any drift activity at the current time. A very encouraging start.
We look forward to an exciting weekend on 21 and 22 March for the Pro Search Weekend at Hockenheim and a kickoff to what promises to be an exciting 2009 Drift season in Germany with a large selection of European talent.
Formula D Action for your enjoyment!!
Formula D Sonoma 2008 HD from Will Roegge on Vimeo
01.10.2008
Remmo Niezen and Paul Vlasblom to Drift in FD Longbeach!
Photos: Alok Paleri
Both Remmo and Paul have been invited to drift in Longbeach at the Formula D World Championship Drift.
After disappoinment for both guys at D1 last year, this is a great opportunity for them to show just how far Drifting has come in continental Europe.
We wish them the very best of luck and lots of fun!!
27.09.2008
New European Drift Team takes shape.
A new European Drift Team consisting of Top Pro-Drivers from all over
Europe is slowly taking shape. The first drivers have signed up and we already have 2 invitations from Professional Drifting events in 2009.
European Allstars Drivers will follow the regulations and guidelines of the new EDF (European Drift Federation) regarding vehicle and personal safety measures and presentation, which are currently the highest standards in Europe.
27.09.2008 Relax and watch some professional drifting..
JDM Allstars Driftcast - Vol.2 Ep.01 from Trackday Films on Vimeo.
02.09.2008
European Champion at EDC round (and takes second!)
Remmo Niezen, the 2007 European Drift Champion (winner of both the major European championships in 2007, and currently No. 2 in the SportAuto/Yokohama Drift Challenge in Germany) is to drift at round 5 of the UK based EDC series. This will be a golden opportunity for Remmo to pit his skills against the UK's best and possibly the guest Japanese drivers. A consistent performer and avid drifter since the early 90's, Remmo's track skills should not be underestimated. Add to this the freshly built BMW E-30 V8 special and he should be very competitive in doing what he does best..Tsuiso. We wish Remmo and his team the very best of luck and lots of fun in the UK.PS: REMMO TOOK SECOND PLACE AT THIS EVENT!! FANTASTIC!!
06.08.2008New European Drift Team to be formed for 2009.
A new European Drift Team consisting of Top Pro-Drivers is to be formed for 2009. Negotiations are under way with sponsors and supporters.
23.07.2008
Dutch talent TIM TATJE to drive at JDM Allstars Wembley
Latest news is that Tim has secured a place in the prestigious JDM event that will put drifting on the streets of London for the very first time.
We wish him the best of luck and lots of fun. Tim's entry will be sponsored by PAGEMASTERS-IP who have supported him since 2006.
The competition will be stiff but we know Tim is up to the challenge in the Pagemasters/Hankook BMW Compact!!
See www.jdmallstars.com for more information and the exciting track layout.
14.05.2008
The talented Mr. peanut
After the announcement that Lennard Wander is to quit the European Falken Drift Team, we are pleased to hear that he will be replaced by none other than "Mr Peanut" himself, Vernon Zwaneveld!! This comes at just at the right time for Vernon who was having doubts about the competitiveness of his Toyota AE86 for this season after a sponsor deal involving a new V8 powered BMW fell through. We wish Vernon, and the Falken Drift Team Europe the very best of luck for the coming season.
24.04.2008
Great Video from CLASHPRODUCTION of the first EDC round 2008 at Donington Park UK. Please note this is FULL HD, so if you have a widescreen monitor select full screen and turn up the sound!! Enjoy!!
22.04.2008
Great Video of "HACHI KING" Vernon Zwaneveld in action. Hope you enjoy it like we did.
17.04.2008
We have been asked to assist with a new organisation,
the European Drift Federation. More news to follow.
08.04.2008
Due to unexpected events we will no longer be publicising information
regarding the IDC. A contract failed to materialise meaning it was impossible to continue on such an open ended basis with absolutely
no commitment from the organisers.
11.02.2008
Formula Drift goes to Singapore!!..
10.02.2008
This year ends in an "8" and that's probably very significant because we know that there are going to be at least 7 drivers entering in cars with V8 powerplants this year including BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, General motors and Daimler/Chrysler. Besides the great sound, the torque and reliability of these engines should mean some very close competition this year.
We are looking forward to it!
Last weekend at the Racing Show in Liege, Belgium, Deborah Lopez (DRIFTANGEL) was awarded the RED BULL Youngstar Trophy. That RED BULL is taking an interest in drifting is a good sign that the sport is on the right path in Europe, and it's a good morale booster for Deborah who has fought hard to improve despite many technical setbacks in the last 2 years.
Also on display at the show was the new car for 2008 which will soon be fitted with a special tuned V8 Corvette engine from the USA.
"Drifting is the most important discipline in Motorsport" : Maceij Polody