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[mestizo]

Ok I will try to make this as clear as I can. Due to recent events that took place I felt compelled to write exactly what this forum is about and why it is here. That being said I want to let everyone know this is my opinion and I am entitled to it.

This forum was originally meant for me and some of my freinds who used to cruise and race on the weekends. The majority of us were not really happy with Sac Raceway and it's staff at the time so some of us took to the streets to have our fun. This was not the smartest or safest idea but it was just that, an idea for us to keep having fun.

Now when the people I knew and myself did this we had the foresight to realize that people could possibly get hurt doing this, so our group set out to make sure that the places we did this were out of populated area's and also late at night to minimize public exposure. This was done to ensure we could see and for the most part predict who and what could possibly be coming down the road. Yes its not as safe as the track but at least we were taking steps to ensure we would not hurt anyone else but ourselves if something were to happen.

Street racing wasn't invented by us, it was here long before we were. We were trying to make it a safe and fun weekend "hobby". As with anything there will always be one bad egg in the bunch that will ruin it for everyone and this "hobby" is no exception. Movies like the "The Fast & The Furious" did not do anything to help things. I am not saying the movie is responsible becuase people are responsible for their own actions. But this movie sensationalized street racing for wide eyed youg kids. Over night out "hobby" was changed forever. Being that I was part of this scene I took it upon myself to make it known that just blindly racing on public and residential streets was stupid, but of course the majority of the kids back then didn't listen. Some of them took to destroying the landscaping of the places we were at and just plain doing stupid "look at me" shit. After trying for so long to get my point across and being frustrated with the absolute disregard for the safety of the general public who was not involved with us I left that scene.

After being out of the weekend car scene for a couple of years I decided that I wanted to give drifting a try. I raced quads for 10 years when I was a kid which is bascally drifting on dirt. So the idea of going sideways with 4 wheels again was very appealing to me. I actually stayed away from drifitng for a long time before I decided to do it because I already had a straight line racing project that I was deep into and I knew that if I began drifting I would never finish that project. Well again after I got feed up with the street racing scene I gave up and sold my straight line project to fund my new/old passion. At the time drifting wasn't out of control, and I could slide without the need of anyone else being around unlike street racing where you u need at least two people. Drifting could be done by myself. When I started there were a few people around me that were also into the scene and we went at it with the same idea as we had before... keep it as safe as possible and as far away from the public as we could. We even went one step further and had people stand at the blind area's with flash lights to signal the drifters and let them know if another car was coming so as to not cause an accident.

As with anyting it can be spoiled... "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift" came out and super sensationalized drifting. Within 3 weeks of the movie coming out a well known spot that I went to which was somewhat low key at the time went from like 5-8 cars to 50-100 cars. The majority of which were not there to drift or become any better at driving but just to be "seen". Again I tried to teach all those who would listen that if you're here to be "seen" then this is not for you. Some listened but obviously not enough heard what I was trying to preach. Most of the people I hung around with tried to find our own spots, but with time the spots were compromised and found by the rest of the people. Deja' Vu, property is being destroyed, people are getting hurt by sliding in public places and my weekend fun is getting taken away from me again. Track days for drifting are few and far between here in the Northern California area, and the majority of the places we could go to for an organized event were or are currently being taken from us. The few places we do have to go are a bit pricey, I guess this is because of a lack of enthusiam from the general public and backing from local government. The combination of these things is why street driting is so big right now. Let's not forget that the "sport" that we now know as "drifting" originated on the street, but I'm fairly positive the people who originated this never intended for it to become a popular thing. It was done simply to become a better driver and most importantly to have fun.

Now to the point of what I wrote...

If you are going to participate in this kind of late night "hobby" then do it with some discretion and regard for others. If you hurt yourself in the process then you have no one to blame but yourself, this is something you should realize long before you try this "hobby". If you take the steps to keep it away from the public and have spotters in the blind area's then there is almost no way you should hurt anyone else in the process. Don't destroy or otherwise bring negative attention to the places you go to, if you want to continue what you are doing there. For those who are trying to be "seen" or trying to be the next "D.K." then this forum is not for you, leave all the "he say, she say" drama and bullshit out of here. This is for the people who are into this "scene" and want to have fun while doing it.

[Jonnie Fraz]

Well said my friend!