Imagine a world without NASCAR. How wonderful it would be to flip on the television and watch something other than guys with names like Dick Trickle chase each other around in circles. If NASCAR's stranglehold on the Speed Channel were released, other types of racing (like drifting, F1, rally, motorcycle and so on) might get a little exposure. And a little variety would be nice. But considering its immense popularity, it seems unlikely that NASCAR will ever be ousted from the throne where it reigns king of Americanmotorsports. If this trend continues, NASCAR, NEXTEL, Wal-Mart and China will soon merge into one mega corporation and extinguish all other forms of racing. Everything you buy, from diapers to refried beans, will be emblazoned with a NASCAR logo. There will be no escape. Short of a cultural revolution, there's not much we can do to stop the Goliath that has become NASCAR. It's even rumored that a NASCAR driver will be running for president in 2008. But is it too late to save us?
All is not lost however. If the swelling popularity of drifting continues, the sport just might prove to be our knight in shining armor, or in this case, in tire-shredding armor. Could drifting seriously stand a chance of doing the unthinkable-stealing the crown from NASCAR and taking its place as the top dog of motorsports in the US? As highly unlikely as that scenario may be, time may prove to be on drifting's side. As hard as it is to believe, there are still a huge numbers of people who have never even heard of, let alone watched drifting. Once exposed to it, the masses might get hooked. So while implausible, the scenario is certainly possible.
Not that there's anything wrong with NASCAR. It's super-cool and all that stuff, but some of us would like to see a few more turns thrown in there, or maybe a dirt section, or something. Circles can get boring. And where's the technology of F1? In an age of fuel-injected and computer controlled weed-whackers, NASCAR uses carburetors? No forced induction either? That's just not gonna cut it for us techno-junkies. And for the scissor-door'd, be-winged brethren among us, why can't NASCAR have more aesthetically pleasing rides?
Part of the reason for drifting's continuing expansion is because the sport offers the technology, drama, action and the Japanese hotties that more traditional racing sometimes lacks. With flamboyant characters, over-the-top commentary and a kamikaze driving style that is meant to please the audience above all else, it has mass appeal. Cars like this RS-R S15 don't hurt the sports appeal either. What you see before you is no "Days of Thunder," Hollywood-built monstrosity thundering down the blue-screen oval with Tom Cruise plopped behind the wheel on a stack of phone books. This is a real-deal racecar, it's equipped like one, and you certainly won't find a carburetor under the hood. This Nissan Silvia S15 was built for the sole purpose of campaigning in Japan's D1GP. Piloted by Kazu Hayashida from Team RS-R, the car competed in events around Japan throughout 2004 and 2005, giving some spectacular performances and competing with the most veteran cars and drivers. However, any time a new car is campaigned, the bugs must be worked out and everything fine-tuned, and as such, the guys as RS-R got to work. Just like on any other type of racecar, the suspension is a vital variable in the equation. There are all kinds of suspension set-ups available for this chassis, but unless you design your own dampers and springs, you may never get your car dialed-in "just right." That's not an issue here though, as RS-R designs, develops and sells its own suspension system-not only for racecars, but dampers suitable for the street. As the car went through its development at RS-R, their constant improvements, revisions and experiences in suspension tuning helped them consistently improve the S15's performance in the drifting circuit. Although the car had but one purpose in mind when it was built, its mission didn't remain limited to D1GP.