"Drifting is just a fad."
We've all heard the arguments. Fans of drag racing will shout that theirs was here first-that it's the quintessential form of racing: a no-bullshit, mano-a-mano power contest with the clock as the judge. Those of drifting, that drag racing is narrow-minded and boring; drifting is more creative, interesting, and has more character. We're not taking sides. It's all one big shit storm that we'd rather not get caught in, and after a close look at these two S15 Silvias, a baseless one. Love or hate what either car was built for, the quality, craftsmanship and capabilities of each are worth a kidney from any one of us. One car churns out 1,400 hp at 11K rpm, and blasts 7.2-second quarter-mile passes. The other has bested the likes of Yamanaka, Takatori, and Verdier in competition, and has prompted drivers of big-budget, V-8-powered drift machines to re-think the potency of the modified four-cylinder street car that just took them out.
"Drag is dead."
So, you can argue amongst yourselves, or take cues from what's presented here and begin achieving your own goals. Contrary to the popular adage, good things don't come to those who wait; they come to those who act. Take a lesson from two people for whom action is a way of life.
Drift Boso S15
If Ross' S15 looks more like a street car than a professional drift car, that's the idea. "I learned to drift in RHD street cars," he explains. Ross Petty was raised in Okinawa, Japan. His childhood days were spent the same as any Okinawa youth: studying, playing sports, or diving for tako and meata fish in Okinawa's Zampa bay; and later, in his early teen years, the same as any Okinawa adolescent: surfing, wreaking havoc on the general citizenry, wrenching on cars with the older guys by day, and causing trouble with them by night. "None of us had money to pay people to fix our cars," Ross explains, "so everyone worked on their own." And with that came the instinctual urge for performance, felt by anyone who's ever discovered the benefits of turning a wrench.
The Boso S15 rolls Work wheels-18x10-inch XSA-03Cs on the track, and 19x10s off. A'pexi N1
Built Skylines and Supras ran the streets of Okinawa in Ross' younger years. Drag racing was popular, and also expensive, regimented and structured. Drifting, like other activities Ross and his crew occupied their time with, was the antithesis of those qualities. "It was just part of the culture I was into," he recalls, "like surfing or skating. We built our cars for fun and never took them too seriously." While the draggers pounded the streets at night, looking for a fight, Ross' crew congregated in the canyons or at the docks. Ask, and he'll talk at length about the Aja dock sessions: massive circuits defined by buildings, shipping containers and spectators' cars; over a hundred cars on hand at any given night; 20-car tandem drifts with no beginning or end-cars simply jumped in and out of line when they got the chance, or became new additions to the course when things went wrong. Guys would bring their girls, girls would bring their friends, and as Ross explains it, there was nothing structured or official about it-no judged competition, no rules. Drivers would push each other and their cars to be better, then kick back and become part of the crowd when they were done. "It was total freedom," explains Ross. A lot of what they were doing was illegal, but in contrast to street racing, "No one really cared," he says, "Nothing ever got out of hand. They were happy as long as we stayed out of everyone else's way."
If Ross' interior looks more like a street car's than a professional race car's, that's th
It was in the midst of this underground lifestyle that Ross first met Michiya Kohoribata, owner of a salvage yard in Itoman, supplier to the underground Okinawa drift scene, and as Ross puts it, "the craziest, most underground, ghetto, JDM drift samurai alive!" When Ross was 15, Michiya taught him to drift FWD cars, to learn the importance of hand-brake technique and car control. Two years later, after Ross wrecked his friend's CRX, Michiya-san helped him build his first RWD car-a CA18-powered 180SX-that they took through the touges and to the docks at night. "When he's on-point, Michiya-san is one of the best drivers out there," Ross says bluntly, "but he's crazy reckless. He falls asleep behind the wheel all the time." He laughs, "I saw him fall asleep merging onto a freeway once."
Just the basics in the trunk: a box for the Optima battery and "bash bar" reinforcement fr
At 18, Ross decided to leave Okinawa for the tropical green of Hawaii, abuzz with killer surf, friendly "locs", and the Falken Tire-backed competitive drift series Drift Sessions. Ross's first Hawaii car was a comparatively underpowered USDM 240SX, but his miles in the Okinawa underground gave him experience the competition lacked. He won Drift Sessions seven times in a row. Victory led to a sponsorship with Falken, and after polishing his skills at local spots like Tantlus and Triangles, he won Signal Auto's Drift Challenge in '00, along with an opportunity to travel the mainland and represent his sponsors in the newly formed Formula Drift series.
Semi-hidden above the battery box is this little number: a police-issue strobe light contr
Fast forward a few years and drifting had become a world-wide phenomenon. Japan's D1GP began hosting competitions in the U.S., alongside Formula D, NOPI Drift and other series, and drifters from all camps participated in exhibitions abroad during the off-season. It was during the World Drift Series' third event in China that Ross first crossed paths with Frank Siharath: tuner, fabricator and owner of Racetune in Hayward, CA. The two got to talking one night-over some Heinekens and Chivas-about rolling out a joint effort in SoCal. It was the light-up of Garage Boso, and their first order of business was the up-keep of Ross' 240SX competition car, which led to taking on other cars in the Falken stable, and later, those from A'pexi, Signal and the general public.
When Michiya-san made a surprise trip to the States in 2006 for D1GP Finals at Irwindale, Ross lent him his 240SX during a practice session, so the sensei could renew his competition license-a safe bet with any seasoned drifter, except for, maybe, Michiya-san. Ross' car was returned to him totaled, but with a promise of a better one to come. A year later, just as wishful thinking began to fade, a cargo container arrived at the Garage Boso facility in Gardena, CA, carrying a stripped-down, white, S15 Silvia, along with a note from Michiya-san: "Better luck this time!"
"Actual power numbers aren't known, since the car's maxed out every dyno it's been on.
Drag Mazworx S15
A rural, southwestern Pennsylvania native, Pat Linn-owner of PRL Racing and this Mazworx-backed S15 Pro Mod-class dragger-got into the import scene about as far from it as anyone could. Whereas SoCal's Asian-American pop culture rightly gets the nod for sparking import enthusiasm's mainstream blow-up, to hardcore enthusiasts of every demographic, it was always about making cheap cars faster than expensive ones, small engines more powerful than big ones, and playing that underdog card for all it was worth. "When we first started making imports fast around here," explains Pat, "No one saw it coming." Before he knew it, he was hooked on the imports' unsuspecting power, and the respect-and coin-their element of surprise earned on the streets. He built, raced and sold several cars in his first few years, and soon found himself signing papers on his first Nissan 240SX. "I actually wanted to build it for drifting," he explains. "But once the SR swap and turbo upgrade were finished, I changed my mind."
By Luke Munnell
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