The basic ingredients that these guys look for are a combination of execution, angle of attack, style, and speed. Factor in other such random elements as points deductions for knocking over a cone but extra points for brushing a wall without losing control and it only gets more confusing. But wait, there's more. The size of the turbo and total horsepower of each vehicle come into play. A 430hp Silvia can obviously carry more speed (a good thing) than a 200hp Corolla, but it's no easy task to hold one of these high-horsepower beasts on the edge at the widest angle possible (also a good thing). Even though Jonny likes to think his recently plucked eyebrows will earn him some points, the style the D1 judges look for consists of the mid-drift fist-out-of-the-window or open-door technique.
In a D1 event you must first qualify for the field. In qualifying you take three laps in front of the judges. Only one lap counts, and the judging is based on a 100-point scale. This process is the same until you reach the final 16 where you are paired up with another driver for what is called "tandem drifting." After one parade lap, each driver takes a turn at the front. For the trailing car the object is to keep as close as possible to the lead car, pressuring him into an error much like the way we constantly abuse Jonny in order to make him cry. Simultaneously, the lead car tries to leave the trailing car behind as he keeps control of his drift. The ultimate maneuver is being able to pass the lead car while maintaining the perfect drift.
A new element found at the US D1GP is the audience participation factor. When a run is almost too close to call, US fans have taken to chanting "one more time!" in an effort to force a runoff. In most cases it works. If it sounds too complicated, you're probably better off just looking at the pictures; that's what we do.
D1 Grand Prix USA 2004: Official Results
Top 25 Individual
Yoichi Imamura (J1): APEX'i FD3S RX-7; 493 hp
Nobushige Kumakubo (J2): Team Orange S15 Silvia; 463 hp
Katsuhiro Ueo (J3): Cusco AE86 Corolla; 197 hp
Nobuteru Taniguchi (J4): HKS S15 Silvia; 444 hp
Gen Terasaki (J5): AE86 Corolla; 197 hp
Toshiki Yoshioka (J6): AE86 Corolla; 184 hp
Ken Nomura (J7): Blitz ER34 Skyline; 463 hp
Kazuhiro Tanaka (J8): Team Orange S15 Silvia; 424 hp
Masatoshi Asamoto (J9): Team Orange FD3S RX-7; 414 hp
Hiroshi Fukuda (J10): RPS13 Silvia; 444 hp
Rhys Millen (A2): RMR Pontiac GTO; 400 hp
Daijiro Yoshihara (A3): Pacific Rim S13 Silvia; 210 hp
Hisashi Kamimoto (J11): VeilSide S15 Silvia; 444 hp
Yasuyuki Kazama (J12): Kei Office S15 Silvia; 414 hp
Ryuji Miki (J13): Top Secret S15 Silvia; 513 hp
Masao Suenaga (J14): RE Amemiya PS13 Silvia; 345 hp
Kuniaki Takahashi (J15): JZ100 Chaser; 396 hp
Yoshinori Koguchi (J18): Team Falken RPS13 Silvia; 444 hp
Hideo Hiraoka (J20): DROO-P AE86 Corolla; 197 hp
Ken Maeda (J22): Up Garage AE86 Corolla; 246 hp
Atsushi Kuroi (J23): Signal/Tanabe RPS13 Silvia; 380 hp
Ryoji Takada (J24): Daihatsu Charade; 158 hp
Kazuya Bai (J25): Signal/Tanabe RPS13 Silvia; 380 hp
Samuel Hubinette (A8): Jasper Performance JZA80 Supra; 400hp
Alex Pfeiffer (A11): Battle Version AE86 Corolla
Best 16 Tandem:Imamura * Tanaka Nomura * Fukuda * Taniguchi * Yoshioka * Terasaki * Kamimoto * Miki * Millen * Kumakubo * Maeda * Kuroin * Hubinette * Suenaga * Kazama
Best 8 Tandem: Tanaka * Nomura * Taniguchi * Terasaki * Miki * Kumakubo * Kuroi * Kazama
Best 4: Nomura * Taniguchi * Kumakubo * Kazama
Best 2/3rd Place Battle: Kumakubo * Nomura * Taniguchi * Kazama
D1GP USA Final: Nomura (3rd Place) * Taniguchi (2nd Place) * Kazama (Champion)
By Nads
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