Hey, Gymkhana USA, Who's Your Daddy?
The American Gymkhana Association and its Gymkhana USA series of events is the brainchild of Ken Takahashi, who's been in the game even longer than Nads. We asked him some questions about his first event, and you know what? He answered them.
Now that the event is over, what is your overall impression of how it turned out?
Well, I was pleasantly surprised. Originally I was expecting [fewer spectators]. It was a good sign that our industry is ready for something new.
"See this thumb? It's worth...
"See this thumb? It's worth more than your car."
Were you surprised at the skill level of the drivers competing in this first event?
I expected some good drivers and some semi-pros to show up...but to be honest, there were some pretty good drivers.
What are some things that most drivers need to work on?
For the most part, (and I know I'm going to get some flack from some of your readers) I noticed that the majority of Americans depend on their cars for performance. They invest money in buying parts to make their cars run faster and don't develop their driving skills. Gymkhana is about driver skill-the car is just a platform. It is about mental concentration (memorization) and your talents to navigate your platform though a course as best as you can. That's the beauty of gymkhana, you can do it with a stock or modified car, your everyday driver or a race preped machine. There is nothing to intimidate or segregate you. The challenge is to make yourself a better driver. Don't use your car as the excuse; usually the weakest link is the driver.
How will you change the course for the next events?
As time progresses the courses will get more complex. We didn't want to blast the American drivers with one of those "hardcore" gymkhana courses you see on YouTube because, again, AGA is not making a new sport, only reintroducing one that has been around for a while to a new generation of drivers. We're trying to energize the market with parallel synergy from autocrossing, drifting and rally interests-giving them one big playing field. Our courses will integrate things from each of these three disciplines, which American drivers are familiar with-a hybrid of sorts. You'll have to wait and see, but one thing for sure is it won't be predictable.
Where will the next events take place?
Probably at El Toro in Irvine for now, or at least the next two events. It's conveniently located within the city. First, we want people to get familiar with the sport. I think always moving the venue makes it hard for people to figure out where we are going to be next. Eventually we will move to a couple more locations around the LA and OC area, but the key is to remain in the city. Although it's easier to book a place like Buttonwillow or Willow Springs, my goal is to bring the sport to the people and make it easy, fun and cheap. That's the formula for a great grassroots motorsport.
Nads enjoys his lunch a second...
Nads enjoys his lunch a second time, after a ride with A. Pfeiffer in his "Toyotus."
Which pro drivers do you hope to bring out to the next gymkhana?
That's the neat thing about my event, you never know who's going to pop in! At the last one it was nice to see guys like Ken Block, Dai Yoshihara, Toshiki Yoshioka, Alex Pfeiffer, Chris Forsberg and Samuel Hubinette, and Tanner Foust popped in also. I am working with several Japanese companies and race teams that are interested in promoting their gymkhana background here in the US so you'll be seeing more Japanese drivers popping up here in the States, soon. Maybe even Tarzan, too.
Any other comments?
American Gymkhana is actually a collaboration of the industry's top respected companies that strongly believe in the power of the individual automotive enthusiast. It's our way of showing it's not all about money, but about the sharing and support of one common interest. I would like to mention and thank the companies that support American Gymkhana: 5Zigen, A Spec Products, Autobacs USA, Bride, Bridgestone Tires, Falken Tires, HKS, iloveracing.com, JIC Magic, Nitto Tires, RSR, Toyo Tires, Tanabe, Tein and Works Bell.
The Score
For a complete list of results and more information about upcoming Gymkhana USA events, check out www.gymkhanausa.com.