2006 Formula D Championship Rules and Regulations THE FORMULA DRIFT CHAMPIONSHIP Entering its third season, Formula Drift Championship, produced and owned by Irvine, Calif.-based Formula Drift, Inc., continues to expand into new markets as the first and only sanctioned and recognized North American professional drifting championship series (sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing). This high-skilled, high-powered motor sport where drivers intentionally maneuver their cars into well executed, controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course, has more than 30 professional drivers competing in all six competitions this year. A well established sport in Japan for more than a decade, Formula Drift, Inc. and its sister company Slipstream Global Marketing, Inc. had the vision and were instrumental in bringing the first official competition to the United States in 2003 at Irwindale Speedway. The unanticipated fan interest led to the rapid formation of the first ever, sanctioned and recognized drifting circuit, Formula Drift, which had its roots firmly grounded in Southern California, a hotbed for incoming Japanese-influence automotive trends. An important part of the program involves community outreach. Drivers and Formula D serve as the ambassador for the sport of drifting bringing exhibitions to traditional or mainstream motor sports events across the country which has included: Bridgestone Monterey Grand Prix/Champ Car Race, USAC, NASCAR Busch North & Featherlite Southwest and the SPEED World Challenge, among others. In addition another 100-200 local team drivers will join in local markets to test their skills and techniques with the pros. Judged on execution and style, rather than who finishes the course in the fastest time, Drifting is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, and is often compared to the freestyle nature of skateboarding and motocross. Drivers and Formula Drift also serves as ambassadors for the sport of drifting bringing exhibitions to traditional or mainstream motor sports events across the country which have included: Bridgestone Monterey Grand Prix/Champ Car Race, USAC, NASCAR Busch North & Featherlite Southwest and the SPEED World Challenge, among others. More Formula Drift Fast Facts • Formula D has the largest number of tire manufactures involved that any other motorsport series in the world. • First drifting championship to be featured in a major video game with title sponsor EA Games • First drifting championships to be sponsored by non-endemic companies including EA Games and Circuit City • First drifting championship to have works teams (auto maker supported) Television Partner The 2005 Formula D Championships was nationally on Comcast’s cable channel G4TechTV, as part of a multi-year, national deal to bring viewers hour-long specials showcasing competitions and the culture of drifting. As enthusiasm for this latest wave of Japanese car culture continues to spread across the country, fans in more cities will have access to the excitement as 2006 Formula D not only increases its track dates, but will also be broadcasted nationally on Comcast’s cable network, G4TechTV. 1 2006 Formula D Championship Rules and Regulations Tire Battle Formula Drift has the most tire sponsors of any U.S. motorsport. As part of the series, tire manufacturers compete in the Formula D Tire Battle for points and bragging rights. Points are given to tire manufacturer sponsors in accordance with driver wins. Bragging rights allow manufacturers to use their Tire Battle title in all advertising and marketing outreach to the fans, something that is becoming increasingly competitive. Tire company sponsors include: • Bridgestone Tires • Cooper Tires • Dunlop Tires • Falken Tires • Nitto Tires • Toyo Tires • Yokohama Tires FAN DEMOS The following data was compiled via a random selection online survey available on the Formula Drift website. The survey was conducted from August 16 to October 1, 2004, with more than 700 surveys were received. • More than 80% of respondents are between the ages of 16-29 years. • Drifting is a predominantly male fan base; 88%. • 60% of drifting fans are college graduates or have attended college. • More than 45% of drifting fans earn an annual salary in excess of $35,000. • Online use is hot among drifting fans; more than 47% spend between 8 and 30 hours online every week • Drifting fans love to game; nearly 90% of respondents own gaming systems • Local parts chain stores are not the primary resource for drift enthusiasts (less than 13%): more than 42% purchase parts online, with more than 41% buying from specialty/tuner shops direct. • Fans will be fans; of all the respondents less than 20% ever get behind the wheel to give drifting a try; more than 70% enjoy watching the sport. • No surprise, more than 85% of fans own their own car, and that they are predominately Japanese imports. The most popular brands include Nissan (29%), Toyota (16%) and Honda (15%). (NOTE: The demographic information provided is the property of Slipstream Global Marketing, Inc. and the Formula Drift Championship. Any reprinted use must be credited to Slipstream Global Marketing, Inc., and/or Formula Drift and must have expressed written approval from Slipstream Global Marketing, Inc.) 2 2006 Formula D Championship Rules and Regulations Background Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport that calls for drivers to control a 450hp car while it slides sideways at high speeds through a marked course. It is similar to rally racing, but is done on a closed course and judged on execution and style rather than who finishes the course fastest. Drifting takes all the thrilling moments of traditional motorsports and packs it together into non-stop competition. Today’s U.S.-based Formula Drift takes the excitement one step further by being the only drifting competition that features aggressive side-by-side action as finalists burn up the course two-at-a-time often only inches apart. Drifting pros finesse their cars into spectacular powerslides around a series of corners of a set course as powerful engines roar and the tires bellow smoke. The driver controls engine power, shifts gears and feathers the brake pedal, while at the same time spinning the steering wheel in a precise fashion from left to right linking corners with pinpoint accuracy. The driver is controlling and maneuvering the car beyond the limits of the tires’ traction. History of Drifting Drifting started in Japan approximately 10 years ago. Today, the extreme motorsport is so accepted and popular in the country, that drivers have become recognized celebrities. In time, drifting evolved into an organized series called the D1 Grand Prix in which top Japanese professional drivers compete in a series of events to determine the best drifter. Amateur drifting events take place in Europe, Australia and in the U.S., U.S.-based drifting has been an underground sport for the last 10 years but professional drifting has only taken off in the States recently. In Spring 2003, Irvine, Calif.-based Slipstream Global Marketing brought top professional Japanese drivers to the U.S. to participate in an exhibition competition to a sell out crowd at Southern California’s Irwindale Speedway. Within six months of the exhibition, which was nothing less than an electrifying debut, Slipstream Global Marketing, along with Yokohama Tire Corporation as title sponsor, brought the D1 Grand Prix All Star Invitational to the U.S. in its official debut appearance outside of Japan. The success of these events caused an explosion of interest in mainstream national media and further reinforced the interest and need for a North American competition, and in 2003 Formula Drift was founded by Slipstream to deliver sanctioned competitions of auto-crazed fans across the U.S. Company History Founded in 2001, Slipstream Global Marketing is an integrated event and marketing management company which most recently was instrumental in bringing Drifting to America in August, 2003, with a Japanese-American driver exhibition called D1 Grand Prix at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California. The success of the event with the track’s first ever sellout crowd launched the formation of Formula Drift, Inc. a sister company that produces the only sanctioned professional drifting circuit in the United States, Formula D. With a hand on the pulse the underground influencer demographic that today’s marketers are looking to reach with their brands, Slipstream has carved a niche as specialty marketing and event producers, including projects for eBay Motors, JCW Sport Compact and Mazda North America. 3 2006 Formula D Championship Rules and Regulations North American Drifting Scene In Japan, the art of Drifting has been popular among the street racers or “hashiriya” for more than 15 years, and has morphed into one of the country’s number one attended motorsports in less than a decade, where professional Japanese Drifters are the equivalent of national celebrities. To the novice, it would appear that drifting very recently crossed the Pacific Ocean and exploded into the world or racing not more than two years ago, but hard core enthusiasts know different. The American Drifting scene’s roots can be traced back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. When drag racing was exploding across America, a small number of enthusiast’s fascination was leaning toward an underground sport in Japan called canyon racing and drifting. Most of today’s U.S. Drifter circuit pros tell similar stories about following the Japanese car culture, and how they uncovered access to this underground world through the Internet and in small Japanese bookstores in Japanese neighborhoods, primarily in Southern California. It was here that enthusiasts pummeled through hundreds of car magazines and racing videos that featured modified cars that looked very different than what was in the U.S. – and has since become today’s tuner scene. Magazine covers like Carboy, J's Tipo , Option , and Autoworks opened a window into Japanese racing movements including Drifting, VIP and Group A, which eventually evolved into Japan’s number one grand prix circuit knows as JGTC or Super GT racing.