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Rhys has been getting a lot of flak on the internet lately when it comes to his efforts in Formula D and the drifting scene.
But really, nothing negative can be said about the man when he is in his element doing what he does best – racing.
Check out these incredible videos of him as he breaks the world record for his class at Pike’s Peak.
Rhys Millen and his Pike’s Peak Winning Run
He makes it look so easy huh? I for one, cannot even imagine doing that kind of performance driving in the dirt with a rear wheel drive car… but it really looks like a blast to take all these corners sideways like that – especially on the paved sections! I think Pike’s Peak is calling my name guys!
(Source: Wrecked Magazine and Jalopnik)
As a youngin drifter, I always wanted to drift turn 1 at Streets of Willow… it’s by far the fastest corner on the track and it always seemed to be way out of my reach skills wise. It didn’t help that they stopped allowing drifting on this track a really long time ago. BUT they opened up the track again for Just Drift and their ASB event they held there last weekend. I wasn’t able to get my car out, but some people accomplished my goal for me… here’s Hiro doing a 4th gear clutch kick into turn 1.
So I test drove a WRX last weekend in the blazing heat… the reason was because I’ve gotten a little tired of the Mazdaspeed3 (torque monster) in its FF layout and with the new Mazda 3 being released, my car is looking seriously outdated.
The results are in:
- Power – good. a tiny bit laggy but once you’re above 3k rpms, it’s nice.
- Suspension – soft. They call it sport tuned suspension, but it felt like an Accord.
- AWD is trippy! I took some hard corners at high rpms and the car took it all in stride… no tire squealing, no torque steer, no understeer! It’s pretty amazing that the ride is so soft and boring yet can handle this way.
- The interior size is comparable to the Mazdaspeed 3. The major difference is that the WRX traded the large trunk space for rear leg room. I’m not sure which is better… but I tend to favor more trunk space since I never have to sit in the back haha!
- Interior trim – FAIL. It’s no exaggeration that the interior trim gave me cruel flashbacks of when I had to rent a Geo Metro when my car was at the body shop. It really cannot get much worse than 1-piece plastic door trim. No fabric panels, no change in texture…. just bam! One piece door panel! It was at that point that I realized how Subaru could sell a turbocharged car with AWD for 25k.
- Audio – sucks.
It took some time to get over how fun the car is to drive, but I think I’d still rather stick with the Mazdaspeed 3. Interior trim and nice audio equipment are essential to enjoying a daily commute. Large cargo area is also important for family outings. I just wish the Mazdaspeed 3 didn’t look so outdated and was anything other than FF.
Can’t think of any better alternative… might just have to stick with it for now.
Check out the stunning views in this video. Doing this myself someday would be really amazing… especially since I hate heights. My hands were sweating during the video.
Note to self: add this as #1 on my bucket list.
I remember when I first started drifting, it was pretty close to 95% AE86s out there. Those that didn’t drift an AE86 were myself and Mark Hutchinson with S13s, and a small handful of others. I remember being the only 240sx at Drift Day… nowadays you will probably only see a couple AE86s with the rest being 240sxs (and maybe a Miata or a couple FCs, but mostly 240sxs).
Time keeps passing and the 240sx keeps getting older, which means the beloved SR20DET is also getting older and will eventually be pretty hard to come by. I think you’ll eventually see the 240sx die out at drift events… but probably not as much as the AE86 has. Drifting may die out too, but I think the 240sx’s popularity would die out before drifting would.
So what’s going to replace the 240sx? The 350Z and G35 since they’ve been in production for almost 10 years from now and I think it’s pretty safe to say they are starting to become pretty affordable to buy as a dedicated track car. Oh, and not to mention the obvious – these cars have huge aftermarket support.
Every once in a while, I’ll see a car and think to myself – I wonder what that would be like as a drift car. I think a lot of people are starting to think that way… Now I see people buying Mustangs, Lexus GS300s, Cressidas, IS300s, etc. I think we can also thank Formula D teams for showing us that it’s possible to drift almost anything (although maybe not always successfully at that level of competition).
I decided to compile a list of cars that I often wonder about as an alternative to the 240sx. What do you think?
- Cadillac CTS-V – Would definitely be fun to drive. I was also going to say these things are ugly and what’s the point… but then I found the image below. Looks good to me!! But expensive…
- Subaru Impreza STI – I think this car has a lot going for it… it looks good, it’s got a lot of aftermarket support, and it’s got proven engine. Plus it’s a hatch, so you can fit plenty of spare tires in the trunk. The problem (I’ve heard) is the suspension is setup for AWD, so there is no self steering as you’d find in a car based on the FR platform.
- Infiniti G35 Sedan (V36) – Engine is a blast, I can see it looking good, and I know that it drifts well, but expensive as well.
- Lincoln LS – I know that they come with a V8. But they also look like a yacht.
- BMW M3 (E30) – These cars are so gorgeous! I just can’t see myself destroying one on the track!
- BMW M3 sedan (E36) – The reason I picked this is because I think we need to see more 4 doors drifting.
- Nissan 300ZX (Z32) – Street legal turbo v6… why aren’t more people doing it?
- Acura NSX – Just because I think the engine makes a great sound and it would look crazy doing some skidding.
- Hyundai Genesis – This is a pretty boring selection, but I think it has a lot of potential to become really popular in drifting.
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