DRIFTING HISTORY
Drifting is a way of driving that has been around for quite a while. Even though the first official competitions held in Japan date back to the late 80’s, the first signs of this sport in North America were recorded in the United States in 1996. However, it is only in 2004 that the Formula D national series appeared in the US. Here in Canada, fans of this new discipline began to show interest in the sport in the early 2000’s. Although it was in 2003 that the first amateur drifting competition took place thanks to DriftNation, the first event on Quebec soil was organised with the help of Québec Tuning magazine and a few die-hard fans of sideways driving.
2005, a series is launched
The following season, Vincent Noël and Alexandre Crépault teamed up to create Promotion DriftMania Inc., promoters specializing in the organisation of demonstration events and high level professional drift races. During this time, the sports’ pioneers were busy teaching young new talent the basics of drifting. This new style of competition being first and foremost a show, the organisers of the first season had to convince numerous sponsors of the value and future in this new high adrenaline sport. Since the best drivers are based in the east, the first events were all on Quebec soil. The first real DriftMania competition was truly a success. Pictured are demonstrations of drift at the Montreal Molson Indy (2005).
Molson Indy of Montréal (2005)
2006, one step higher
With more and more professional drivers, DriftMania can eventually aspire to a national championship. During this second season, a few big names stand out of the lot, such as Marco Santos, Haig Kanadjian and Fred Girard, who won his first championship that season. Some major teams also begin to take shape thanks to, among others, the involvement of tire manufacturers. The fan base grows rapidly and the public soon discovers a passion for a new and different sport. The DMCC championship finally reaches the Toronto region for the first time, even though the installations in Cayuga are a long drive from the Canadian city.
Champ Car of Toronto (2006)
2007, a look to the west
Following its launch, the DMCC championship continues to grow. Not only more and more important sponsors participate in the Canadian drift adventure, but the teams are more and more serious and competitive, and the same goes for the cars. Even a few American drivers come and try their luck north of the border. For the first time in history, an event in the heart of Ontario’s capital, Toronto, at Downsview Park, a few steps from downtown. This drift and tuning celebration was held over two days and the good weather contributed to attracting numerous curious spectators. Competition is becoming more intense between the drivers, but in the end, it was once again Fred Girard driving his Nissan Skyline R32 who finished the season at the top.
2008, from East to West
Since the DMCC championship is a National series, the organisers decide that it’s finally time to conquer the west of Canada. The size of the country being an obstacle, it’s difficult to convince Eastern drivers to embark upon a journey of a few days for a single round in Edmonton. This last round will be the conclusion of the season. Despite everything, the last season is the one that pushed the sport to the top in terms of the number of spectators, competition and interest from the media and sponsors. More than ever, Canadian talent has shown that they can rival with drivers from south of the border. 2008 was also the year with the most rounds, for a total of six (one in Toronto, two in Québec, two in Montréal and one in Edmonton). The race to the championship presented memorable duels for the pleasure of spectators and despite everything, the unstoppable “Steady Freddy” Fred Girard got away with the honours for a third year in a row. Will he be able to repeat his performance this season? The close collaboration between DMCC and FormulaD has also brought the Canadian championship to the rank of a truly professional drift series internationally. The 2008 second place winner, Marco Santos, went to the Red Bull World Drift Championship to represent the country in Long Beach, California last fall, Fred Girard being unable to make it.
2009, the year of challenges
The whole world is in the middle of an important financial crisis. Motorsports are often among the first in cultural events to be hit with budget cuts. Even the jet-set world of Formula1 is considering drastic cuts in expenses. It is therefore not surprising to see that the Canadian championship is being threatened by these economical hard times. This year, a new promoter enters the scene at the head of the Canadian drift championship. Éric Bélec, an important player in the Canadian tuning scene, has been forming new talent by holding many amateur drift competitions during the summer. The previous promoter, Alexandre Crépault (who had bought Vincent Noël’s shares the year before), is therefore leaving the job of continuing the tradition of this sport, born barely five years ago in Canada, to the newcomer. To face the present economical environment, Éric Bélec will have to consolidate the bases of drift while trying to reduce costs to their minimum. To reach this goal, he has to divide the country into two divisions, one in the west and one in the east. Since the drivers in the Western Division are less experienced, they will have to work hard in order to reach the skill level of the drivers from the Eastern Division.
2010, building from both sides.
In 2010, the Eastern DMCC has decided to develop the Western division by injecting huge amount of advertising funds and improve every aspect of the event management. The use of FD judges and the same strategy as the Eastern Division ensures that fans, sponsors and drivers will keep growing at full speed. The Eastern Division will focus on drivers’ marketing strategy by using mass viral media. Finally DMCC needed a new venue for Toronto to be able to offer fans and drivers a real track setup and bring an awesome show. Mosport International Raceway is now in our schedule as well as a Icar venue, just a few minutes north of Montreal, is also a new track available in the Eastern Division. This should be a really interesting event as this will possibly be the fastest track in the DMCC this year. DMCC was hosted at Honda Indy Edmonton to do the biggest drift demo ever. A total of 12 drivers, a huge paddock space, an merch booth in the midway, we did a drift demo in front of 70 000 spectators and had a awesome turnout.
