I don't know what Matt did or didn't do -- in case you didn't notice, I wasn't there for all but 45 minutes, in which I saw two cars crash. However I do not think that Matt would offer to bribe anyone to not participate. To my knowledge he was offering incentives to people to come up to Primus, just like Tony told me he would offer incentives to people to come down to "Drift Miami." If anyone knows for a fact otherwise, please contact me in private via email to discuss it. I'm not sure why it's OK to offer incentives for people to come to Miami but not to come to Tampa.

Also, this isn't a pissing contest. It's a sensibility contest. It is not sensible to utilize that particular venue just because it may be cheap. If you had read my post on severing ties with SFM, you'd realize what I'm talking about.

Drifting is not about crashing. Professionals wreck only after all other precautions have FAILED -- gravel traps, grass, tire walls, etc. CRASHCAR is an exception to the rule, and, as most motorsports purists will agree, is an extremely retarded sport. It may be challenging, technically difficult, may require just as much car preparation as any other racing, but that doesn't make it sensible.

This is not competition. This is a clinic. A learning environment. You guys are out there with just helmets and have the potential to crash very hard into very immovable objects. No harness. No roll cage. No side impact protection. Some of you even went out there to tandem. No fire suit, no fire system.

I did not NOT mention that Evan crashed, and the first "Drift Miami" went on UNDER PROTEST. Again, read my post about severing ties. Two events, four people hitting the walls.

If you pay attention to what I say and try to look past your own noses and your on preconceptions and prejudices and understand the points that I am trying to make, and look through my posts, I reccomended to everyone that they shy away from this venue being that the walls were so close and so prevalent BEFORE the event. I also indicated that there was somewhat of a restriction to entrants, except for those who were INVITED. Invitees whom, after discussion with Mattback, Kyle, and others, we felt would be able to control themselves best at the facility.

I am not badmouthing the EVENT. I am not badmouthing the PARTICIPANTS. I am not BADMOUTHING. I am making comments about the fact that promoters and organizers and sanctioning bodies alike need to realize that this is a growing sport and that offering affordability at the cost of safety is not a realistic tradeoff.

I am not being sarcastic. I am being flat. Impact with solid objects does not teach you anything. It is the spin that teaches you something. It is the spin that is needed to understand where your limits are. It is the mistakes that teach you. But answer me this one question:

Is there a need to operate in an environment where making a mistake almost guarantees the damage and/or possible destruction of your vehicle and yourself when there are other suitable venues available and at our disposal?

Or maybe this question:

Which is a more cost effective training tool -- spending an extra 25-50 dollars for a suitable and safe venue, or spending several hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars repairing body, paint, and frame damage?

Check the track records for damage at drifting events in the US and look at who is wrecking up cars and who is producing good drifters.

If you guys really have an intense desire to go crash your cars, I'm all for it. Go right ahead. It's not my money being wasted.

Just remember -- learning does not come in the crash. No knowledge is imparted by impact. If you were in a fighter plane, you only usually get one time to crash.

After that, you're dead.