Firstly, I want to say that by no means am I trying to tell anyone that they aren't good or that someone in particular is way better than anyone else. The point of drifting is to have fun, and IMO if you are doing that then you are already awesome. Also IMO, the amount of fun that you are having while in the car can be effected by how well you're doing on the track, so I put together this little analysis after seeing a everyone at DDay3...

I've seen both sides of the coin for east coast drifting: I used to live in CT and still go back there during winter break and summers, and still have a ton of friends up there. This past summer I went to some of the DOF's that are held by DGtrials, and it showed me a lot.

Having seen both FL guys and the guys in NJ, I can unbiasedly say that the average ability might be a tiny bit higher up there than it is here. BUT, before you freak out and tell me to fuck off, listen to this: if we had access to the same kind of events that the folks in the NE have (2 times a month, 8 runs, $25 to drive), I gaurantee that everyone who is mediocre now would be phenomenal. Seat time still supercedes any amount of instruction, and we're trying our hardest to get everyone as much track time as possible.

As for tips, one prominent thing that I saw was that people were often "waiting" for the turn. Many times drivers would wait to initiate the drift until after the car had entered the braking zone and had enough weight transfer from simply steering to stay on the track. There isn't anything "wrong" with this, but in order to cut a better line and get more speed in the exit, initiating the drift before you get to the turn could make the difference bewteen combo-ing 2 turns and 4 turns, or between keeping a smooth angle through the hairpin and going in too fast and going into the dirt.

The only other bit of advice I could give would be to "start small and go big". If you take your first lap or few laps to feel out the characteristics of your tires, the breakaway on the track, any off-camber corners, or how your motor is running that day, you can adjust your driving to those conditions and get into the zone much quicker. If you go out first lap and try to blaze it up and have huge angles, you won't be able to learn as much about what you have to work with because you'll be too busy trying to stay on the track and not spin.

Lastly, know that although car setups help, they don't make YOU a better driver. The right setup can make up for some of your weaknesses and bring out your strengths and even help you improve. Whether you have an LSD or the best coilovers or SR20 power, it's still the driver that is operating all of those things. For example, that gold E30 BMW had a 4 speed auto transmission, open differential and 4 blown shocks, but that kid still managed to get it around the track pointing sideways. If Matt or Bill or someone were to drive an automatic stock car, they would still be able to make it drift. Jason rocks a single cam and Funk rocks a welded diff, and they still rock the track.

Once again, excellent excellent driving by EVERYONE. So many people have made such big improvements in so little time - you make me proud.