“Speed ​​is one of the most dangerous passions”: a film about Russian drifters is coming out on RTD

- Six years ago you performed in Japan for the first time. Remember your first tour in the homeland of drift?

- Honestly, I remember my first trip to Japan quite vaguely. I can say for sure that at that time I did not expect any prizes. Then I went to Japan solely for the sake of experience. I wanted to see from the inside and understand how Japanese pilots drive and how their style differs from pilots from other countries.

Each trip gives you the skills that help you participate in any other racing series. Trails, judging style, race assignments, technical preparation of cars are all completely different. Not to mention the riding style of Japanese pilots.

The solution of non-standard tasks develops. New experience gives the opportunity to look at piloting from new angles - figuratively and literally. You learn to make decisions differently, quickly adapt to new situations. Yes, and just useful to see the driving style of pilots unfamiliar to you. Driving style drifters in different countries and series is very different. Russians and Japanese, Japanese and Americans all drive in completely different ways.

- A person who has shown himself well on American highways may not be at top places on highways in Japan?

- Yes it is. There are not only different approaches to driving and judicial assignments, but also fundamentally different approaches to the way of judging. Americans are not always ready for the Japanese style! It seems to many in advance that abroad is always harder. And so Americans think about the Japanese, and vice versa.

It was interesting to me to understand these features personally, to master new skills, to be able to smooth out differences in styles in the future. Such impressions are the most valuable experience for the drifter. And no videos will help you here. You have to come to another country and take part in the race.

- After winning the World Cup in Japan, were you invited to play abroad?

- Yes. For example, now they called us to China. Although for the first time we received an invitation from the organizers of the Chinese series much earlier than winning the FIA ​​IDC championship. For the first time, we were invited to take part in D1 China three years ago.
But to confirm the invitation turned out only this year. Moreover, in 2019, we want to go all the way through the Chinese racing series.

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By the way, apart from the last intercontinental race, we were not invited to Japan. All previous times we came on our own initiative. Of course, it is nice when foreign colleagues do not forget about you and are invited from year to year.

- Is drift so popular in China?

- Over the past three years, the situation has changed a lot. When D1 was just beginning in China, only Americans performed well there. At first, the championship hosts were much inferior to visiting pilots. But now drift in China has grown significantly - both at the level of pilots and car preparation. The fight has become much more serious.

- Do the Chinese drive their own cars?

- No, Chinese pilots perform on Japanese cars, but trained in China. Local riders understand what a correct chassis is, so they use proven cars. As for spare parts and tuning, much of the equipment of Chinese racing cars is made in China.

- Have you been interested in drifting for a long time?

- Years since nineteen. At that time I already had a driver's license, and I knew that I was in control of the car. Of course, everything is relative.

My brother in those years was a rear-wheel drive car, Toyota Altezza. On it we came to the frozen lake and trained - we drove on the ice on the spikes. Well, of course, my parents were worried because of our hobbies, they could not help but worry ... Speed ​​is one of the most dangerous passions. Now I am a parent myself, and I understand that sometimes it is necessary to slow down children.

- Does the brand of the car that the driver chooses for subsequent improvements matter? Anyway, it will have to redo much ...

- The whole question is what the car is made for. If we are talking about summer professional drift, then the choice of the car is crucial, because a lot will depend on the initial chassis. After all, you can redo much, but not all.

So long ago, the winter drift appeared in Russia and is very actively developing. Without exaggeration, he is now our coolest on the planet. Here for winter drift, the choice of base is much wider. By the way, "Zhiguli" and especially the versatile persons VAZ 2102 and 2104 are favorites of winter competitions. There is a mass of engineering solutions available for the quality development of such machines. This is an ideal field for those who start, because the financial costs are several times less, and the experience of the driver gets significant. In winter, unless the speed is less.

- If we touch on the financial aspect - how can a newbie cope with current expenses? Drift is an expensive pleasure.

- I would advise starting a drifter career with a winter drift. As already mentioned, this discipline is relatively accessible. In addition, there were many cases when talented racers, who performed well on domestic cars in winter races, attracted the attention of sponsors, after which they “entered” in a professional drift on cars of a different class. Of course, we cannot do without sponsors.

- Racer - the main component of success? Is the team, technical team important?

- The racing team is one of the most important elements. One pilot can not cope. A lot depends on team cohesion. This is just as important as in any other collective work, where those who have more motivation and who are not indifferent to the result win. In my case, I am a pilot and a team leader. Sometimes a leader is an individual.

But in any case, in the victories that I achieved as a pilot, the great merit of each team member. Remove one link - the whole chain will fall apart.

All these people work in the racing team as the main place of work. At the same time, we prepare cars for other racers, sell spare parts, all kinds of components, and even assemble cars to order. We must live on something and ride.

- Drivers quietly trust the assembly of the car to others? Would you drive a car prepared by foreign technicians?

- Of course, it is very important that professionals prepare serious equipment. This is a basic requirement, since in the garage many things are almost impossible to do. I traveled by cars prepared by others.

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For example, last year at the race in Kiev. The race was local, and the Belarusian technicians prepared the car for me. It was prepared superbly - we even sent it to Krasnoyarsk before the competition, so that we could check the control of the suspension (finalized quite a bit).

The race was very interesting: there were a lot of pilots from Europe, a lot of Russians - there was someone to fight with. In that competition, I took second place. And it was very convenient that I did not have to drive my car there, because it would have been difficult to arrange its movement across the border.

- It turns out that political tensions between Russia and Ukraine do not affect the relationship of drifters?

- Absolutely no tension, I did not feel. Moreover, I was surprised how attentively people from abroad are watching Russian drift! This applies to both Ukrainians and Europeans. Yes, people are different, but no hostility. And I go there for two years in a row, and in this sense, nothing has changed. Quietly moved around the country, Kiev looked - a beautiful city.

- Returning to the national drift ... Just last year, the geography of the Russian series expanded. What do you think about our tracks?

- On the tracks in different regions are completely different sensations. This is indirectly important for the race itself.

It is very important to catch the right attitude. This helps impressions of walking in unfamiliar places and meeting with local racers. Caring people are often interesting people.

Well, the new track. You also get to know her, read her: what asphalt, where, which hook, how soon and how exactly you can adapt to it. Other riders get used to the unfamiliar track at the same time as you. Therefore, the result depends only on who adapts faster. In such conditions, there is a special excitement.

Now, after the expansion of geography, many drift-series of other countries can only envy our capabilities. We have quality tracks, regardless of the climate zone in which they are located. At the same time, they are all very different. Ten years ago in our country there were only two tracks suitable for drift - our “Red Ring” in Krasnoyarsk and the track in Moscow, in Myachkovo. Now there are 11 such objects, and notice - everything is just beginning. There will be more!

- Does the drift have a chance to press such a big-name show like Formula 1?

- Actually, it is already gaining comparable popularity, and in the coming years the trend will continue. In my opinion, today drift is the most active of the developing segments of motor sport. And first of all - because of the sincere interest of the audience. Fans come to the competition in the thousands. For example, last year ten thousand people attended the Moscow race! And this, not counting the audience of online broadcasts ..

- Would you allow your children to drift?

- The main thing is that they have a desire. If so, why not? It is better not to prohibit, but gently send. Son, I just ride to teach. I don't know with my daughter - the future will show.

Watch the movie “Drift in Russian” on RTD.