The Drifting Culture & Fan Base
 In Japan, drift champions are as popular and recognized as celebrities are in the US. In fact, drifting has become so popular in Japan that the government has taken steps to prevent the more dangerous areas of drifting. On the most popular mountain pass, Mt. Haruna, large speed bumps have been placed at the entrance and exit corners of most sequential turns. Plastic poles are also placed in the middle of lanes on both the mountain roads and busy streets, however, these poles are frequently removed by the drifters.
According to research done by Formula D, the following are findings about drifting enthusiasts:
 Drifting fans are usually males between the ages of 16-29 years old.Most fans have either attended or graduated from college.
Online use is very important to drifters. They spend between 8 and 30 hours a week online.
Almost all drifting fans are gamers.
Most drift enthusiasts buy their car parts online or at specialty/tuner shops. Chain stores are not the primary resource for a drifter.
Although some fans of drifting are drifters themselves, most just enjoy watching the sport.
Most fans own their own car, with the most popular makes being Nissan, Toyota and Honda.
Other research shows that fans of drifting, who want to learn how to drift, either watch video of drifting techniques or play drifting video games to help enhance their ability.
As with all popular sub-cultures, drifting has a group of people who pretend to be actual drifters. These people usually just make cosmetic changes to their cars, rather than modifications that would improve performance. Real drifters term these posers as 'ricers.' A popular definition of a ricer is:
A moron who takes a car (foreign or domestic) and tries to make it look fast. The car will not gain any horsepower or performance, but it will gain numerous stickers and yellow paint.lt can be identified by one of the following:
1. The sound of a loud fart in a coffee can.
2. The yellow blob with a bookshelf on the trunk that is 1/4 mile behind real cars.
3. A Honda that has "performance mods" such as stickers, seat harnesses, and a fire extinguisher in full view (just in case the thing catches on fire when it hits 40 mph).
4. A driver who claims his car has 100hp per Iiter but will not fess up to thefact that his car has a total of 43 ft/lbs of torque.
In reality, drifters are more concerned with the modifications inside of their car, and will make cosmetic changes (usually different colors with graphics) only after they've made performance changes.
A popular film series for drifting enthusiasts is the Initial D film series. These films are anime that feature drifting and a dramatic story line. Characters usually reoccur throughout each film. The Drift King, Keiichi Tsuchiya, helps with editorial supervision to ensure proper drift techniques.
Some of the most popular video games for both drifting and racing enthusiasts include Need for Speed and Gran Tourismo.
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