DRIVERS CATCH DRIFT NEW TECHNIQUE IN AUTO RACING IS ALL THE RAGE.

Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer

For more than 15 years, Rhys Millen has used many of the driving techniques that are basic to the increasingly popular motor sport of drifting.

Drifting involves drivers intentionally oversteering a race car so the tires lose adhesion, but still maintain control of the car in a series of sideways maneuvers and sharp turns. Millen will drive a General Motors Pontiac GTO, the first American car to participate in a race of this kind. A sellout crowd is expected to watch the D1 Grand Prix USA at Irwindale Speedway beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Millen's first exposure came in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. He also has competed in the SCCA Pro Rally series. Also, he regularly does this kind of driving in stunt work for television and feature films.

But in his first official drifting event, the Newport Beach resident could do no better than the round of 16 in a Yokohama D1 Grand Prix exhibition last year.

Millen will get a chance to improve upon last year's score when he competes Saturday.

``I didn't pay attention to (drifting) until someone came along with the D1,'' Millen said. ``I think it is going to be really big. As big as skateboarding, snowboarding and BMX Freestyle. It's going to be right there with those sports.''

Katsuhiro Ueo, the 2002 series champion, won an exhibition last August in front of an overflow crowd of 9,300 at Irwindale Speedway. Phillips Ranch's Ernie Fixmer was the top finishing American, reaching the quarterfinals.

Drivers compete side-by-side on a prescribed course, trying to mimic and outdo each other's drifts. Competitors are scored on execution and style by judges with the winner advancing to the next round.

It's a series dominated by Japanese imports, especially Nissan Silvias. Nissan Skylines and 240SXs, Toyota Corollas and Mazda RX-7s also are dominant. Millen competed in a relatively stock Toyota Supra, which he first used when Irwindale held its inaugural drifting event last year in the track's parking lot.

This year he's using a V8 coupe similar to Pontiac's 1960-era GTO. It has a 5.6-liter, 350-horsepower engine and is rear-wheel powered, which differs from the Japanese cars. The car is expected to make stock production runs later this year. Millen's GTO is designed specifically for drifting.

``When I attended the first drifting event last year, I saw the possibilities,'' Millen said. ``I saw we could compete with an American manufacturer.''

Saturday's regular-season event is the first to be held outside of Japan. The other six events in the fourth-year series will be staged in Japan.

``We've made a commitment of having at least one race per year in the U.S.,'' said Hideo Tomitaka, the vice president of operations for D1 Productions.

``We came here because America has the largest population of motor sports fans,'' he said. ``We feel that if we can succeed here with our model, we'll succeed in other countries.''

D1 Productions has already sold 4,000 tickets and is holding another 4,000 tickets for sale on the day of the event. Last August's event attracted the largest crowd to watch any D1 event.

Keith Lair, [phone]

keith.lair(at)sgvn.com

D1GP RACING

Information for Saturday's drifting competition at Irwindale Speedway:

Gates open: 8 a.m.

Practice: 8:30 a.m.

Car show judging begins: 10 a.m.

Opening ceremonies: 10:30 a.m.

Final: 8 p.m.

Awards ceremony: 9 p.m.

Tickets: $30

Web site: d1gp.com.

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

D1GP RACING (see text)