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Drift Bible - DVD Reviews
If you already know who Keiichi Tsuchiya is, you obviously put drifting up there with brain surgery on the list of impressive skills developed by human beings. But if you don't know that name, one viewing of the remarkable "Drift Bible" DVD will convince you that Tsuchiya may well be more talented than any ham-fisted skull-cracker.

Produced in Japan by the evermore familiar Best Motoring Video, the "Drift Bible" is the best, most informative DVD yet. Tsuchiya is identified as the "Drift King" in this video and according to all the evidence on display, he apparently is exactly that. He methodically goes through the whole art of drifting, carefully dividing the driving techniques down to six elements: side (e-brake), shift lock, power over, braking, feint and lift off.

The scenes of Tsuchiya drifting everything from an old AE86 to an NSX are nothing less than spectacular, and yet his instruction is easy to follow in dubbed English (the original Japanese track is also available). The producers use neat tricks like a "G-Ball" to indicate weight shift in the cars as Tsuchiya performs and a front-mounted brake light to show when he applies the stoppers. It's very well thought out and engrossing.

By the time you've listened to all he's had to say, you're ready to go grab the family minivan and drift it through aisle six at the Kroeger. Of course never once does Tsuchiya tell you where to practice these techniques, and few of us have our own race circuits to romp around upon.

If you're deep into drifting, this is a can't-miss video. If you're just casually interested in the art, this DVD will increase your appreciation of the nuances and subtleties involved exponentially. If you're interested mostly in macram, this DVD will drag you out of that effete activity and have you scouring used car lots for a Silvia of your own.

Access to retailers of the $19.99 DVD is available through Best Motoring's Web site (www.bestmotoringvideo.com). We also swiped the images featured here off a Quicktime preview available there. As this is written, Amazon.com is taking pre-orders of the Drift Bible at $16.99.

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