The grassroots drift world is filled with different people with different goals. 99% of us get along very well and the sense of comradery is the reason so many stick with it. Inherently, our goals separate us into “subcultures”. These subcultures tend to be the real distinction that you can plainly see at events.
Pro aspirations – Guys in pro-am generally have their stuff together. Their rigs range from well equipped to shoe string budget. Their cars are sometimes beaten but they are there to tandem and get better at driving. They can be a little bit on the cold side but they hit lots of tracks and are generally a wealth of knowledge.
Fashion drifters – These are the cars that look like pro/pro-am cars but aren’t. Full body wrap and even a cage. But they only visit two tracks and are constantly putting on new wings and wheels. They’ll put their car down for a build for a year or two to build something competitive but end up either with a perpetual build or never attending more than 1 pro-am event.
Hella JDM tyte yo – Their cars are low beyond what is safe and probably rock a stock engine or SR swap. They tend to look like the average hipster; with vapes and tight pants. They’ll show up to a drift event and only do 4 laps at best. They “kill the skid pad all day” and spend the rest of the time chatting with their bros about fitment and cool wings.
Drifting for drifting’s sake – He’s 40 years old and lived in Japan back when drifting was only mountain passes. He comes and drives the whole day. Everyone wants him for his sage advice. Drifting his is release and he only does it for himself. His car’s setup is basic but reliable and without many extras.
The wannabes – They own a drift car but it’s not ready. Ever. If they do come to an event, they’ll spend all day “testing” on the skid pad. On the rare day they sign up for a full event, they will do a total of 3 runs and stop. Or crash.