The problem with drifting has always been its scoring system. Unlike other forms of motorsport, the winner isn’t the first across the line. The judges are looking for style, technique and speed, so scoring has always been totally subjective.  However, D1GP USA has announced its judging procedures for the 2009 season will include a telemetry data acquisition and video system to provide a more accurate and transparent method for scoring.

Dubbed the D1GP USA PRO 1, the system will provide drivers with a level scoring field to increase the accuracy of the scoring process. D1GP USA also announced its head judges will include “Drift King” Keiichi Tsuchiya, D1 Grand Prix, Option Magazine & Tokyo Auto Salon founder Daijiro Inada and TV announcer and former driver Manabu Suzuki.
Based on the highly successful “DriftBox” – a measuring device developed by British electronics company Racelogic, known for its GPS-based VBox vehicle performance systems – the D1GP USA PRO 1 utilizes new proprietary algorithms to measure a driver's drift angle within 0.5˚ of accuracy, speed within 0.1mph and lateral g loads within 0.01g. This data is calculated 10 times per second and transmitted from the competing vehicles via telemetry to the scoring table. D1GP USA will also utilize the Racelogic Video VBox system. The Video VBox is a high-quality solid-state video recorder combined with a GPS data logger and real-time graphics engine. It will record the action from inside the vehicle during competition and overlay PlayStation-style graphics on-screen showing drift angle, speed and g-force.
Scores for drift angle, speed and lateral g-force will be taken from the data provided by the D1 GP USA PRO 1, with each representing a large percentage of the overall score. Line will be scored by the judges themselves, along with the final component – style – the only subjective criteria determined by the average of the three D1 judges' scores.
Each D1GP USA event will be scored by a three judge panel, consisting of two appointed American judges (not yet named) and one of the aforementioned head judges.
“In traditional racing, the first person across the finish line wins, but drifting competitions are not so cut and dry. With the D1GP USA PRO 1 system, we are finally able to quantify many aspects of a drift and remove subjectivity from the scoring process,” said Rich Goodwin, president of D1GP USA.