The popularity of illegal street racing in Russia in the 90s is explained by fashion – Vasily Avchenko 
The popularity of illegal street racing in Russia is associated with a special street fashion , which was formed in the port city in the 1990s, as well as the cult of the car widespread in the Far East. This opinion was expressed by a journalist, local historian and author of the book “Right Wheel” Vasily Avchenko within the framework of the special project “Russian Fast and the Furious” , culture, fashion, show-off, of course … Somehow it all went on and then it turned into some formalized versions – I mean drag racing, drift. And at first there was just a cult of the car, “Avchenko said.
Earlier, as part of the special project” Russian Fast and the Furious, he explained the reason for the appearance of this cult in Russia in the 1990s. According to the writer, Primorye residents developed a love for cars largely due to the effect of novelty. He noted that the appearance of Japanese cars greatly transformed Vladivostok. Gradually, it ceased to be a closed military city, but there was still especially nowhere to drive foreign cars because of the roads. Now this effect of novelty has long passed, Russians will no longer be surprised by Japanese foreign cars.
The special project “Russian Fast and Furious” is dedicated to the life of motorists in the Far East and the unusual automotive culture that began to form in the region back in Soviet times. Already in the 1980s, the first Japanese cars began to be delivered to Primorye. Over time, a huge car market emerged in Vladivostok, which flourished in the 1990s. The active development of the automotive culture influenced the formation of the interests of young Russians and contributed to the appearance of the first Russian drifters in the region.