Drifting

Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, with loss of traction, while maintaining control and driving the car through the entirety of a corner. The technique causes the rear slip angle to exceed the front slip angle to such an extent that often the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn the car.

Origin

Despite the popular belief that drifting originated in 1970s Japan, this driving technique was first practiced in Europe before 1950. Automotive legend Enzo Ferrari credits Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari as being the inventor of the four-wheel drift. Later, British racing driver Stirling Moss improved upon Nuvorali's technique, mastering the art of drifting through curves in Formula 1 races by steering with the accelerator pedal. More recently, drifting as a specialized competition became popular in Japan.

Cars

Drift cars are usually light- to moderate-weight rear-wheel-drive coupes and sedans, offering a large range of power levels. There have also been all-wheel drive cars that have been converted to rear-wheel drive such as the Subaru WRX, Toyota Avensis, Scion tC, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Dodge Charger, and Nissan GT-R. Early on, AWD cars without conversion were allowed in some drifting competitions, and usually the rules allowed only a certain percentage of power to be sent to the front wheels, but they are banned in most (if not all) drifting competitions today.

what you need to start drifting

What do you need to start drifting you will need a rear wheel drive car, preferably with a limited slip differential or a welded differential – these are the only ingredients you need to get started. A car with a manual gearbox and resilient clutch, a functioning handbrake, coilover suspension and a supportive bucket seat will make things much easier again, allowing you to attack the turns with more vigour and confidence.

Popular

One of the key sources responsible for the international spread of drifting is the Japanese manga and anime series Initial D, which features Takumi Fujiwara, a high school student who learns to drift on the Mt. Akina tōge (mountain pass) using a custom Toyota AE86. The series features a large number of Japanese performance vehicles, including the Mazda RX-7, the Nissan Skyline, the Toyota Supra, the Toyota MR-2, the Mazda MX-5 and many other vehicle

Drifting Competitions

The competitors aim to complete a pre-defined course as laid out by the nominated judges while sticking as closely to the judged criteria as possible, earning points for their proximity to the clipping points, their speed throughout the course and, most important, the amount of style with which they do so. Slow drifting with a lack of commitment will get marked down – fast, balls out drifting will rack up the points!