I’m going to throw this at you once more about safety. If you are learning to drift, do not take a passenger in the car. You will need to focus on what you are doing and you do not need the distraction or pressure of having someone in the car with you. The only person should be a drift coach. Other than that, you should be learning on your own. This is best for everyone.

And remember to wear a good helmet and if you have one, a harness.

Let’s talk about Oversteer

Oversteer is one of the most common occurrences when you are learning to drift. Sometimes people understeer but most of us at some point have oversteered. The risk is that the back end will end up off the road. Continue reading Techniques 613 →

If you are trying to drift for the first time and just can’t seem to get it, you can try what many of us old timers used to use—the e-brake or emergency break.

I suggested in one of my earlier posts to tape down the button on the e-brake to make it easier to use this method of getting your back end out. By having the button taped in, you can quickly grab and release the brake and not have to worry about pushing the button all the way in or releasing it at the right time. You just pull up and then push down.

This was how I learned to drift. Just grab that e-brake and give it a quick pull to start getting your back end out. It’s a thrill and you can usually figure it out in one or two goes at it. Continue reading Anatomy Of A Curve: Part 2 →

The great thing about drifting is that the process is basically the same regardless of how big the curve is or how long the run up to the curve is. It’s pretty easy to break it down into 4 basic steps. While these are easy to read, they are way more challenging–and fun–to practice.

The best place to try this for the first time is on a track. It is way safer than trying it out on the open road. But you can try wherever you want. While I like to take risks, I also like to keep safe too. I’ve seen too many wrecks with people badly hurt or killed because they didn’t take a safety precaution.

The great thing about doing this on a track is that you can get a tow if you have any issues. Our track has an agreement with GreensboroTowingService.com that on nights when the track is open, they have a dedicated tow truck there. It works great. It keeps things moving nicely with little delay.

Turning In

The first thing to keep in mind is that drifting is not about getting around the corner in the fastest time possible. In fact, it slows down the turn. Approach the curve around 30 mph in second gear and get those RPMs up to about 3000. This will give you a good amount of torque. At this point, you’ll want to aim at the apex of the curve which is the top part of the curve. It takes practice to judge exactly where this is and to start turning into it. If you start turning too soon, you’ll find the car runs wide. If you start too late, you’ll be on the straight part of the curve before you know it and you’ll not be able to sustain the drift. Continue reading Anatomy Of A Curve →

By now you should have purchased the car you are looking to start drifting. It may have taken you a lot longer than you thought it would or maybe it was fast. For most beginners, this is the most frustrating part of the whole process because they just want to jump into a car and try their hand out at drifting.

Congrats! You are so close to getting on that road.

There are a few more last minute things you need to do and a lot of them are related to safety. Yes, drifting is dangerous but executed well, it can be a high adrenaline rush. But if you make a mistake, you’ll be glad you took some extra time and prepared for you safety.

Spare tires

Tires aren’t cheap, my brother in law just dropped over $7,200 outfitting the fleet of his Greensboro limo service. If you can afford it, buy yourself some spare tires now. Drive to the event on good tires so you can keep yourself safe on the road and then change the tires at the event. You don’t want to be driving on the highway on worn tires. That’s just dumb especially if you took time to make your drifting safe. Just do it. Continue reading Prepping Your Car For Drifting →

Alrighty. Let’s get into the nitty gritty of drifting. If you’ve always been interested in drifting but never had any idea how to get started, let me tell you the best way is to find a crap car that you don’t mind beating all to shit. This car might get wrecked quickly or it might take some time. Don’t be starting drifting by using a fancy expensive car. You want something cheap but that can handle what you’re going to put it through.

Here are some basics of the type of car you want Continue reading Drifting: The Nitty Gritty →

During the summers here in town, we will replace my son’s bike tires at least three times. It’s not because we get crappy tires or that he went off reading- it’s that he and his buddies like to go “drifting.” My son will find parking lot, or driveway with a ton of gravel and practice his drifting skills all the live long day.  This last time, when he came home, I finally asked why he liked it so much and he just replied, “it’s fast and cool.”  I should have known he would respond like that.  But then, he perked up and asked me if I knew the history of drifting and who was the first person to ever drift their bike or car.  I didn’t know so we did what any good family would- we googled.  I was actually pretty surprised what we learned, and found it pretty interesting!

Who Invented Drifting?

Well, first watch this video below…

If you’re thinking of the movies Fast and Furious, you’re going to want to sit tight and just forget that for a little bit. Drifting has been around much longer than people realize.  It all started around 1965 (people are a bit unsure) and in an unlikely place- Japan.  Back in the 60’s there was a motorcycle racer name Kunimitsu Takahashi.  He had won 4 Grand Prix’s in his career and had to quit after a pretty serious crash.  That’s when he decided to start car racing.  It’s important to also talk about tires back in the 60’s.  Back then, most tires were hard, had zero aerodynamics for grip, and were low.  Tires have come a long way in the past 50 years!!! Continue reading What is Drifting? →