Catching the Drifting Bug

The sound of a roaring engine is the sweetest sound to the ears of any racing fan or car enthusiast. The smell of burning rubber on the road, smoke billowing with every rev, cars whizzing by at furious speeds, it's pure adrenaline. It's the dream of every race fanatic. When the speed is more, the risk is greater, adrenaline pumps faster than ever and the feeling is surreal. Add to it sharp corners and minimal space to maneuver the car and you've got yourself in the world of drifting.

Drifting essentially is a driving technique which enables a driver to round off sharp turns maintaining a significantly high speed by a controlled skid of the car around the turn. During this maneuver the rear wheels lose traction and the front wheels point in a direction opposite to the direction of the turn. To achieve this, drivers lower the gear for greater torque and pull the hand brake while turning the front wheels in the direction opposite the turn.

This technique was developed in the 1970's by a famous Japanese motorcyclist turned racer, Kunimitsu Takahashi. Drifting gained wide attention for the sheer skill and excitement involved. It was perfected and practiced intensively by succeeding racers, both professional and non-professional. Rally drivers in particular could gain a lot of advantage by using drifting in their rallies.

Drifting has developed as a motor sport with a huge fan base and devoted followers. The first drift racing event held was the D1 Grand Prix in Japan. Soon, the West would take to drifting and it would become an international sport. The D1 series held in United States was the first notable drifting event outside of Japan.

The world of drifting is exhilarating both to the performer and spectator. In fact, contestants are even given scores based on the response they manage to evoke from the crowd by drifting as close as they can from the inside of the turn. Drivers are also scored on the basis of their speed, line and angle. Turning at a higher speed and staying in the designated line automatically involves drifting at a greater angle to the sides of the track. This also means greater risk, higher scores and of course a thumping crowd support.

The sight of a line of cars drifting around a bend one after the other in perfect order is simply breathtaking. When a sharp turn is negotiated, engine roaring with utmost power and wheels churning smoke it's hard not to get into it. Your heart pumps with theirs.

Legitimate drifting aside, street drifting races are held around the world. Japan and USA prominently feature this list. But, street racing has in fact become a serious problem for the police in such places as Saudi Arabia.

Street drifting means no immediate medical aid. So, one slip from an amateur racer and not only can he get hurt, but all the people standing by watching can get hurt as well. Yet, that's not the only risk involved. Normally there's a bet. Money is huge, but the cars themselves get put on the line.

To get into drifting, I would suggest entering the legitimate race world and being coached by the better racers. Once you feel the wheels slip under you, you'll catch the bug. It's all about precision and practice. Get ready to go through plenty of cars and never do it while anyone else is around, not when you're just beginning and not until you can keep from busting an egg on top of a cone while you drift by at your highest speed.

By Travis Painter