Drift away

Get the inside line from Sleepy, a Drift racer who has been working with Codemasters on Race Driver: GRID.

Can you explain Drift racing to the uninitiated?

Drifting is getting the car sideways before entering the corner and keeping the slides and angle all the way through until the exit of the corner. It is a high skill level motorsport in which drivers control a car whilst it slides from side to side at very high speed, normally between 80-110mph through a fixed course. It is carried out on a tarmac surface, usually a racing circuit.

How do you make a car Drift? How did you learn and get into the sport?

The most popular way to make a car Drift is using the handbreak when you turn into the corner. Also, you need enough power to the rear wheels to break the tyres traction and to initiate a slide whilst accelerating the car forward, creating the Drift. There are many Drift practice days available and I guarantee that you will meet many friendly Drifters there to ask questions.

How are Drifting competitions judged?

Usually competitions take place on a racing circuit and are judged on speed, angle of attack, execution and style rather than conventional racing whereby the winner is usually the one which passes the finish line first. Achieving a gracious Drift from the first corner to the last whilst navigating within point scoring 'clipping points' - a section of a corner marked out by the judges as the correct Drift line.

Where do you see the sport of Drift racing in the next five, ten years?

Drifting has born in Japan about 20 years ago, but it has been only seven years since Drifting was established as professional motorsport. As you can see, Drifting has grown with unbelievable speed in the last three years worldwide. It already shows that Drifting has big potential to become a world championship sport in near future.

Drifting is a sport unlike any other. It combines the aftermarket tuning scene with professional level racing. For the drivers and teams it gives a huge challenge to perform at high speeds, on tarmac circuits, sideways at speeds sometimes in excess of 100mph, half a meter from another competitor aiming for the same piece of tarmac.

For the spectator it is an exciting and thrilling viewing experience with door to door performances, near misses, high speeds, and unbelievable angles of Drift, plus plenty of tyre smoke.