Racing to the Extreme
What is DRIFTING? This is a question that I am asked on a regular basis. As the sport of drifting continues to gain popularity maybe I won't have to explain for much longer.
The auto sports world holds many varieties of racing. In my opinion drifting ranks at the top in the most exiting. Drones of people flock to racing events every year. This has always been the case as long as racing has been around. Drag racing, circle track, autocross and other means of putting you and your car up against the next guy is only limited by the ingenuity and imaginations of the people who enjoy the sport.
Drifting has been around since cars became more power full than the tracks they run on could handle. From the first unintentional slide while exiting a corner. Today what we consider drifting is a refined version of the slide. Drifting combines traditional racing with an exhibitionist style. Sliding encompases the competitiveness of racing along with the want of the drivers to push themselves and their cars to the absolute limit and beyond while at the same time getting a little "crazy" to entertain the fans.
"Drifting for dummies" The drift is the art of sending a car into an intentional slide or DRIFT. This can be obtained in a number of different ways. The easiest being the "power over" Powering over is what every young boy who gets his first car does to get a thrill. Simply as your going around a turn you put the pedal to the metal and let the rear step out a little. I learned this method in my chevy truck on the dirt roads in my small town. Throttle control is the key to this method.
Another way to achieve drift is after you have gained a sufficient amount of speed and are entering the turn you steer in the opposite direction of the turn pull the e-brake let off the throttle and let the rear step out. As all this is happening you should let go of the steering wheel let it turn with the drift then catch it and steer for control.
The third method would be at a high speed stomp the brakes while entering the turn. This transfers the weight of the car to the front so the rear tires can break traction with increased ease. After the weight is transfered steer in the opposite direction as in the previous method. The rear will again step out and drift is achieved.
One of the more exiting methods is the inertial drift. As a high rate of speed is gained the driver simply oversteers the car. This is also one of the more dangerous methods as the speed is increased and all four tires are sliding. An eminence amount of smoke can be built up this way.
At the end of the day DRIFTING is controlling a car that otherwise looks to be out of control. Pushing the limits of your vehicle. As a drifter myself and knowing many others, professional and otherwise, this is the most exiting thing you can do in your car. Keep it on the track and off the road. Forget the strait aways and bend the corners. Oh and as it says on my car, if you can read this you were to slow.
KEEP IT SLIDEWAYS!
