So, what is Drifting anyway?

Certainly this isn’t the first Drifting oriented site you have hit on the Web, so I am sure you have seen a few “definitions” thus far. The fact of the matter is that the definition of Drifting, as it is concerned on the World Wide Web, is quite varied. These so-called definitions range from the simple and not-so-accurate: “Drifting is driving out of control man—YEAH!!!” to the painfully detailed: “Drifting is when you enter a corner at speed, depress the clutch pedal and…” Okay, you get the idea. Although these Drifting def’s are all over the map, the enthusiasts who make this stuff up are on the right track (for the most part).

You see, Drifting is like love… it’s hard to put into words, but you know it when you see it. Why you ask? Pretty much because Drifting is new and before How To Drift, there really was no set definitions or terminology. As you know, Drifting came from Japan and, for the most part, started here in the U.S. as an underground sport. The only way early Drifters could read about their favorite past-time was to get a Japanese magazine, and learn to read Japanese! This lead grass-roots U.S. Drifters to make the terms up as they went. Even today, listen to the pro Drifters when they are interviewed after making a run, and they are pretty much just talking a combination of racing terms and slang. This might be good for street cred’ but it can make it hard for the rest of us to understand what is really going on.

So the answer to your… uh, I mean my question is: Drifting is the ability to maintain control of a vehicle in an oversteer condition, with a slip angle greater than 10 degrees.

Yup, that’s it. But why am I so special you ask? Why do I have the answer when so many others do not? Well, I’m not all that special, but I did take the time research Drifting, and the various elements that make it up when I wrote How To Drift. Like many others I felt I knew what Drifting was all about when I took on the assignment. But, when I sat down to write it, I had nothin’. I was like, “Drifting is…” “It’s when you…” No, no, that’s not it. Okay, I got it, “When you are in the turn and the car is sliding and…” Crap. It really was like love—I knew what Drifting was, but I had a hard time putting it into words.

What I needed were some terms and definitions. I needed the raw information that would allow me to explain Drifting on paper, technically and accurately. I knew Drifting mainly took place in the turns (yes, you can pitch it sideways on the straightaway, It’s called the Choku Dori my friends), but what were the technical elements of a turn? What were the technical terms for a car driving through a turn at speed, with the rear end hanging out? And where would I find such terminology?!?

As it turns (no pun intended, seriously) out there is an entire genre, with numerous bodies of work dedicated to answering these very questions, and more—it’s called racecar driving. Do you know what the difference between a racecar and Drift car in a turn is? Slip angle. Other than that, and the ways in which drivers use the vehicle’s controls to get increased slip angle, everything is the same.

So let’s put my definition to the test, shall we?

Q: What happens when you “Drift” at less than 10 degrees of slip angle?
A: That is simply oversteer. A racecar driver uses it to help trim speed and/or turn his or her car around tight corners while maintaining greater speed than he or she could without oversteer.

Q: Drifting is driving out of control, right?
A: Uh, no. Drifting is in fact driving under absolute control, if it wasn’t, even the best drivers would not be able to slide through a given track over and over, following the same line—it takes control (absolute control) do achieve this.

Q: Okay, but Drifting is when you depress the clutch pedal and…
Well, yeah, that can be true, but it might not be either—you don’t need to use the clutch to initiate a Drift with a Feint, or Power Over for example. That wasn’t a definition of Drifting as much an example of a specific technique.

Q: So can you Drift a front wheel drive car?
A: Ooh, ouch--now that is a tough one that has been under much debate since Drifting started. As per my definition, yes, you can Drift a front wheel drive car (oh, I’m gonna hear it over that one...) You can control and maintain a slip angle of greater than 10 degrees in a front wheel drive vehicle, if you know how to do it. But you are very limited in how you can initiate and maintain a “Drift.” Some will say it’s not Drifting, others will say an FF driver sliding his or her car through a corner is actually performing a power slide. Hey, what can I tell you, I don’t have all the answers.

Okay, I guess that will do it for now. Armed with your new-found knowledge you can go back through the Net and prove or disprove any definitions you have read, or are yet to find. Try it out, put your new found powers to the test on the Web sites and in the chat rooms of your choosing! And, feel free to leave comments, questions and requests here!

Welcome to How To Drift!

My name is Paul Morton, and I wrote the book on Drifting. I love to say that, tongue-in-cheek, but the truth is I am an enthusiast and continual student of the art form known as Drifting. I actually did write a book about Drifting however entitled How to Drift: The Art of Oversteer. And I did this for a couple for reasons: 1. Because over the past 12+ years I have made a career out of bridging the gap between those in-the-know and those who want to know, and 2. Because I think Drifting is the most exhilarating, intense and exciting motor sport ever devised.

For me, drifting goes back to my earliest driving experiences. Right off the bat I understood the concept of counter steering, or turning into a slide. As a teenager with a license I didn’t have much of an urge to go fast, or race, but every time I got the opportunity I would slide the vehicle I was driving sideways. Of course at the time I had no idea that on the other side of the world the pioneers of a sport that didn’t yet have a name or a following were doing the same thing I was (on a much grander scale, of course). I can’t autocross. I would suck at drag racing. But there is just something about sliding a car sideways that I get. I can anticipate the arch that the car will travel in as I enter a drift and I have a feel for feathering the throttle and finessing the steering wheel just enough to keep the car going that way. Call it intuition, gut feeling, or just dumb luck, but the only performance driving skills I can stake claim to involve over steer at maximum slip angle.

Make no mistake; I’m not claiming to be the best drifter out there, far from it. I have a lot to learn—as I know many of you out there do as well (even the ones who don’t want to admit it.) This is why I spent a year of my life writing a book for which there was no reference material (I can’t read Japanese). My goal? Write a distinctly American book on the distinctly Japanese sport of Drifting. I wanted to dispel some of the myths (Drifting is driving out of control and only Japanese cars are good for drifting) and I wanted to give those learning to drift, and those expanding their skill set, a larger frame of reference than what was available on the street and the Internet (which is why my book is written from a racecar driver’s point of view). My goal was to create a good starting point for people to learn, and further define, the various elements that make up Drifting. I also wanted to create an interactive element to the book where we could both (me and the rest of you) take part in discussion on what we know is the best motor sport ever.

Well, here it is. I know, it's not much--at this point anyway. But I have a feeling that together we can turn this humble blog into something much more than just an Internet page with a bunch of words. Note that I said, "We." Hey, I've done my part. I have researched written and photographed several hundred pages worth of book. I will soon be posting some information, images and even lessons from that book here on its companion Blog (which means this is a good time to actually get your hands on a copy and read up). The rest, well, that's up to you. I need input. I need to hear from all of you out there that have made Drifting the greatest thing since sliced bread. I am not here to preach, I am here to expand my knowledge just like you. So let's see where this takes us, shall we?