What is drift driving and what is its history?

Drift driving is a type of extreme driving that has many supporters. It is a motor sport that is characterized by a deliberate slip of the rear axle of the car when cornering, going into a controlled drift at the maximum possible speed. The angle of the rear wheels in drift driving exceeds the angle of the front wheels, sometimes significantly.

This type of driving speaks of the high skill of the driver, of his ability to control the power of the car and direct it in the right direction.

History of drift driving

It all started in the 1970s in Japan, the birthplace of drift driving as a separate sport. The first drift drivers are street racers who perfect their technique on twisty mountain roads. They used drift driving to get through the tracks faster, and the counting was done with millisecond precision. The key figure in the birth of drifting is Kunimitsu Takahashi. This Japanese man was first a motorcycle racer but later continued his career as a car racer.

He has many victories in professional sports, including the 1961 German Grand Prix in a road race. In motor sports, he has an accident, after which he starts a new path in his career. In car racing, Kunimitsu Takahashi was also successful, he even participated in Formula 1. The Japanese ends his career when he is 47 years old.

History of drifting in professional motorsport.

His driving style ushered in a movement of extreme cornering and smoking tires, gradually shaping a new kind of professional spectacle sport.

The second key figure in the birth of this style of driving was Keiichi Tsuchiya, who later became the king of drift driving. This Japanese guy has fans all over the world, he even made a video about his amazing drifting skills. Thanks to him, this extreme driving has become legal. In 1999, the D-1 Grand Prix series was created, and to this day remains the world's largest drift organization.

Drift cars

For drift cars, there are two main requirements – they must be rear-wheel drive and their power must be a minimum of 160 horsepower.

Rear wheel drive

This is exactly what ensures the boxing of both rear tires at the same time.

Maximum relief

A drift car should be light and maneuverable, within reason of course. Without this, there is no way to achieve victory and successful passage through the tracks.

Engine

Volume is important here. It must work for the longest possible time in difficult, extreme conditions of heavy load. It's good to be supercharged.

Suspension

The shock absorbers must be strong and the springs tight. Most often the brand of car for drift driving is Toyota or Nissan. The most suitable cars for drifting are Nissan 180-SX, Nissan Silvia, Nissan Skyline, Nissan Laurel, Toyota AE86 and Mazda RX7 (RX8).

Types of drift driving

There are many techniques and often only a professional can tell them apart.

What types of drift driving are there in relation to the movements and skills of the drivers?

Hand-breaking drifting

One of the easiest, despite its intimidating name. It is suitable for beginners, for the first steps in drift driving. The main advantage of this technique is that if the driver makes a mistake, it can be corrected with corrective sharp movements.

Execution: engage the clutch, pull the handbrake sharply and the car moves forward. The clutch is then released.

Hand-breaking drifting trains the control of the force and speed of the sharp.

Clutch-Kick drifting

The clutch engages and releases abruptly. That's exactly why the car pulls so sharply.

Yorin drifting

In this type of drift driving technique, all wheels are involved when the track turns.

Kanteria drifting

The turn takes place in the shape of the letter "S". Kanteria drifting looks incredibly impressive.

Braking drifting

This drifting technique is characterized by stepping on the brake pedal and turning turns at that same moment. After the brake pedal is depressed, the clutch is depressed and the parking brake is pulled, but for no more than one second.

Dynamic drifting

When entering a long turn, the driver quickly slows down, corrects, maintains the drift with the steering wheel and with a quick application of the brake. It doesn't add more speed.

Heel-Toe Shifting

This kind is expressed in shifting speed with toes and heels. In doing so, it is important to maintain balance, smoothness, proper steering, and control over the operation of the brakes. The subtlety of the technique is expressed in the fact that one foot can be on two pedals at the same time, which ensures smooth shifting of gears.

Jump drifting

Fact: drifters not only move forward, left-right, but also up-down. Drifting is, after all, a show and the drivers must do everything they can to provide that show.

Execution: the tire on the inside of the bend is pushed by the pran obstacle or unevenness on the track. Thus the weight of the car is shifted to the other side and the car leans.

Kansei drifting

Interesting kind of drift driving. The car literally flies into the corner at high speed, the driver takes his foot off the gas pedal. The weight of the car is transferred to the front axle, the resulting skidding is controlled by the driver with the steering wheel and the gas pedal.

Long-Slide drifting

An important requirement for this technique is high speed. The pilot, with the help of the handbrake, makes a long slide in a straight line, it ends with a turn at a high angle.

Dirt Drop drifting

With this technique, the car is shifted with the rear tires on dirt or muddy dirt roads to maintain the slide and enter the turn of the track at the required speed.

Power over drifting

This technique only works with a high powered car. To enter the stall, the steering wheel is turned in the direction in which the car should be headed. After that, the gas pedal is pressed all the way, the rear tires lose traction with the track. All this happens because of the high speed of the car. To get out of the turn on the track without damage and accidents, the gas is released a little, and the steering wheel is turned to the other side.

Side-braking drifting

Flattening the rear tires causes the drift car to literally slide sideways.

Chokudori or Swaying drifting

In general, this technique is used after flat sections of a straight course.

Execution: stopping occurs with the help of sliding. The car stops at the required angle, a deep pitching of the car is obtained. The driver must choose the optimal angle to fit into the turn.

Manji drifting

It can rarely be seen on a curved track, often on simple, straight tracks. The rocking of the car all the way looks impressive. Often performed for show.

Drift racing

The races were not always duels, earlier the competitors drove individually. Over time, the races have evolved into driving with scoring by judges with points. In addition to the spectacle, the technical parameters are also evaluated, so spectacular driving still does not give victory on the track. It must also be performed correctly.

There are summer and winter races, the rules are practically the same for each season. Tracks are groomed or a twisty course is found to showcase all the beauty and prowess of cornering. The first task is to stay unharmed and reach the finish line. And one more – to do it better than others.

How are the drift races and how are the drivers judged?

The competition consists of qualifications (first stage) and duels (second stage). In Japanese, these stages are called Tanso and Tsuiso.

At qualifying, each driver has three attempts. The first, where the track is not taken into account, is the "warm-up". On a long track, a mark is placed for all three attempts. All drivers are at the beginning of the track on equal terms - each has 100 points. Each mistake leads to a reduction in points.

Criteria for evaluating drift driving

The technical parameters of a competition are just as important as the spectacular performance, and even for some judges it is more important.

The first important criterion. The judges evaluate the trajectory. It is usually determined before the start by the judges themselves, and every pilot must move exactly on it.

The second evaluated criterion. The angle of movement of the vehicle relative to the trajectory is estimated.

The third mandatory criterion. Speed ​​– as it is in all races. The higher the better!

The fourth mandatory criterion. Spectacle and individual style. This is appreciated not only by the harsh and impartial judges, but also by the viewers. Within this criterion, even the beauty of the smoke from under the tires is evaluated. This criterion is defining and most important for many drift drivers, it inspires them to new feats and victory on the track.

Interesting facts about drift driving

Drifting is often confused with uncontrolled car drifting. This is a big mistake. For the second, the power of the engine and even the type of car are not important. So no such labels should be placed.

There are many computer and mobile games dedicated precisely to drifting, for example CarX Drift Racing.

Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift is one of the films about this kind of sport.

If, in a competition, no judge has seen a single error in the execution technique, the chief judge says "Anikuya" and all present repeat it joyfully.

A very strong drift is considered the slight contact of the rear of the car with the barrier, this is called "Kiss the wall".

Both tires can be damaged in a drift in less than five minutes. Weekend drifting is a very cool thing, but it's expensive - five or more sets of tires go.

There are special tires for drifting - the smoke from them is colored and even smells.

The handbrake is pulled at speeds reaching 120 km per hour.

The handbrake is upgraded and modified frequently, made longer as it is the main tool in drift driving.

The engines of the most powerful drift automob