The Art of the Drift

Anyone with a television and internet service providers has probably heard of drift racing but few understand its origins. We see movies like The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Cars 2 that make liberal use of the technique and attribute it to Japan, and even Japanese cartoons like Initial D all focus on the concept of drift racing and its roots in Japanese culture. Many people to this day continue to think drift racing originated in Japan but the earliest known techniques for executing a drift were recorded in the 1930s during the Grand Prix.

What is drifting? It’s a technique by which the driver intentionally over steers and causes a loss of traction in the rear tires through the turn and is able to maintain both vehicle control and exit speed. This allows the car to take some majorly sharp turns while staying on the track and keeping both the speed and momentum of their vehicle.

The trick has been used by many a racer throughout the years in order to turn the tide of a competition and reach out from the back to snatch up the lead. There are even racing competitions devoted entirely to that style of driving.