The popularity of drifting has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years. This is thanks to movies such as Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift and the Initial D anime series. It’s completely different to any other form of motorsport in terms of the car setup, driver skills and scoring. And I’ve always thought that it looks like a blast. So, when I recently got the opportunity to get a quick lesson, I gladly accepted the challenge.
I will admit that I was nervous. I’ve seen drift cars in action and I’ve seen the amount of car control that needs to take place. I seriously doubted my capabilities. I’ve never had to get a car sideways before and I never really tried either. So, by the time that I got to the Rock Raceway in Brakpan, my nerves were shattered.
First, I did a shotgun ride with Clare Vale. Her weapon of choice is a Ford Mustang. It’s similar to her V8 Supercars Championship car, but it’s been set up for drifting purposes. Her car is loud and being a passenger is violent. I got tossed about as Clare threw her Mustang round the drift track. But it was so much fun and Clare did a lot to ease my nerves.
Enter Tim Stephens, also known as Mr Rock, in his Nissan Skyline GTS with Team Orange decals. After seeing him in action on the track, it was obvious that he had some of the best car control that I had ever seen. It was great to watch. After a stint as his passenger, which left me feeling a bit queasy, it was my turn behind the wheel.
Due to personal reasons, Tim was unable to teach me as much as he had planned on the day, but I was still able to get in a few good spins. The video below shows my first spin and the cheesy smile I had on my face afterwards. It was great fun to experience something like that and I hope to do it sometime soon again.
For a more in-depth story on my drifting experience and drifting in South Africa, get a copy of the August 2012 issue if CAR, on sale today.
Big thanks to Clare Vale for hooking me up with Tim Stephens, and thanks to Tim for taking the time to give the lesson and for making Rock Raceway available to us on the day.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bhV-aOrwec0