Drifting... #1

Drifting - To Drift - To purposely force the car into an oversteer, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner.

A car is drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, to such an extent that the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa). Also known as 'opposite-lock'.

I blame my parents for both my love of motorsport and the burning passion I have for taking part. Throughout my childhood years we we're involved in a catalogue of activities from 2 wheels to 4, from water to forest. All of which I loved to be involved with and learnt a great deal from. Whether it was helping my Dad build a Rover V8 engine in the hallway of the flat at 12 years old (and destroying my skate board whilst trying to move it - "Yes, I remember, Dad"), to watching them tearing across the countryside in the Ricker. I loved every minute of it.

When I was young, drifting wasn't really on the scene, as I feel if it were, that would have been another sport my parents would have had a go at.... It's only really become big over here in the last few years. Probably coincides with the release of Fast & Furious, Tokyo Drift in 2006.

Needless to say, now, It's huge... From small local events ('Run What You Brung' days) where privateers can turn up in their daily driver and thrash it out across a simple drift course, right through to national championships, on national race tracks - filled with (what are now becoming) well known teams such as Japspeed and Team Orange (US). The sport even has it's own local celebrity, Shane Lynch, who following the demise of Boyzone, donned his helmet and became a 'professional' drift racer for Team Japspeed.

I don't quite know what it is about drifting that I find so compelling, maybe its the thought of being completely out of control, but at the same time maintaining complete control. Maybe its the noise the cars make whilst in a full 4 wheels slide at 60/70MPH, with the rev counter bouncing off the limiter as the flames shoot out of the exhaust. Or maybe, its just memories of watching Tiff Needell on Top Gear as a young boy, purposely sliding cars around the test track in complete control. I really have no idea where this passion for the sport has come from, but I do know that this is going to be my next hobby, and am pretty sure, once I get going... Is going to be what this blog will mostly consist of.

But first things first... I need to find a car... 

Now there are many to chose from in the world of drifting, but of course there are a select few favourites out there, but in the end, it all comes down to your budget. If money were no object, they say that the Scoobie Impreza has an amazing chassis for drifting... just doesnt have what it takes in the engine department and can often be found with full Toyota Supra engine and running gear in them. But that's only when you have money to burn. Another couple of popular cars are Skylines and Silvia's (S13, S14 & S15) but again.. these can work out to be pretty expensive. I need something cheap... something cheerful... and most importantly, something that's not gonna bother me on my first attempt to drift when I ends up in a ditch, against a wall, or round a tree... cause lets face it... It's going to happen. It's not a case of IF... its a definate WHEN! :)

All that said, that still leaves me with a few options to go from... There's plenty of cheap BMW's out there, all of which are rear wheel drive (RWD) and with a little bit of a diet (stripped out of all interior, doorcards, excess weight, etc...) I'm sure it would make the perfect beginners drift car.

So there you have it... That's my new, up and coming project... Will keep you all posted on my progress with reports and possibly some pics as and when they come.