DRIFTING.......What is it and whats its History

dash-garage (25)in #cars • 6 years ago

So Drifting, what is it, who does it, and why its loved so much.

What is Drifting

Well drifting is when a driver intentionally oversteers a car causing the rear end to loose traction, and with the drives input via the combination of throttle and steering, controls the car around a corner. The driver steers the car with opposite lock or counter steer, so while the rear end of the car travels to the right the driver steers to the left.

Checkout the detail diagram below.

This driving technique was used in the world of rally cars but in the 1970's Japan started competitions dedicated to drifting. Aspired drivers took their talents and passion for this driving technique from the switch back roads on the mountains of Japan to track hosting competitions for drivers to show case style. By the mid 80's early 90's Japan was the cultural corner stone for drifting, which had a influence on the world in any ways, for example there was an anime called Initial D (which i recommend if your into anime) depicting a young kid who was delivering tofu up a mountain pass in Japan, and during delivers he would practice drifting.

By the early 2000's the Japanese culture of drifting was spreading like wild fire. Competitions were popping up all over the UK, Australia, and in the US. So much in the US top drivers from Japan were invited to the US for a competitions against top US drivers of that time. Japanese drivers like Keiichi Tsuchiya known as the Drift King, who was so big in world of drifting he had his own video series call "THE DRIFT BIBLE" were also apart of hosting duties for this competitions.

Flash forward to 2006-2007 with the commercial success of "Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift" pushed drifting in the US to a new level, and with so much momentum spawned the biggest US drift series to date Formula Drift. House hold name that we see today, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Chris Forsberg, Ken Gushi, Tanner Foust were there in the early days of FD. Formula drift today has spread from the US into Japan which now host a Japanese series. The best drivers in the world of drifting travel to the US be apart of the best series in the world. The FIA ( Federation International DE L' Automoblie ) has started there own international series which has Formula Drift as a adviser to their competition.