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Beginning Drifting

Learn to control the uncontrollable

Think drifting looks cool? Then you've got to do it from behind the wheel. Performed with precision, drifting makes you feel like a driving demigod. Passengers will disagree: They'll swear you're Zeus.

Sideways

Forty-something female riders (and some males) squeal like preteens. And it's especially rewarding when the knowledgeable heap praise. Travis Pastrana, motocross ace and rally racer, loved my specialty: hands-free drifting while simultaneously adjusting the air conditioner. "Simply nuts" is the ultimate compliment.

I've drifted everything up to and including a Porsche 911 and a Freightliner straight truck that weighed some 14 tons. Just to make it interesting, I replaced the 911's stock narrow front/wide rear tire combination with the same size tires all the way around.

Drifting can be more rewarding than turning a fast lap on a racetrack. Few non-racers appreciate the demands of a smooth, precise, quick lap. However, everyone genuflects to those who can slide sideways and bring it back under control.

Do and Learn

Words alone can no more teach you how to drift—or even control a sliding tail—than watching videos will make you skilled at hitting a curveball. You must do it to learn it. Here's where you can learn the basics of drifting without spending loads of money or time in traffic court: slick-track karts. Think of slick-track karts as the Little League baseball of drifting. They're a low-cost way to find out if you have talent or, at least, the ability to learn. Almost every major-league baseball player was the all-star of all-stars when he was in Little League: If you can't quickly become the best slick-track driver you've ever met, other sports beckon.

The first thing you'll learn at a slick track is how to correct when the rear tires lose grip. (Engineers call this "oversteer" and stock-car drivers term it "loose.") Slick-track karts naturally slide the tail in most corners. When the rears begin break traction, turn the wheel the direction the tail is going. It's called countersteering or opposite lock. Some instructors say to imagine keeping the nose in front of the tail. Others say look where you want to go and your eyes will naturally make you turn the correct direction. If you have hope of being a big-time drifter, this will be completely natural.

Anticipate and Listen

To become a master at catching a sliding tail you must learn to feel what the rear tires are going to do before they do it. While you can successfully react to a front-tire slide, you must anticipate the loss of rear grip. Whether in a kart or an F1 car, the tires are talking to you. Learn to understand what they're saying.

At least as critical as sensing departing rear grip is anticipating its return. As the rear tires regain traction, you must dial out just the right amount of the countersteering before rear grip fully returns. If you wait too long to remove the opposite lock, the vehicle will happily spin in the opposite direction.

On tight corners on some slick tracks, you may HAVE to drift to get the kart to turn. If you attempt to change direction the way you would in a normal automobile—by moving the steering wheel to the right for a right-hand turn—the kart will just plow straight ahead. (Engineers call this understeer; stock car drivers call it push.) If you face this situation, you must do something to get the tail sliding. If you're trying to turn right, initiate a slight left turn and then snap the wheel back to the right. (Rally racers do the same thing.) This breaks the traction of the rear tires and gets the kart rotating clockwise. But—and this is critical—you must then immediately dial in enough countersteer to prevent any spin, but not so much that the kart goes back to pushing. When you're doing it right, the kart is oscillating back and forth and is almost never going straight.

Play Inside

Once you master the slick track, indoor kart tracks are the next best step. The indoor karts are much faster and far more difficult to control than slick-track karts. Spend several hundred dollars learning how to drive them fast, then ignore lap times—drifting is not the fastest way around a track. Put the karts into stupidly sideways slides to see if you can catch it. Work on oscillating the kart side to side. (Tell the track operators what you're trying to do, come at off-peak times, and they'll be more forgiving of this non-standard maneuvering. They might even offer pointers.)

For your next step, consider either full-on racing karts or dirt-track racing. Other options include high-performance driving schools that, while not specifically designed to teach drifting, will help you develop drifting skills. A rally-racing school might be the best of all: Drifting and rally racing are closely related.

Now comes the hard part: Moving up to cars. Our lawyers are nervous about this section, largely because they don't think you'll get permission to use a safe piece of asphalt. Here's what we can offer to make your training easier:

1. Find a safe, closed course specifically set up for drifting.

2. Sliding cars are magically attracted to light poles, parking curbs, dips, holes, and everything else that will cause a big crash or a flip.

3. Keep the speeds low at first. Learn to drift at 25, not 85.

4. Buy some used, low-grip tires and spare wheels and fit them on the rear axle. (Since this is a dangerous combination on the street, don't put these tires on the car until you're at the practice site.)

5. Wait until a rainy day for your first attempt. Or wet the surface with a hose. It is possible to drift a front-drive car, but rear-drivers are much easier. Old police cars are ideal.

If you're great at drifting a kart, rally car, or a dirt-tracker, you may not need any more instruction. But if we can find a less uptight lawyer, look for another, more detailed article.