Drifting 101

This manufacturer-supplied image shows the potential of the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

Hyundai set up a makeshift skidpad on the vast paved surface of Road America’s paddock area: A handful of traffic cones were arranged in a circle that measured roughly 15-20 feet in diameter. To begin my lesson, I hopped in the passenger seat and rode shotgun while Verdier drove, demonstrating the fundamentals. By our third sideways-sliding revolution around the skidpad, I was thankful I had eaten a light, non-greasy breakfast.

The exercise was essentially “Drifting 101”--about the most simple, accessible method of drifting possible. The basic steps of inducing a low-speed “power oversteer” drift are quite simple to understand, but quite difficult to master…at least for a driver of my modest skills. (Millen and Verdier can probably do it in their sleep.) To start, make sure the traction-control system is turned off. Put the car into first gear (a manual transmission is a requirement for proper drifting) and proceed around the skidpad at about 15 mph. Then, mash the throttle pedal to break the rear tires loose. When the rear tires lose traction, the rear of the car will quickly fishtail sideways, so the driver must swiftly counter-steer to keep the car from spinning out completely. Once the drift is initiated, the driver must precisely modulate the throttle pedal--too much gas, and the car will spin; too little and the rear tires will regain traction and the car will stop drifting. Input to the steering wheel must also be constantly, carefully adjusted to maintain the desired course and keep the sliding rear end of the car in-check.

After a few demo laps with Verdier behind the wheel, it was my turn. Verdier rode shotgun, giving pointers. Like most first-time drifters, my initial attempt resulted in a 180-degree spin. The second time, chastened by my spinout, I was reluctant to goose the throttle pedal enough to get the drift started…or, if I did get a drift initiated, I lifted out of the throttle too severely and was unable to sustain the sideways slide.

Even in its most basic form, successful drifting requires the driver to walk a narrow tightrope between “not enough” and “too much.” The mental obstacles put in place by years of “normal” driving must also be overcome; the drifter is deliberately inducing a condition that a driver would normally work very hard to avoid. Keeping one’s concentration amidst the general cacophony of the engine’s high-rpm roar and the spinning tires’ screaming protests is tricky as well, but I can see how the challenge of controlling this chaos can become addictive.

After a few go-rounds, I got it mostly figured out. I think I did best when I trusted my instincts and went by feel. I focused on the center of the circle, looked where I wanted the car to go, and the rest sort of fell into place. In the end…well, I managed to avoid embarrassing myself. I was able to sustain the drift long enough to make one complete revolution around the skidpad, maintaining a decent (but not impressive) slip angle. To their credit, the Genesis Coupes stood up to an entire day of drifting, both by Millen and Verdier and by ham-fisted journalists like me.

06.12.2009