Drift School
Real Life Drifting Tips
Braking Drift:
Braking drift or “trail braking,” as it is sometimes called, is a technique that relies on transferring the weight of the car from the back to the front. For braking drift, what you want is a good amount of speed because you will need to brake hard, but not hard enough to kill the speed and cause under steer. Come into the turn fast in third gear, then, get on the brakes before you turn in. Apply just enough braking so that you feel the weight of the car shift from the rear to the front. At this point turn into the corner and downshift using rev-matching (or “heel and toe”) into second gear and gently start to accelerate while counter steering to guide you through the corner. This technique is exceptionally difficult and will take a lot of practice to get right, so this is definitely something that you want to walk through with a drifting instructor before you attempt it yourself at a drift event or school.
Inertial Drift:
Inertial drift is when you use the law of inertia and “swing” the car into a drift. The basic principal of this technique is simple, but this will definitely take some practice and skill before it can be done correctly. Accelerate to the corner fast, but you don’t need to go quite as fast as you would in a braking drift, then, in a quick motion, come off the throttle, steer away from the corner slightly, then turn into the corner hard, essentially “throwing” the car into the turn. After that, come back onto the throttle and counter steer accordingly.
Clutch Kick:
This technique is easy but can cause a strain on your transmission and drive train, so this should only be used sparingly or if you have a purpose built drift car that will be maintained regularly. Clutch kicking is popping the clutch while you are on the throttle in order to upset the transaxle and cause you to slide from the break of the traction. You’ll want to use this on long, wide radius turns because it takes a lot of speed and you’ll need the room. Come at the turn in third gear at full throttle. While you are still on the throttle, step on the clutch and let the revs jump up, then, suddenly take your foot off the clutch as you turn in. The rear will break loose and you will start to slide. The rest is counter steering at full throttle all the way through the turn. This is the same technique the pros use to drift the banked turn at Irwindale Speedway.
Lift:
Lifting is another technique that is speed oriented and can be really dangerous, so this shouldn’t be attempted until you are totally confident in your ability and your drift instructors have given you the OK. To start your drift by lifting, you have to drive at full speed (in second or third gear depending on the corner) and take your foot off the throttle for just a moment. The rear will slide, and then you get back onto the throttle and counter steer.
Source:
*www.motegiracing.com/techzone/media/topgraphic.jpg