On the first day of learning how to drift a car, the emphasis is on creating a drift. The focus switches to holding the drift and finishing it smoothly on day two. The ideal result is when you can handle a drift circuit at the end of a training session and complete a full lap of driving sideways, according to instructor supervisor Steve Abold.
Driving is most enjoyable when you’re drifting since you’re just on the cusp of losing control.
Participating in the g-Force training are clients from all over the world, each of whom is operating a 911 Carrera S. Naji Sultanem, an insurance company manager who is attending this training session with many friends from Lebanon, says, “I just want to be a better driver.” “The first day taught me to be patient, not pushy, and to wait for the automobile to respond—to feel the car,” the driver said.
Edgars Pigoznis of Latvia chuckles as he confesses that honing automobile drifting is his weak point. However, he adds, “when you get the drift, it’s a terrific sensation.” “You just want to keep doing it, but I can’t just yet,” I replied. Thankfully, there is plenty room for practice and error at the Boxberg testing facility.
In This Article...
Drift is what?
When doing corner maneuvers, race car drivers may adopt a driving maneuver called a drift. The driver purposefully oversteers as they move forward, allowing the vehicle to shift to either of the side axles. Only the back wheels lose traction while this is going on. A driver who is completely adept at drifting is able to maintain control of the vehicle during the entire corner turn. Since the introduction of drifting by Japanese race car drivers like Kunimitsu Takahashi in the 1970s, this power management strategy has advanced to the level of competitive motorsport that is well-known globally. According to Porsche Newsroom, competitions are held frequently each year, and the quality of the drift is typically assessed by angle, line, style, speed, and show factor.
Drift pro driver Odi Bakchis demonstrates applying the handbrake while drifting in the video up top. He advises us to attack the corner, turn the car in, use the handbrake, and start the drift. Alternatively, you can start the drift by kicking the clutch. Doing so will light up the back wheels and cause the car to slide. Additionally, Bakchis advises us to allow ourselves to vary the throttle when the car is traveling sideways. Avoid oversteering while maintaining control of the vehicle to keep it on course.
Can a Porsche Taycan Turbo be drifted?
Drifting is typically only done in vehicles with tremendous amounts of power, rear-wheel drive, and no electronics.
So some eyebrows were raised when Autocar decided to put a Porsche Taycan Turbo, which is entirely a “electronic goodie,” onto a skidpad to see whether it would drift.
For those who are unfamiliar, starting a drift usually entails giving the car a huge boost of power to pull the back wheels loose. In order to grab the rear end and hang it out at absurd angles before straightening the steering up and pulling out of the drift, one first lets the rear slide out while letting the throttle fall off.
The Ferrari 812 Superfast and Aston Martin V8 Vantage are two examples of rear-wheel drive supercars that enjoy wriggling their rear ends around on a skid pad.
You can open up the back with the Taycan Turbo. Although stability control is disabled, once the throttle is released, the torque vectoring system assumes you want to go straight and shunts power forward, releasing you from the slide.
What Autocar learns in their movie is completely the opposite of how a typical car would drift. The “sweet spot,” the point in the steering where you can feel the car retaining the slide, is actually turning into the slide very slightly as opposed to holding the slide with counter-steering.
While the engine power from an internal combustion engine wanes off, there is no lag between turning off the power and catching the slide with electric motors since torque and power are instantaneous. When the driver of the car realizes it, the vehicle performs some really amazing donuts on the skid pad.
A Porsche Taycan Turbo will it drift? Yes. It will, indeed. but not in the same manner as other cars drift.
the encounter
The low-adhesion drift track inside the circuit box is where we first meet you. After that, it’s time for you to get behind the wheel of the Porsche Boxster Cup! Your teacher will quickly brief you in the car before giving you the all-clear to DRIFT! Your visitors will like seeing you slide around the track while they are there.
Not a typo, Porsche slides the Taycan electric car to a new world record of 42 kilometers straight.
Porsche set a new record by drifting a Taycan electric car over 42 kilometers in a straight line.
They used a Porsche Taycan RWD since it is much simpler to drift than the all-wheel-drive model; nonetheless, this model of the high-performance electric car is only sold in China.
Driving in a watered drift circle takes 55 minutes to complete the world record:
“The Porsche Experience Centre (PEC) Hockenheimring served as the site of the world record. Dennis Retera, a Porsche instructor, completed 210 circuits on the 200-meter-long drift circle without ever pointing the front wheels in the same direction as the curve. After 55 minutes, the sideways pro had traveled 42.171 kilometers. Retera set a new record for the longest continuous slide in an electric vehicle by covering this marathon distance. There were 46 km/hr on average. The Taycan with rear-wheel drive, which is already for sale in China, was used to set the record.”
As you may imagine, it’s quite challenging to keep a car sliding for that long.
Regarding his feat, Retera said:
“A powerslide with an electric Porsche is incredibly simple when the driving stability programs are disabled, especially with this model version, which just uses the rear wheels for propulsion. There is always enough power accessible. Stability is guaranteed by the extended wheelbase and low center of gravity. Even when going in a sideways direction, excellent control is always possible because to the chassis’ and steering’s precision design. However, it was quite taxing for me to maintain my focus for 210 laps, especially because the drift circuit’s watered asphalt does not always offer the same level of traction. I focused on utilizing the steering to manage the drift, which is more effective than using the accelerator pedal and lowers the chance of spinning.”
A video of the world record drift was shared by Porsche, and it will probably be available soon.
Will a Porsche Taycan drift?
Joanne Brent sat next to Ritzmann, a stopwatch dangling from her neck. The official Guinness World Records judge is holding a clicker to assist in counting the laps. It now depends entirely on Retera and the Taycan. To cause the automobile to drift, he first disables all the driving stability programs. At the start, the 34-year-old Dutchman whips the car into an impressively managed powerslide as he begins to draw away. The Taycan, which is currently drifting, has a watery halo.
It immediately turns out to be the ideal mode of transportation for the world record attempt. By focusing on steering rather than utilizing the pedal, which might increase the risk of spinning off the course, Retera efficiently controls the drift. A smiling Retera and the Taycan have set the record for the longest continuous drift in an electric car after 55 minutes, 210 laps, and 42.171 kilometers. He acknowledges exhaustion from maintaining focus for over an hour while drifting a car at an average speed of 46 km/h, but he is enthusiastic about his vehicle (a Taycan Turbo S with combined electricity consumption and CO2 emissions of 28.5 kWh/100 km).
Stability is ensured by the low center of gravity and the extended wheelbase, and absolute control is always possible thanks to the precision chassis and steering design.
Retera, the center’s primary instructor, asserts that there is always enough power available. “Stability is guaranteed by the extended wheelbase and low center of gravity. Even when going in a sideways direction, excellent control is always possible thanks to the chassis’ and steering’s precision design.”
Can an automobile be drifted easily?
Most of us have to learn how to drive a car. Before beginning your actual driving lessons, you start out slowly by studying about automotive terminology and traffic laws. If you take learning to drive seriously, it’s simple.
On the other side, drifting is much more challenging to learn. Before you can drift, you must first be a proficient driver. Second, the abilities needed to start drifting are more difficult than those needed to begin driving. To master the appropriate drifting skills, you must put in countless hours of practice.
Most importantly, you need a good drift car to start out. In light of the foregoing, here are 10 reasonably priced drift cars you can purchase to help you get started in the world of blazing tires, engine squeals, and everything else awesome about drifting.
How do you drift properly?
As soon as the back begins to round, you must take immediate action. Keep the engine running—you’d be shocked at how much power is needed to maintain the drift—then quickly countersteer in the appropriate direction while balancing the throttle to change the car’s attitude. If the automobile is turning too much, let off the throttle and then add it again as needed.
As a general rule, you should keep the engine running at about 80% throttle to maintain the drift (although you’ll need less in slick or low-traction circumstances). If the back turns too far, gently release the gas and add more steering lock to stop the slide. Use additional power or round the turn a little quicker if you’re having trouble maintaining the slide.
Can any vehicle drift?
Yes. As long as the physical requirements are satisfied, any car can slide. The car must be driven into a situation where the wheels spin more quickly than the traction can keep up, pushing the vehicle sideways. After that, it comes down to talent and control.
What vehicle is the greatest for drifting?
The Nissan Skyline is a high-performance sports coupe with a pedigree that rivals that of the Nissan “Z” cars in both its history and its accomplishments.
The 2.5-liter RB25DET straight-six engine that powers the R33 GTS-T is coupled to a powerful turbocharger. A five speed manual transmission and a limited slip differential are used to transfer the power.
With only bolt-on upgrades, this engine combination is capable of producing up to 400 horsepower, which is a healthy 280 bhp out of the box.
As is customary, there is more than enough power to develop your abilities, and if you want to increase the power, it is possible.
It’s always helpful to have access to a variety of Skyline owner’s clubs if you wish to perform your own mechanical work or run into issues.
The R33 is also very well supported by the aftermarket, allowing for extensive customization. An excellent decision.
You should read this post first if you’re interested in bringing your own Nissan Skyline to the US: Why are Nissan Skylines forbidden in America?