5 Ways To Initiate A Drift

Using the handbrake to initiate a drift is probably the easiest method, and is the recommended starting point for beginners. The idea is to brake as you approach a corner, then lift off the brakes and pull the handbrake in one smooth motion as you turn in. With the weight on the outside, and the locked rears offering little grip, the rear will kick out. You can then use the throttle to maintain the slide.

When you start out, grabbing the handbrake and trying to catch the slide without the throttle is a great way to become accustomed to the unnatural feel of a car getting sideways. Once you’ve mastered catching the slide, you can start bringing the throttle in to play.

Power on

Since you’re not combining so many techniques, drifting - or powersliding - using power alone can be another great way to learn the basics of initiating and holding a drift. The only downside is that it requires a car with a decent amount of power in order to get the wheels spinning.

Once you turn in to a corner, ensure you’re in a low gear and plant the throttle. Again, with the outer wheels loaded up and grip removed from the rear, you’ll get sideways. Then it’s all about modulating the throttle and your steering to keep the drift going.

Forgive the potato-spec footage above, but there really is no better tutor than Colin McRae. The Scandinavian Flick is often used in rallying, but the principles still apply for drifting on tarmac.

As with most of these techniques, it uses weight transfer to initiate a slide. By turning in the opposite direction to where the corner is heading, then pulling the car back in the correct direction, you’re creating a pendulum effect that amplifies your momentum and, hopefully, overcomes the tyres’ lateral grip.

The Scandinavian Flick takes a bit of practice since catching the slide as it swings back around is not easy. Depending on how tight the corner is, it can be combined with the handbrake, a particularly useful combination for 180-degree hairpins.

Clutch kick

Clutch kicking is a great way to get your wheels spinning up if you don’t have a huge amount of power, but it can be tricky to control since it involves either maintaining or increasing your corner entry speed.

The theory is pretty simple. When you’re turning in, keep your right foot on half to full throttle, and kick the clutch in and out quickly with your left. With the clutch pressed the engine revs spike, so when you lift off the clutch the wheels spin - it’s the same principal as initiating a burnout, except that you’re already sideways!

According to drift legend Fredric Aasbo, this is the “hardest” way to drift, but it “yields the best feeling ever.” In his own words:

Imagine a long main straight leading into a reducing radius turn that then opens up to another main straight. You bring the car up to 120mph/200kmh down the main straight, start turning and then you brake very hard… but in a very controlled manner. When done correctly the combined lateral forces on the car and brakes help shift the weight to the front outer corner of the car. Due to loss of traction on the rear wheels, the back end will step out. You are now drifting… but continue to brake hard while staying on the ideal line. Right at the edge of the track, you ease off the brakes and onto the gas; hammer down and go onto the next main straight.

Now that takes talent!