I hate to write about so much drift stuff in my column but if you read the January issue, you'd realize this is an ongoing uprise and the latest info that I have is more of a positive than a negative. When I stated that drifting would grow faster than the import drag racing scene I didn't expect to see drift schools popping up so fast. A few months back I heard a rumor that some of the popular racing schools were considering having classes specifically for drifting.
While a part of me is happy that drift schools are popping up the other side of me thinks about who is teaching these classes. I understand that most of them are ex and current racecar drivers that understand car control. Will most of the schools just teach controlling the cars' slide or will they go more in depth about drifting? I understand that these drivers have skills but what I speak of is beyond controlling over and under steer. I've watched a few professional drivers take a crack at it and they've done very well. But if there is one thing I notice that's different about a pro road race driver versus a drift-spec driver is a flare similar to what most Japanese drivers present. Road racers are taught how to regain control of a car when too much oversteer is present and in most cases the oversteer is apparent after hitting the apex and then correcting the problem. For a D1 driver, it's all about gaining oversteer before you hit the apex and sticking with it. In most cases this is on the turn in rather than the apex. This is exactly what I saw during the SEMA drift exhibition. Please note, I am neither a pro drifter nor an expert road racer but technique is something that is valued among both of racing styles and knowing them both is key to crossing the finish line first or scoring big points with the judges. To teach someone how to control a vehicle when it is near the point of hitting a wall is one thing but what also needs to be taught is how to induce the car getting sideways and when to do it at the right time. Obviously pitching it sideways before the turn in while still hitting the apex and keeping it sideways on the turn out is key, but this is just one of the key issues that need to be taught.
With drifting there is more than following the race line sideways, there is the whole points system that one has to worry about and this is one of the most misunderstood parts about drifting. These are some of the things that I think need to be taught in a drift school along with learning the car control. There are a few people that have grown up in the East Coast that can drive a car so sideways that the driver and passenger side windows have become their primary windshield but the question is how do you know what is scoring big points and what is not. There are so many questions that could be asked at a drift school. I'm really curious what will be taught how they will teach it. As much as the car control aspect of it is extremely important learning the points system is just as important. Crossing the finish line in one piece and in first place is key in road racing and obviously the basic fundamentals can be taught at race schools but I feel that drift schools should do the same.