Drifting

Toyota wouldn’t be the first brand you think of when talking about exciting cars. However, the Japanese brand has been on something of a roll in recent times and the GR Yaris is one of the best examples. Chris Harris has driven and raced more than a few cars, so he is quite qualified to talk about it while finding out its limits. As you might guess, some epic driving is in store, and here’s what Harris makes of Toyota’s rally-bred hot hatch.

Ken Block recently made the transition, from Ford to Audi. His relationship with the German premium brand took him to Audi Tradition, in Ingolstadt, Germany. The facility, which comprises of some unassuming, at first glance, buildings, houses the most legendary cars from Audi’s rich motorsport history. The cool part is that all of them get driven every now and then and Ken Block had a go in the rarest and ultimate Audi rally car – the Sport Quattro RS 002.

The guys at the Hoonigan YouTube Channel are known for pitting some truly ridiculous builds against each other, in their THIS vs THAT showdowns. It’s no different on this occasion either, with a modified 2015 Honda Grom taking on a tuned 1980 Ford Bronco.

Latvia-based HGK has a long repertoire of drift car projects, most of which BMWs (think E92s and E46s). Every now and then, however, HGK likes to switch it up and massage Japanese sports car as well. Case in point: this rad looking Supra.

PS: It has a 2JZ engine.

For most of us, driving a car is an acquired skill. You start slowly, learning car terminologies and road rules before the practical driving lessons take place. Driving is easy to learn so long as you take it seriously.

Drifting, on the other hand, is far more difficult to learn. First, you need to know how to drive before you can drift. Second, the required skills needed in drifting are more complicated than the ones you need to start driving. You need hours and hours of practice to get the proper techniques of drifting.

Most of all, you need a proper drift car to get you started. On that note, here are 10 affordable drift cars that you can buy to help get your feet wet in the world of smoking tires, engine squeals, and all that’s great about drifting.

Once drifting slid its way out of Japan, it took the whole world by storm and claimed a proper place in the highest circles of motorsport. Yes, we’ve been drooling during a lot of Formula Drift events, not to mention videos of Ken Block’s twist on drifting aka Gymkhana, but sometimes a lot of spectacular content comes from where you’d least expect it.

Drifting has its roots in Japan. Ask every petrolhead out there about drifting and he’ll tell you it’s something he attempted at least once in his life. Done right, drifting transcends the motorsport discipline status. Done right, drifting is art. Oh, and drifting has nothing to do with that neon underglow BS from The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Contrary to what some might think, speed is not what primarily drives a drift. Sure, you need some amount of power to get the wheels spinning, but to drift properly, it also takes a lot of skill, rear-wheel-drive, and a light platform (a two-ton S-Class will drift, of course, but it’s way harder to handle).

A 50:50 (or close) weight distribution ratio between the axles helps the cause, too. And we get it. The right car doesn’t come cheap. But since physics applies equally to all earthly things, you don’t have to break the bank to find a good drift car. Some used vehicles will definitely do, so let’s explore the alternatives, shall we?

Most of you link the Hoonigan name with Ken Block and leave it at that, so I won’t blame you for not knowing that Hoonigan is into a lot more than Block’s crazy Shenanigans. Case in point – this video of an E55 AMG-powered Track Kart that was posted to the company’s Youtube channel “Daily Transmission.”

For those of you that don’t know, Daily Transmission is a dedicated channel where the Hoonigans look at the wildest, upside-down car builds they can find, and the video you’re about to watch below is no exception, so let’s get to it.

Sometimes, this job comes with some pretty cool perks. Last week, during my visit to Savannah, Georgia, where I drove the 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan, Toyota had a little surprise waiting for me - a ride-along with Ryan Tuerck in the mind-altering Papadakis Racing Corolla Hatch drift car. Suffice to say, the experience made quite the impression on me.

Updated 03/19/2019: When this article was originally written, the author assumed Ryan Tuerck would drive the featured Corolla race car in the 2019 Formula Drift season. This is incorrect. Papadakis Racing built the featured Corolla race car for Toyota for demonstration purposes, and Ryan Tuerck is not a regular driver for the Papadakis Racing team. The author apologizes for the error.

Last week, I was in Savannah, Georgia, driving the new 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan and while I was there, Toyota had a surprise waiting for me - a ride along with Ryan Tuerck in the 1,000-horsepower Papadakis Racing Toyota Corolla Hatchback drift machine! It was an incredible experience, and it served as a stark reminder of just how amazing drifting really is.

Updated 03/19/2019: When this article was originally written, the author assumed Ryan Tuerck would drive the featured Corolla race car in the 2019 Formula Drift season. This is incorrect. Papadakis Racing built the featured Corolla race car for Toyota for demonstration purposes, and Ryan Tuerck is not a regular driver for the Papadakis Racing team. The author apologizes for the error.

Think drifting a Pony car is hard? How about drifting one of those invaluable Prancing Horses from Maranello? Well, nothing compares to the reaction you’ll get if you manage to drift an actual living and breathing horse.

I sense you’ve probably read that last phrase a couple of times. Yes, someone did actually manage to slide a horse to a stop in a dirt arena. It is possible and, yes, it’s more exciting than any ’Ford Mustang leaving a car meet’ compilation video you’ll ever see.

One of the coolest advantages of electric powertrains over internal combustion engines is that power and torque are available instantly. And this is one of the reasons why the Tesla Model S is the quickest production car with a 0-to-60 benchmark of only 2.5 seconds. Now, Tesla wants to put the Model 3’s instant torque to good use on the race track through a new driving mode. It’s called Track Mode and turns the compact sedan into a drift machine.

In racing and rallying alike the difference is made in the twisty bits. This time around, Team O’Neil Rally School teaches you what are the benefits of the traditional racing line through a corner, why you should also try late-apexing turns and why early apexes are a no-go.

Want to improve the way you drive on the track or more looser surfaces like those on a rally stage? Check out this video by Team O’Neil Rally School that teaches you all you need to know about negotiating turns. Once you improve your technique through the corners, you’ll start noticing your times tumble down pretty quickly on the track or if you tackle rally stages.

Keep reading to learn more.

How about stripping a Chevrolet Corvette down, strapping in a 7.0-liter LS, and going after some world records for manual Corvettes? Sounds like an insane project to you? It sure didn’t sound too daunting to Cleetus McFarland, the creator of "Leroy The Savage."

"Leroy The Savage" is, at its core, a Chevrolet Corvette C5 that was stripped of its bodywork and was able to run the quarter mile in 11 seconds with no other modifications. Then came an LSA supercharger and other mods that brought the time down to 9 seconds. McFarland then smelled blood and reckoned his creation could go after some records on the dragstrip and one thing led to another.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. completed a full lap of the Nurburgring, doing so while drifting theFord Mustang RTR drift the whole way. The stunt was performed without the objective of setting a lap time. The achievement was no less remarkable, though, because Gittin Jr. became the first driver to drift a car in the 12.8-mile course.

Forza Motorsport 7 already has a litany of cars in its fold. Adding more is becoming a little excessive, and yet, the game’s latest downloadable content, the Formula Drift Car Pack, is going to be welcomed with open arms by fanatic gamers like myself. More importantly, the pack is actually coming to both Forza 7 and Forza Horizon 4. That means that you can still go drift-crazy even if you don’t own a copy of the FM7. And the best part? The Car Pack is free!

As we’ve seen a few times this week, performance driving is fraught with danger. Exploring the ragged edge in your car can be fun, but before you go out there to burn some rubber, it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. One of the most important things to equip yourself with is an understanding of what happens when you lose grip, be it an understeer situation, or an oversteer situation. This video from our friends at Car Throttle covers both, and in rather entertaining fashion as well.

At six minutes, 47 seconds in length, the vid is informative, but relatively brief, kicking off with a description of both understeer and oversteer. Afterward, the vid discusses driving techniques designed to combat the loss of traction, as well as mechanical upgrades you can do to your car to make it handle the way you want.

It’s all done with a pithy, lighthearted tone, and works great for both driving newbies, and as a refresher for more seasoned drivers. One last thing - if you decide to explore understeer and oversteer for yourself, make sure it’s in a safe environment!

It’s a confusing line but there are clearcut differences. Watch the video to find out what makes a drift and what makes a powerslide.