Drifting for beginners: how to drift your car in 3 easy steps

Drifting is becoming more and more popular by the minute. Wherever we see, on the street and in stores, the drift is on fire. Ever since drifting broke into the mainstream with the help of Hollywood movies and with the rise of drifting fans, the tide of wanting to learn how to drift, as seen in the movies, has grown rapidly.

Of course drifting looks easy, just drive really fast and turn your car on its side and smoke the rear tires. But as you know if you’ve tried drifting before, it’s not as easy as they make it out to be on the big screen.

Here is a short drifting lesson for beginners. The basics of drift. First, this is what you need:

1. You need a car, preferably rear-wheel drive.

2. It must be a manual because preferably. Automatics are more difficult to drift but not impossible.

3. You must go to practice in an open area where it is legal and safe. Drift days are the place to go.

4. You will need some spare tires. Obviously.

Now this is what you need to do:

1. You want to practice making circles or donuts at a point on the donut pad or in a flat, open area around a mortar/cone. DO NOT go straight to the track trying to drift around corners the first time you try to drift.

Make donuts to the right, then switch and circle to the left. Start with small circles and then make them bigger.

2. Once you’ve mastered the donuts, you can start using the parking brake and try some 180 degree turns. Place 2 drumsticks about 100 feet apart and go up and back doing 180 turns with the parking brake.

You shouldn’t try to swerve out of corners just yet, just get used to your parking brake and feeling your car slide. Once you can do it well and without problems, you can try to get off the slide.

NOTE: Keep the parking brake on for more than a fraction of a second. Slide it on the parking brake until you’re facing where you want to go and then you can turn it off.

3. Keeping the 2 sticks where they are, you can now try the figure 8 by moving around the sticks. Just like what we’re doing on the 180-degree turns, use the handbrake to slide it and then turn straight, lining up for the other side of the mortar on the other end. Repeat and try to get as close to the pestles with your front bumper as you can, touching the clipping point, just like professional drift drivers!

Try these beginner drift tips before you hit the track and wreck your car. Like any sport, practice makes perfect and proper training when learning to drift will keep you and your car safe so you can live to drift another day.