Drifting (motorsport)

A Toyota Supra in drifting exhibition in Atlanta in 2005.

'Drifting' refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed. A car is said to be drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle prior to the corner apex, and the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa), and the driver is controlling these factors. As a motor sport, professional drifting competitions are held across the world.

History

Modern drifting as a sport started out as a racing technique popular in the All Japan Touring Car Championship races over 30 years ago. Motorcycling legend turned driver, Kunimitsu Takahashi, was the foremost creator of drifting techniques in the 1970s. He is noted for hitting the apex (the point where the car is closest to the inside of a turn) at high speed and then drifting through the corner, preserving a high exit speed. This earned him several championships and a legion of fans who enjoyed the spectacle of smoking tires. The bias ply racing tires of the 1960s-1980s lent themselves to driving styles with a high slip angle. As professional racers in Japan drove this way, so did the street racers.

Keiichi Tsuchiya (known as the Dorikin/Drift King) became particularly interested by Takahashi's drift techniques. Tsuchiya began practicing his drifting skills on the mountain roads of Japan, and quickly gained a reputation amongst the racing crowd. In 1987, several popular car magazines and tuning garages agreed to produce a video of Tsuchiya's drifting skills. The video, known as Pluspy, became a hit and inspired many of the professional drifting drivers on the circuits today. In 1988, alongside Option magazine founder and chief editor Daijiro Inada, he would help to organize one of the first events specifically for drifting called the D1 Grand Prix. He also drifted every turn in Tsukuba Circuit in Japan.

One of the earliest recorded drift events outside Japan was in 1996, held at Willow Springs Raceway in Willow Springs, California hosted by the Japanese drifting magazine and organization Option. Inada, founder of the D1 Grand Prix in Japan, the NHRA Funny Car drag racer Kenji Okazaki and Keiichi Tsuchiya, who also gave demonstrations in a Nissan 180SX that the magazine brought over from Japan, judged the event with Rhys Millen and Bryan Norris being two of the entrants. Drifting has since exploded into a massively popular form of motorsport in North America, Australasia, and Europe. One of the first drifting competitions in Europe was hosted in 2002 by the OPT drift club at Turweston, run by a tuning business called Option Motorsport. The club held a championship called D1UK, then later became the Autoglym Drift Championship. For legal reasons, the business was forced to drop the Option and D1 name. The club has since been absorbed into the D1 Grand Prix franchise as a national series.

Present day

Drifting has evolved into a competitive sport where drivers compete in rear wheel drive cars, and occasionally all wheel drive cars, to earn points from judges based on various factors. At the top levels of competition, the D1 Grand Prix from Japan and now with a full series in the US have pioneered the sport. Others in Malaysia, Australia, Pro-drift in Europe, BDC in the United Kingdom, SUPERDRIFT in Italy, Formula-D in the United States, King of Europe Drift Series in Europe, Drift Mania in Canada, and the NZ Drift Series in New Zealand have also come along to further expand the sport into a legitimate motor sport worldwide. The drivers within these series were originally influenced by the pioneers from D1 Japan & are able to keep their cars sliding for extended periods of time, often linking several turns. Drifting with decades of race history and its relatively recent fame in the United States (the first official drift points race of D1 Grand Prix was held in the summer of 2003) has become its own authority yet Formula D remains as the largest and most prestigious championship in North America with an international field of professionally supported drivers.

Amateur "Tafheet" or "Hjwalah" drifting on public roads is a significant problem in Saudi Arabia. .

Drift competition

Drifting competitions are judged based on line, angle, speed, and show factor. Line involves taking the correct line, which is usually announced beforehand by judges. The show factor is based on multiple things, such as the amount of smoke, how close the car is to the wall, and the crowd's reaction. Angle is the angle of a car in a drift, speed is the speed entering a turn, the speed through a turn, and the speed exiting the turn; faster is better.

Team Drift Competition in Melbourne.

The judging takes place on just a small part of the circuit, a few linking corners that provide good viewing, and opportunities for drifting. The rest of the circuit is irrelevant, except as it pertains to controlling the temperature of the tires and setting the car up for the first judged corner. In the tandem passes, the lead driver often feints his or her entry to the first corner to upset the chase driver.

There are typically two sessions, a qualifying/practice session, and a final session. In the qualifying sessions, referred as Tansou (speed run), drifters get individual passes in front of judges (who may or may not be the final judges) to try and make the final 16. This is often on the day preceding the final.

The finals are tandem passes, referred as Tsuiso (chase attack). Drivers are paired off, and each heat comprises two passes, with each driver taking a turn to lead. The best of the 8 heats go to the next 4, to the next 2, to the final. The passes are judged as explained above, however there are some provisos such as:

• Overtaking the lead car under drift conditions almost always wins that pass.
• Overtaking the lead car under grip conditions automatically forfeits that pass.
• Spinning forfeits that pass, unless the other driver also spins.
• Increasing the lead under drift conditions helps to win that pass.
• Maintaining a close gap while chasing under drift conditions helps to win that pass.

Points are awarded for each pass, and usually one driver prevails. Template:CFact In such cases more passes may be run until a winner is produced. Sometimes mechanical failure determines the battle's outcome, either during or preceding a heat. If a car cannot enter a tandem battle, the remaining entrant (who automatically advances) will give a solo demonstration pass. In the event of apparently close or tied runs, crowds often demonstrate their desire for another run with chants of 'one more time'.

There is some regional variation. Template:CFact

Cars

Drifting Toyota AE86

Usually, drift cars are light to moderate weight rear-wheel-drive coupes and sedans over a large range of power levels. In Japan and worldwide, the most common drift vehicles are the Nissan Silvia/180SX/200SX, Toyota AE86, Mazda RX-7, Mazda RX-8, Infiniti G35 Coupe, Nissan A31 Cefiro, Nissan C33 Laurel, Nissan Skyline (AWD versions are developed into a RWD platform), Nissan 350Z, Toyota Altezza, Toyota Chaser, Toyota Mark II, Toyota MZ20 Soarer, Honda S2000, Toyota Supra (MKIV), Ford Mustang and Mazda Miata/MX-5. US drift competitions usually use the same cars, plus Chrysler LLC's Dodge Charger, and Dodge Viper SRT-10, and General Motors's Chevrolet Corvette, and Pontiac Solstice . Drifters in other countries often use local favorites, such as the Vauxhall Omega in the UK and Ireland, BMW 3 Series, Ford Sierra, Volvo 240, Volvo 340 (other parts of Europe), Mercedes-Benz cars, Porsche cars, and Alfa Romeo 75. As an example, the top 15 cars in the 2003 D1GP, top 10 in the 2004 D1GP, and top 10 in the 2005 D1GP were:

Nissan Silvia S15 drifting

Car	Model	2003	2004	2005
Nissan Silvia	S15	6 cars	5 cars	3 cars
Toyota Levin/Trueno	AE86	3 cars	3 cars	2 cars
Mazda RX-7	FD3S	2 cars	1 car	2 cars
Nissan Skyline	ER34	1 car	1 car	1 car
Nissan Silvia	S13	2 cars
Toyota Chaser	JZX100	1 car
Subaru Impreza	GD (RWD)			1 car
Toyota Altezza	SXE10			1 car

The Top cars in the 2006 Formula D Championship: "DriftLive".

Driver	Make	Model
Abraham Nassman	Nissan	240SX
Ricardo Tena	Nissan	240SX
Andrew De Paula	Nissan	240SX
Joaquin Trujillo	Nissan	240SX
Hiro Sumida	Lexus	IS350
Casper Canul	Nissan	240SX
Ken Gushi	Scion	tC
Kevin Huynh	Nissan	240SX
Chris Forsberg	Nissan	350Z

In the 2008 Formula D series, the most frequent nameplate in the top rankings is Pontiac, but at the grassroots level, the Nissan 240SX still dominates in popularity.

FWD cars do qualify for entrance into D1GP events, but are rarely used due to the drivetrain's inability to allow the car to accelerate out of a drift. They are not eligible for Formula D events.

AWD vehicles, such as the Nissan Skyline GTR Subaru Impreza WRX STi, and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution can drift but usually require different suspension tuning (when compared to RWD), higher amounts of power, and, in some cases, an adjustable center differential. In D1 Grand Prix, these cars are modified to RWD specification.

Techniques for inducing drift

The basic driving techniques used in drifting are constant, though each car and driver will employ some subset of these techniques. A similarity for all drifting techniques is to be smooth and practiced. These techniques include:

Beginner techniques

These techniques do not use weight transition, so are typically the first thing the novice drifter learns. However they are still used by the most experienced drifters, and require skill to execute properly. These techniques aim to induce a loss of traction on the rear wheels, either by locking the wheels (hand brake drift) or using enough power from the engine to break the traction force (power-oversteer and clutch kick).

Hand brake drift

The hand brake is a lever that stops the rear wheels, upsetting their grip and causing them to skid. Using the hand brake is one of the fastest, easiest, and most dangerous methods of drifting. It can also damage the car's axles, stall the engine, ruin the rubber on the tires, etc. Three examples of this technique are:

1:

• Approach the corner at race speed.
• Let go of the gas, hold the clutch and pull the handbrake just enough to upset the rear end, turn towards the corner.
• Gas and let go of the clutch at the same time.
• Control the drift all the way, by counter-steering (turning the steering wheel in the direction you want the car to go).

2:

• Approach the corner at race speed.
• Let go of the gas and pull the hand brake until the car reaches the optimum angle. Then let go.
• Control the drift all the way.

3:

• Approach the corner at 5-20mph slower than race speed (and if mastered, in a higher gear.)
• Hold the clutch and gas it just on the redline or about 6000-8300 rpm (on dial says 6-8.3 or 60-83) and hold the handbrake to the optimum angle. Then let go.
• Let go of the clutch and gas it until controllable.
• Control the drift all the way.

Power oversteer or Powerslide

This can be achieved at a corner exit by stepping on the gas hard to slide sideways out of the corner. It is most commonly employed by beginners because it teaches steering and throttle control without the danger of an actual entry-oriented drift.

In low-power cars power-oversteer can be achieved by applying excessive amount of throttle at the end of a shift. As you are releasing the clutch during a shift, or immediately before that while the clutch is still depressed, press the accelerator all the way to send more power to the rear wheels than is necessary for a smooth upshift. If done during a turn, the car will begin to slide. This technique can be used to initiate a drift at very low speeds in an underpowered car (e.g., when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear), and to enter in a higher gear while accelerating all the way up to the turn (e.g., accelerate in 2nd on the straight and shift into 3rd as you enter the turn).

The sequence of actions is as follows:

• Easily feather the gas in the straight line leading to the turn.
• Turn the steering wheel to begin the turn.
• Floor the accelerator.
• Wait for the car to go sideways, then countersteer and control the slide and proceed to exit the corner.

Depending on how much power the car is making it is possible to keep the gas pedal floored from the shift throughout the entire drift; in a low-power car this is often necessary.

Nissan 240SX Shift Lock Drifting

Shift lock (compression slide)

Initiated by downshifting (usually from third to second or fourth to third, and using a very fast shift) instead of braking, without rev-matching, causing the drive wheels to lock momentarily. Helpful for very tight corners, allowing the driver to approach the corner at a slower speed and lower revs, while allowing quick acceleration when exiting the corner. This technique can be very damaging to the engine if misused as the ECU is unable to rev limit when the engine is over-revved by the rear wheels. Premature downshifters are called "Rod Stretchers".

Clutch Kick

This is done by "kicking" the clutch (pushing in, then out, usually more than one time in a drift for adjustment in a very fast manner) to send a shock through the powertrain, upsetting the car's balance. This causes the rear wheels to slip. The foot should be at an angle (Heel-and-toe) so the brake and gas may be pressed as well, this being needed to control speed and stop from spinning out in the drift.

Clutch kick can also be used during a drift to gain angle at the expense of speed. If the car is about to straighten itself out, kicking the clutch will cause it to rotate more. However since power delivery is interrupted while the clutch is depressed the car will lose some speed during the process and damage the gears and crank shaft. The steps to clutch kick:

• Start driving into a corner but slower, and/or in a higher gear.
• Turn into the corner.
• Push the accelerator and a split second later, tap the clutch. Keep tapping the clutch to make the wheels spin and lose traction so that they slide, but don't let go of the gas when clutching.
• Control the spin with the handbrake, brake, or gas.

(If necessary, keep popping the clutch to keep the wheels sliding. This technique can be later learned at speed to add an additional amount of rear wheel slip resulting in more drift angle. During drift it is common to half or part depress the clutch pedal in a sudden manner to adjust the drift angle and wheel speed)

Weight transition techniques

These techniques employ a further concept of weight transition. When a vehicle has the load towards the front, the back wheels have less grip than the front, causing an oversteer condition that can initiate a drift. Weight transition in a side to side manner will also upset the grip level of the car and if done appropriately will result in over steer, Experienced drivers will often incorporate other drift techniques with this method depending on their desired result.

Braking drift

This drift is performed by braking into a corner so that the car transfers weight to the front. This is immediately followed by throttle, which in a RWD car causes the rear wheels to lose traction. FWD cars can also use this technique as it does not depend on the rear wheels being driven. In FWD cars the front wheels are not allowed to lock due to the continuous power, the rear wheels lock easily due to weight transfer and due to the general front heavy design of FWDs. Good performance brake pads will help this technique.

Inertia (Feint) drift or Scandinavian flick

This is done by transferring the weight of the car towards the outside of a turn by first turning away from the turn and then quickly turning back using the inertia of the rear of the car to swing into the desired drifting line. Sometimes the hand-brake will be applied while transferring the weight of the car towards the outside to lock the rear wheels and help the rear swing outwards. This type of drifting causes the car to accelerate faster afterwards, because of momentum built up while drifting. The flick is an application generally used when starting drift on a straight section of track allowing the car to be sideways before it has reached the targeted corner.

Note that the actual scandinavian flick maneuver in rally driving is more complex than feint drifting. In scandinavian flick the tires are intentionally locked by braking hard right after turning a little away from the corner. While the wheels are locked, the driver applies steering input into the corner, adds throttle while still braking and then rapidly releases the brake pedal. This causes the car to slingshot itself through the corner.

Kansei, Lift off, or Taking In

- By letting off the accelerator while cornering at very high speeds, cars with relatively neutral handling will begin to slide, simply from the weight transfer resulting from engine braking. The drift is controlled afterwards by steering inputs from the driver and light pedal work, similar to the Braking drift.

Other techniques

Dirt drop

This is done by dropping the rear tires off the sealed road onto dirt, or any such lower grip surface that borders the road, to maintain or gain drift angle. Also colloquially called "Dirt Turbo".

Choku-Dori/Manji (Pendulum)

Otherwise known as over-sway, this technique is done by swaying the car's weight back and forth on straightaways, using countersteer and throttle to maintain a large angle. The cars center of gravity essentially travels down a straight in a wave like fashion alternating between drifting with one side facing the forward direction to the other. This is a show maneuver which displays drivers skill that usually involves many cars following the same line. This technique can also be used to connect two corners through a large straight thereby making a drift continuous and unbroken.

Advanced Drifting Technique

Good tires that have grip and are able to drift are necessary for this technique. Performing these techniques requires sufficient horsepower and torque.

Kanji type 1

• Come up to a corner at race speed.
• Push the brakes 50 meters away from the racing line at about 50% of full braking capability.
• Feint as little as possible.
• Power-over and clutch-kick all the way.
• Use handbrake and clutch-kick to increase angle.

Kanji type 2

• Come up to a corner at race speed.
• Push the brakes 50 meters away from the racing line at about 50% of full braking capability.
• Hold the clutch and rev up to 5000-6500 RPM.
• Pop the clutch and control.
• Use handbrake and clutch-kick to increase angle.

Kanji type 3

• Come up to a corner at race speed.
• Change down two gears and hold the clutch.
• Upon commencing the drift, pop the clutch and initiate turn.
• Control using 90 degrees right foot on brakes and gas.
• To exit corner, rev up to 5000+ RPM, pop clutch and straight up wheels

To transition to a different direction, hold the clutch and turn in more and clutch kick. Or come off the gas, turn in, power oversteer and control.

Drift Tuning

Drive train

A proper mechanical limited slip differential (LSD) is almost considered essential for drifting. Attempting to drift with an open or viscous differential in a sustained slide generally yields relatively less impressive results. All other modifications are secondary to the LSD. Two popular LSD brands amongst drifters are OS Giken & Cusco.

The most preferred form of LSD for drifting is the clutch type, in "2-way" form, for its consistent and aggressive lockup behavior under all conditions (acceleration and deceleration). Some drift cars use a spool "differential", which actually has no differential action at all - the wheels are locked to each other. Budget-minded drifters may use a welded differential, where the side gears are welded to give the same effect as a spool. This makes it easier to break rear traction because it reduces maximum traction in all situations except traveling in a straight line. Welded differentials have an inherent risk involved, due to the tremendous amounts of internal stress the welds may fail and the differential completely locks up leaving the rear wheels immobilized. Helical torque sensing types such as the Torsen or Quaife (available on cars in certain stock trims such as S15, FD3S, MX-5, JZA8x, UZZ3x) differentials are also adequate.

The clutches on drift cars tend to be very tough ceramic brass button or multiple-plate varieties, for durability, as well as to allow rapid "clutch kick" techniques to upset the balance of the car. Gearbox and engine mounts are often replaced with urethane mounts, and dampers added, to control the violent motion of the engine/gearbox under these conditions.

Gearsets may be replaced with closer ratios to keep the engine in the power band. (Japanese drifters confuse the "L" and call these "cross-mission".) These may be coarser dog engagement straight cut gears instead of synchronised helical gears, for durability and faster shifting at the expense of noise and refinement. Wealthier drifters may use sequential gearboxes to make gear selection easier/faster, while sequential shift lever adapters can be used to make shifts easier without increasing shift time.

Suspension

The suspension in a drift car tends to have very high spring and damper rates. Sway bars are upgraded, particularly on the rear. Caster is often increased to improve the car's controllability during a slide. Most cars use an integrated coilover/shock (MacPherson strut) combination. This type of suspension allows the ride height to be adjusted independently of the suspension travel. There is no perfect height setting or spring/shock combo for any car, but each driver will have their own personal preference. Many suspension manufacturers offer suspension tuned specifically for drifting, allowing many people to enter the sport competitively.

Bushings can be upgraded with urethane parts. Most Nissan vehicles have a floating rear subframe which is usually fixed in position with billet aluminum or urethane "drift pineapples", to prevent the frame moving during drift.

Positive camber is never desired. There is such thing as too much negative camber. By making the wheel/tire go into static negative camber on a vehicle with a MacPherson strut front suspension, you are going to be counteracting the positive camber change. However, there is a level at which you over-counteract and thus the tire is always in a negative-camber situation. This is not wanted because it will both wear the tires prematurely and decrease contact patch and thus decreasing overall grip. In the rear, less negative camber (if any) is often used and, if it is used, it is usually to tweak the balance of the car. The old-school Japanese drifters used to run oni-kyan ("demon camber") so they could get their tires to spin easily even though they had very little power. It has thus fallen out of favor as a serious performance-minded suspension setup. However, many cars built for show (such as those driven by bōsōzoku) still use this style of suspension setup for its aggressive look. A few degrees of toe-out on the rear wheels (leading edges angled outward) can reduce rear stability, and make setting up a drift a little easier.

Cockpit

Because of the large centripetal force encountered during drifting, drivers find it preferable to be retained firmly by a bucket seat, and harness. This allows the hands to merely turn the wheel, as opposed to bracing oneself against the wheel. The steering wheel should be relatively small, dished, and perfectly round, so that it can be released and allowed to spin through the hands as the caster returns the front wheels to center. The locking knob on the hand brake is usually replaced with a spin turn knob, this stops the hand brake locking on when pulled. Some drivers move the hand brake location or add an extra hydraulic hand brake actuator for greater braking force. Many drivers make use of additional gauges to monitor such things as boost levels, oil, intake and coolant temperatures.

Engine

S13 Silvia bay with modifications for drifting.

Engine power does not need to be high, and in fact if a car has too much power, it can be very hard to handle during a drift. Each driver has their own preference, and drift cars can be found with anything from 100bhp (74 kW) to 1000bhp (745 kW). Typically, engine tuning is oriented towards achieving linear response rather than maximum power output. Engines also must be equipped with upgraded cooling systems. Not only are the engines pushed very hard, creating lots of heat, but being driven at an angle reduces the airflow through the radiator. For turbocharged engines, intercooler efficiency is similarly reduced. Oil coolers are almost essential. V-mounting the intercooler and radiator improves flow through these components, and keeps the expensive intercooler out of harm's way in the case of a minor accident.

Steering

With increased steering angle it is possible to achieve greater angle with the vehicle, also aiding in spin recovery. This is often done with spacers on the steering rack, custom steering racks, custom tierod ends, or machining the spindles. In extreme cases increasing the steering angle may come to a point where the tire or wheel comes into contact with other suspension pieces or the inner/outer fenders; in which case additional modifications are required if such contacts are to be avoided.

Body

Cleaning up severed bumpers during drift meet.

Chassis preparation is similar to a road racing car. Roll cages are sometimes employed for safety, and to improve the torsional rigidity of the car's frame, but are compulsory in events that involves the 2+ cars' tsuiso runs in the event of a side collision. Front and rear strut tower braces, B-pillar braces, lower arm braces, and master cylinder braces are all used to stiffen the chassis. The interior is stripped of extraneous seating, trim, carpet, sound deadening; anything that is not essential is removed to reduce weight.

Body kits are often attached with cable ties. When the body kit meets the wall or curb, the cable ties snap, releasing the part, as opposed to breaking it. Aero also helps for cooling while the car is sideways.

As drift cars are pushed faster, aerodynamic tuning becomes more important as well. Rear spoilers and wings usually are useful only in large, open tracks where the cars develop enough speed to create a need for more downforce. Wheel arches are often rolled or flared to allow the fitment of larger tires. Airflow to the engine is critical, so the hood is often vented.

Due to the nature of the hobby, drift cars are typically involved in many minor accidents. Thus, those involved with the sport tend to avoid expensive or easily damaged body kits and custom paintwork.

Tires

S13 Silvia - tire stretched over a wide rim, increasing sidewall rigidity. The rim has a low offset to increase track.

The cars quite often have different tires on the front and back, and the owner may have quite a few sets. This is because a single afternoon of drifting can destroy several new sets of tires. As a rule, good tires go on the front for good steering. On the back, hard-compound tires are used, quite often second-hand ones tend to end up in a cloud of smoke. 15" wheels are common on the rear, as 15" tires are cheap. As a driver gets better, they will most likely want to upgrade the tires used in the rear for a higher grip compound. Although cheap/hard tires are fun purely for their slipperiness and ease of drifting, they quickly become a hazard for high-speed drifts. More advanced drivers require the most grip possible from all 4 tires, so as to retain control adequately during high speed drifts. Competitive drifters often run DOT-approved tires closer to racing tires, which is permitted, with the exception of some major championships including D1GP which only permits commercially available tires that are approved by them. The grip is required for control, speed, and a fast snap on the initial entry. Generally drifting consumes tires rapidly and multiple sets may be necessary for a single professional event.

Some companies, such as Kumho Tires, created tires with special effects for drifting. These tires produce colored smoke instead of regular grey smoke when drifted. Lavender-scented tires have also been developed. They are not permitted in many competitions, as they are seen as giving an unfair advantage to teams with the funding to use them.

R/C drifting

Main article: Radio-controlled drifting

R/C drifting refers to the act of drifting with a radio-controlled car. R/C cars are equipped with special low grip tires, usually made from PVC or ABS piping. Some manufacturers make radial drift tires that are made of actual rubber compounds. The car setup is usually changed to allow the car to drift more easily. R/C drifting is most successful on 4WD (Four wheel drive) R/C cars. Companies such as Tamiya, Yokomo, Team Associated and Hobby Products International have made drift cars and supported the hobby.

Drifting in games

Online games

Online games written in Adobe Flash, Adobe Shockwave and Java language are also popular and include Marshal Tyres’ Online World Drifting Championships, NZ Performance Car’s Drift Legends (the first online game to feature real drifting racetracks, initially from New Zealand), Drift ‘n’ Burn 365 (in Shockwave)], and Mercedes-AMG’s Wintersport Drift Competition (the first manufacturer-backed drifting game).

Corporate support behind such games demonstrates the increased value advertisers are putting on drifting’s reach into key demographics.

Mobile-based games

GT Drift Untouchable from Korean-based GAMEVIL features 16 courses in 8 countries and was released in 2007.

Console and PC-based games

Drifting’s popularity in computer games extends back to early arcade racers where the techniques for games such as Sega Rally involved drifting. As this was a by-product of the techniques used in rallying, it cannot be considered the birth of drifting as a standalone sport in the gaming world.

Namco released the first game in the Ridge Racer series in 1993 as an arcade game that has been ported to many game consoles. The game series has drifting as the main technique to controlling cars.

Publisher Sammy and developer Genki (company) launched Drift Racer: Kaido Battle in February 2004. At the time Sammy studio’s press release from September 18, 2003 stated it was an 'Action-packed simulator bringing the underground drift racing craze to video games

Codemasters developed the game Race Driver: GRID, which has an entire drift competition section.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer DRIFT (4/2006) and Tokyo Xtreme Racer DRIFT 2 (also by Genki) were released in 2006 and 2007 respectively for Sony PlayStation 2.

Electronic Arts licensed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift for a PSP and PS2 release in 2007.

Drift City, released in September 2007, is a cel-shaded online racer, bringing more multi-player features to drifting games.

Several games, such as Need for Speed Underground and Gran Turismo HD feature drifting race formats.

The Oversteer Drift Mod is a free add-on (mod) for the racing simulation game rFactor. It offers players the possibility to drift with several famous Japanese drift cars around reproduced or fantasy tracks.

Turn 10 Studios and Microsoft released Forza Motorsport 1 and 2 (2005 and 2007 respectively) both of which can offer a drifting experience. In October 2009 Turn 10 released Forza Motorport 3 which now has an entire section of the multiplayer experience dedicated to drifting.

Racing simulation game Live For Speed's online community is often split between those who prefer traditional racing, and those who prefer drifting.

Although the game doesn't officially have a drifting element, the Atari online multiplayer game "Test Drive Unlimited" (PC & XB360) has quite a number of active drifters. They race in the advanced "Hardcore" mode which features reduced gravity and grip compared to the normal "arcade" mode. The open "M.O.O.R" cruising format of the game and the many mountain passes mean it lends itself to impromptu drift sessions.

The Mario Kart series have featured drifting since Super Mario Kart, but unlike realistic racers, drifting during a period of time allows for small turbo boosting. This technique, known as snaking, has become a popular (though considered unfair or even cheating by some) method for outracing opponents.