What Is Drifting? Meaning, History and How It's Judged
Drifting is a driving technique in which the driver deliberately makes the rear tyres lose grip and slides the car sideways through a corner, holding the angle with countersteer and the throttle. It grew up in Japan in the 1970s and 80s, and today it's a motorsport judged on line, angle, speed and style rather than lap time.
1. Drifting meaning
In normal driving the tyres grip and the car goes where its nose points. In a drift the car is oversteering on purpose: the rear slides out, so the car travels one way while its nose points further into the bend. The gap between those two directions is the drift angle (or slip angle).
A drift isn't a spin. The driver keeps the car on a chosen line the whole way through, with the front wheels usually steered the opposite way (countersteer).
2. Who invented drifting?
Sliding a car through corners is as old as motor racing, but modern drifting is usually traced to Kunimitsu Takahashi, a motorcycle racer turned racing driver who slid his car through corners in Japanese races in the 1970s, with the crowd loving it.
Keiichi Tsuchiya, later nicknamed the Drift King (Dorikin), took up the style on Japan's twisty mountain passes (touge) in the late 1970s and 80s, famously in a Toyota AE86, and turned it into an art. His videos spread the technique far beyond Japan.
3. From mountain roads to a pro sport
A short timeline of drifting.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1970s | Kunimitsu Takahashi's sliding style in Japanese racing |
| Late 1970s–1990s | Keiichi Tsuchiya and street drifters on the touge; drifting videos and magazines |
| 2001 | The D1 Grand Prix starts in Japan, founded by Daijiro Inada with Tsuchiya, and sets the judging rules |
| 2004 | Formula Drift starts in the United States |
| Today | National series and events around the world, plus drift games on every platform |
4. How drifting is judged
Drift competitions don't reward the quickest time. Judges score each run on four things:
The usual judging criteria; each series weights them in its own way.
| Criterion | What judges look for |
|---|---|
| Line | Following the line the judges set, close to the clipping points and zones |
| Angle | How sideways the car is, and how steadily it holds that angle |
| Speed | Entry speed and keeping it up through the run |
| Style | Commitment and smooth, confident control: the show |
After qualifying, drivers meet in tandem battles: two cars drift together, one leading and one chasing as close as it can, then they swap. The chaser is judged on how well it matches and stays near the leader.
5. Drifting in games
Drift games turn the same ideas into points. In GameLake's Drift Racing, every slide scores angle × speed, a combo multiplier climbs while you keep drifting, and drifting fills your Nitro. Hitting a wall or another car costs you the points you haven't banked, a bit like a judge marking down a mistake.
To learn the controls and the line, read how to drift, or pick a favourite with the best drift cars.
Frequently asked questions
What does drifting mean?
Drifting means sliding a car sideways through a corner on purpose, with the rear tyres losing grip, while the driver controls the angle with countersteer and the throttle.
Who invented drifting?
Modern drifting is usually credited to Kunimitsu Takahashi, who slid through corners in Japanese racing in the 1970s. Keiichi Tsuchiya, the Drift King, made it famous on Japan's mountain roads.
Why is it called drifting?
Because the car seems to drift sideways through the bend instead of following its nose, like a boat drifting with the current.
Is drifting illegal?
Drifting on public roads is illegal in most countries and can count as reckless or dangerous driving. It's legal on closed tracks, at organised events and at drift schools.
Is drifting a real sport?
Yes. Series like the D1 Grand Prix in Japan and Formula Drift in the United States run full championships, judged on line, angle, speed and style.
What is a tandem drift?
Two cars drifting through the same bends together, one leading and one chasing close behind. In competition the drivers then swap places.