7 Vital Pointers If You’re Learning How To Be A Drift King

Whilst to many traveling sideways around a corner at speed is only ever the prelude to a very dull prolonged hospital stay and some ghastly insurance paperwork for some racers it’s the ball game, but if you want to know how to be a drift king you’re going to have to know a little more than how to pull a bit over oversteer into the apex especially as now bookies like Unibet, one of the best online sportsbook sites in Japan, have started offering odds on drifting for some contests.

1. The Right Car For You

There’s no substitute for the right feel. Choosing a car based on power or performance is all very well but if you’re not 100% comfortable behind the wheel it’ll all come to naught. There’s plenty to choose from but when learning how to be a drift king you’ll probably want to stick to the classics and select from either a Subaru WRX, Toyota Aventis, Mitsubishi EVO or Nissan GT-R. These are all fine drifting cars and even their regional variants will be suitable to the task ahead. 

2. Don’t Get Out Of Tune

Keeping your car at the peak of its potential performance will be key in learning how to be a drift king. Short span acceleration spikes and constant close cut throttle management can take a massive toll on the engine so to avoid potentially dangerous (and always costly) failures constant tuning is part and parcel of the sport. Approaches differ wildly. For instance, any Japanese gambling laws of physics say a spool differential is better than an LSD is taking a big risk.

3. Line & Angle

The judges will give you the optimum line and mastering the ability to stay as close to it as possible with the car at the right angle to the apex is a key skill in learning how to be a drift king. Remember only a few corners of the course count, so be sure to have your rhythm ready for the judged sections. Of course if you get it wrong, either off out or to tight in, and you can pretty much bet on drifting to leave you in need of a tow truck and a lot of rather expensive bodywork.

4. Speed & Style

Naturally the inclination will be to go as fast as you can, after all one does win points for overtaking your opponent, but as those that regularly bet on sports in Japan will quickly spot, that extra speed is no use if you end up wrapped around a lamp post, and indeed pressuring your opponent from behind into unforced error can as easily win you the contest. What constitutes the correct ‘style’ is still highly debatable, but theatrics are highly regarded within the sport itself. 

5. Show Factor X

The show factor is based on a driver’s initiation, fluidity and commitment but can be boiled down to a sort of suave sophisticated smoothness to the entire drift. Judges like to see a single motion cohesion to the maneuver from start to finish and whilst so the trick in learning how to be a drift king is to get it right from the outset and not require any adjustments mid-drift beyond those on the throttle. Oh and remember objective standards of judges differ between Asia, Europe the US.

6. Tandem Run Finals

Most finals will be tandem runs with two (or more vehicles) competing on the same track at the same time and whilst on rare occasions a draw will be declared (and a re-run demanded) by the crowd much of the time a clear winner will emerge. There are regional variations on these rules and those hitting up Unibet, one of the best online betting sites in Japan, looking for drifting betting odds, to wager upon it, and those learning how to be a drift king should learn them all.

7. A Grip On Your Safety

Given learning how to be drift king requires you to tap dance on the very edge of what the fickle mistresses of grip and momentum will allow there are inevitably going to be times when you get that wrong. With luck the worst that you’ll suffer is some repair requirements but in contests on mountain roads or coastal highways do be aware that a lack of marshals means that medical assistance, should it be regrettably required, might be quite some time arriving at your crash site.