A Quick Post on Why I Think Drifting is Ruining Motorsport

Updated: 29 Nov 2024

I’ll start off by saying I simply don’t understand the fascination with the current fad of drifting; the following are a couple of my reasons. Perhaps some here will agree, but it will probably just start a lot of hate.

Thrashing Cars

The only other type of “motorsport” that promotes thrashing on cars in a similar fashion are demolition derbies. That being said, nearly every individual I’ve met that performs in demolition derbies finds cars that are at the end of their life and there is no limit to what model is used. They choose simply whatever is available. Their cars are no longer road worthy and therefore find a fitting end.

The drift crowd, however, finds their “dream cars.” These cars, most sought out in unmolested stock form, are then modded to the owner’s taste. Nothing wrong with that. However, after an event or two is when problems start…

The Dreaded Wall Tap

Simply - why?

“Drifting” is the only “motorsport” where hitting a wall is considered “cool.” I’ve attended many Formula 1, Indycar, GT3, Ferrari Cup, dirt track, and 1/4 mile races as a spectator as well as driven quite a few track days myself (road course and drag). Touching a wall is never a good thing; in any way. This leads to drifters being done with cars with the likelihood that they will never be used again.

The Drift Stitch

Another thing that, to me, screams “I just can’t drive, and I’m too poor to fix my own car.” It is a common misconception here on CT that drifters started this, hence the name, but I know it was popular amongst the moto-x and offroad crowd a long time ago. In that arena, this type of fix makes a bit more sense.

Plastics get expensive, it’s (usually) a muddy, off road environment where having protective fenders is necessary to keep the rider from constantly being pelted with dirt. Doing whatever it takes to keep them on makes sense. Still, I never wanted my quad to look beat up in the same way that drifters take pride in their juvenile “fixes.”

Anyone I’ve ever known from a track day always properly repairs their car if “battle damage” is received…

There is No Clear Winner or Loser in Drifting

It is the Synchronized Swimming of motorsport. Real racing is determined by seconds, not judges. There is always a clear-cut, undisputable winner; definitely not the case with drifting.

I won’t say drifting doesn’t require skill, but I strongly believe that setting fast, consistent lap times takes humongously more skill than any drifter (from amature to pro) possesses. Pacing against a solid benchmark, competing with your own times, always striving to be faster will be infinitely more fun than sliding around a bit. I attribute this to the fact I wasn’t raised when everyone gets a trophy and I find it more enjoyable to work hard, push myself, and reach goals.

I’ll see how this goes and may go more indepth with my thoughts on cars and motorsport in the future. I know I often go against the grain here which often receives many negative comments from the hive-mind that is CarThrottle.

And I’ll just end this quickly thrown together post with my favorite quote from James May - “Drifting is for the Unintelligent.”

Comments

It’s the Americans that have taken drifting and completely and utterly f**ked it.

That might be part of why I hate it. A local “car club” where I used to live would setup cones in a parking lot once a month, show up with their POS, wrecked cars, and get off on watching each other slide around. I went to a few simply because it was a good laugh.

Hey now.

It’s one thing to say something like that and dip out, it’s another to provide supporting evidence, Ricecar. Why do you think that? Lay it out for us yanks, man. (For the record I’m not totally certain I disagree with you.)

So we can’t enjoy ourselves with drifting? Ok. Then you can’t enjoy your 240SX. Let that sit for a bit sir.

“It’s the Americans that have taken drifting and completely and utterly f**ked it.” Says the guy with a Japanese 240SX which is bi-word for drift car.

Fun fact. Drifting is not a Motorsport.

Depends on what you consider a motorsport.

Motorsport as a whole is basically any sport that involves motors. F1, NASCAR, Moto-X, Rally… It’s all motorsport. But congratulations…

Drifters do these thing because they actually can’t afford it. They do it because it doesn’t matter how beaten up your car is. They will do anything to drift, and just because they can’t afford to keep their cars clean shouldn’t mean that they can’t do with their love.
And about the part where you say there isn’t a definite winner, there can be. There has been a drift event where the scores are created with sensors and computers that calculate everything about the car’s slide. Here is a video on it. http://youtu.be/Tma6mAZXXEg
Also drifting isn’t a fad, it’s been here for a very long time.

That’s fine. But don’t tell me a beat up, wrecked 240 is “cool.” Call it what it is - a POS. It’s fine to have fun with it, but its certainly lost its cool factor when it lost half its paint on the wall and the other half of its paint on other cars.

But the wall tap…that’s what bugs me the most.

Good post but I disagree with all of it. Here in Australia none of those points make an appearance, it’s simply passion that drives it. The wall tap is a symbol of control as it’s hard to ‘tap’ a wall rather than run straight into it.

Thats alright, but I’ll always think hitting every track in, apex, and track out perfectly is a much better symbol of control. Lap times are consistently/easily measurable, occasionally wiping the paint off your car less so.

The wall tap is just who can write of a car in the best looking way.

I also don’t get why it’s a “sport”. It’s fun to watch a bit of drifting, but as a skill. I attended a couple of drift events but tbh it failed to grab my attention. Bottom line, I agree with you.

On a second thought, you may have opened a can of worms, talking against drift here on CT. My suggestion, good sir, is to…

Oh, I know. But I’ve become sick if the circlejerk that CT has become…why not stir the pot a little, change it up. This wasn’t written very well or refined, just thrown together. I’m ready for flak.

It’s kind of unfair to say that drifting is not as good as any other motorsport, mainly because it is so different from other types of motorsport. It’s like comparing ice dancing with speed skating. However, I do agree with you on the “cool, beat up cars.” I hate how people say that their drift car is so cool when it’s just a mess, kinda like hipsters, one man’s necessity is another man’s pleasure, if you can fix up your car, do it! Don’t leave it sitting there all sad-faced with rusted quarter panels and trashed bumper bars just cause it has that “rat” look. However, if you really can’t afford it, that’s fine, wear those marks like battle scars :)

The issue with the amateur drift scene is most can afford to fix their cars, “but drift car bro.”
At least in the states, drifting is a growing fad, everyone and their brother believe they can be the next Ken Block, and that drifting makes them “JDF AF yo!!”
It is the amateur drifter that is tarnishing this motorsport’s reputation.

First of all, I know some older folks in Japan who have been drifting since the early 70’s and they were hated for it then. They have said they knew people doing it in the 60’s. It’s not anything new, it’s not a fad, and it’s definitely not going away soon.
Secondly, Not everyone has beaten up drift cars, many people I know go to great lengths to take care of their cars in this scene. Using a portion of the population to claim the whole motorsport is pointless is like using a handful of riced Hondas to claim the entire Honda enthusiast scene has no taste or performance.
Thirdly, those that are insanely beat up as you can see in the first three pictures attached are still out there getting used, and more importantly, bringing smiles to their owners, and in my opinion, that’s the whole point of getting sideways in the first place. All of us seek out joy through automobiles in different ways, and drifting is just one of the many.

Amen brother, amen

Give this man a cookie!

I’ll add some.
The drifters stick exist because they need to fix their bumpers ASAP and get back on the track.

Having losing its paint shows the drivers skill of drifting in tandem really close to the other car and drifting really close to the wall without spinning out.

I don’t necessarily agree but, to be honest, It’s quite nice to read something rather controversial on the old CT this eve.

This is why I’ve always loved cars…it’s each for their own individual taste and ‘genre’ (not that we’re all in one box but you get me).

My question is, why doesn’t drag racing ever take any flak like this? Yes it takes incredible cahoonies but can driving in a straight line be considered ‘sport’ in the same vein as the above?

I completely agree and appreciate your response. I don’t understand drag racing either (maybe you just gave me my next post).

I took my car down the strip just to see what I could do. It was fun, but definitely didn’t tickle my fancy. A LOT of wait time for 12 seconds of fun.

Maybe you’ll see more from me on this soon.

While it doesn’t take too much skill to drive in a straight line, it takes real knowledge of your vehicle, as well as its powerband to go fast.
When you look drag racing you don’t look at it for the skill of the driver (even if the car is nothing without them) but the limit the team has pushed the car and engine. It only gets progressively tougher to gain HP as you delve deeper into the HP war.
There are so many different ways of going about achieving the lowest time, that it would just leave you dumbfounded. An engine has so many weak links, and drag racing is about improving upon them.
At the end of the day, drag racing helps push the performance envelope, that trickles down into ALL other Motorsports, which isn’t really something the drifting does. With that said, I do enjoy drifting, but I am more of a “track day bro!!!” kind of person.
Oh, also, anyone can go grab a cheap RWD car and attempt to drift (AKA 3-series and S-chassis) but not anyone can manage to achieve 12 second sprints (excluding supercars).