Firstly let me say I’m not particularly interested in drifting but did the course to try to improve my car handling skills at the limit of grip for normal road driving. As the cars are modified with fixed diffs, it didn’t work.
However the pros are that you get top quality kit, Nissan 350 ZX’s, the full corporate experience with driving overalls and helmets and a talented set of instructors to show you the ropes. It’s very full-on with little chance to develop on the day if it doesn’t come naturally. I would recommend practicing feathering the throttle / accelerator by about 2000 revs before you arrive remembering your car will overheat / burst in to flames if you do it too long whilst stationary. Another challenge is to let go of the steering wheel and battle the instinct to catch the skid. The instructors demonstrate the brutality of starting the drift which is difficulty to replicate and control but it is enjoyable as long as you don’t expect too much in one session.
The cons are that the course is quite small so you can’t learn the limit with repetition like you could on a circuit, a square course with 90 degree radiused corners would I think help with progressive learning, corner-corner-corner-corner style. The cones didn’t help me either as they get in the way, white lining without the kerbs (vibra-lining) would be better. To get everything to sync is a big ask, turn in, full throttle, clutch blip, catch steering, concentrate on route between cones is very busy.
To sum up, someone who wants to drift might be able to nail it in a couple of sessions, In any case it’s a good way to spend a day.
Top Quality Kit – Top Quality People.
