As it gets talked about a lot here but almost nobody does it, I thought id get all Mike R (no, not massivley homosexual) and do a review to explain my day drifting at DWYB at Santapod yesterday...
Basically DWYB (Drift What You Brung) is £60quid and held on the massive tarmac infield of Santapod, which is suprisingly massive when there isnt tons of cars and stands parked on it. It goes from around 9-5 once a month or so on a Wednesday.
Limited to 30 cars, was a mix of complete newcomers (was at least 5-10 when I was there, either never done anything, or had a little skid before, but nothing proper), novices who had done a bit (prob the majority, 15-20), and really good people (5-10).
Mostly blokes, but was 3 girl drivers this time, and sometimes more.
Cars were all sorts, from cheap Sierras and Volvos, to BMWs, 200SXs, Skylines, etc, to a couple of more flash cars inc an E34 M5, ZM3, and some silver E39 5series.
Mods range from 100% standard to full on EDC cars (which one of the girls was driving
).
Most people drove there (from all over UK) but a few took trailers if they had em (as you would). Everyone took the usual equipment, tools, a jack, spare wheels and tyres, cable ties, gaffa tape, all the usual stuff.
You can get new (well, part worns) tyres fitted for 5quid a pop and they got tons, so thats easy enough, and there air compressors free to use if anyone wants it.
The areas on the day consisted of...
2 "play pens" which the majority started on and some stayed on all day. They just open areas with a couple of cones so can learn drifting in wide circles and figure of 8 drifting. Thats obviously the basics and important, esp as even if you have messed about a lot on the road you wouldnt have drifted much to the left, as roundabouts go to the right, and doing it to the left feels very different if you not used to it.
2 intermediate tracks which were kidney shaped (so long sweeping right immediatley to smal tight left, then immediatley long sweeping right, then a short straightish bit, or the other way round, depending what way you went) which some started on and some progressed to later on.
These tracks are not too fast, 2nd gear and minimal gearchanges, but very technical, ill explain later.
1 massive "BDC" track, named as if you can do it consistantly well you are good enough to enter the British Drift Championship at at least amateur level, and was much faster, top of 2nd and 3rd gear, and was kind of like a giant kidney shape.
A few people that help run the day are really good drifters and will happily sit in the passenger seat and give you some lessons, and while most people are too proud (or pig headed) to ask or think they need help, DO IT, you will learn more with a few mins with them than you will on your own all day.
Wasnt a suprise that most the newer people who didnt want help spent all day trying in vain to skid properly in the playpens or doing the other tracks but making the same mistakes over n over which could be avoided.
More on this further on...
Queues are minimal, prob waiting 10mins max for a go, and will get 10mins out there before called in. This is ideal as more than 10mins and chances are either your oil and water temps will be through the roof, or your tyres will get stupid hot and delaminate too easy. Drifting is a lot harder on cooling than any other driving, thats for sure.
The 10min queues will get the oil n water back down to normal temps too.
When I arrived I put my 17s on the back (225/45s at normal pressure; powerful car and I like going fast, so didnt want to up the pressure unless it was understeering too much) and went to the playpen.
Lex who went out in the car with me knew id done a bit on the road so rather than do the basics, got me to drift anticlockwise (ie like going round a big roundabout backwards), something id never done before.
After getting in to the swing of things after a few mins I was doing it, and switched back to clockwise, which again took a few goes to get back in to it, but was doing fine.
Was pretty chuffed with that, but it was deffo down to him giving a few pointers on what i was doing wrong (steering with the steering wheel for one, seriously, hard to explain, but its true. that and where i was looking) that I did so well so quick.
He said just go on the intermediate track, but I wanted a few more goes on the basics to be sure.
Had another go in there with a diff instructor, again was decent, but then had a go in the other playpen which was a bit smaller and totally sucked, which knocked my confidence loads.
Pissed me off that much i clutch kicked it as I left the track, clipped a fence and ripped my front bumper off, lol
THEN! Had another go in the 1st playpen with my crazy Chinese friend Kenny as instructor and totally rocked it left and right inc changing from left to right by turning it into a fig8.
As nice as it was to be able to do it with ease and precision, its not that exciting, so...
That was it, time to use a proper track
Kenny stayed in the car with me and we went to the Intermediate track.
As we queued he was pointing out what the other (far more experienced) drifters were doing wrong on the different corners, ie too wide, too tight, etc etc which like on normal circuit driving makes it harder and slower for you, with the added thing as because unlike track driving where you are prob nowhere near spinning, getting it wrong would mean you either straighten up or more likely spin out.
Once it was my go I soon (suprised the fuck outa me) got in to the swing of it, and Kenny constantly shouting Tighter and Wider in his strong Chinese/Brummy accent helped loads, as hitting the right clipping points etc was the key to doing it good, as the track was narrow at most points so if you went too tight or too wide, even within a foot or two, and youd crash and fuck up.
Transitioning between drifting left and right is something id never tried and im guessing most would have no idea how, but fuck me, i was doing it mint and i was proper chuffed about it as I didnt expect id learn how that easy.
I wasnt perfect but I was already miles better than I ever thought I was and thought id be by the end of the day
Had a few more goes and was getting more used to it, but linking the straight between the 2 sweeping bends i didnt really get, but another of the instructors shown me how to change up a gear mid drift, and then you speed up like fuck and suddenly that straight is linked fine
Hard to explain, but that was what made me most chuffed of the day, a proper rush and mint feeling.
My handbrake wasnt working really so getting the car round the corner after the straight without slowing down much wasnt easy once I learnt to build up loadsa speed by changing up mid-drift, but after a few goes I learnt to shift lock the car by dropping down a gear sharply at the corner, which locked the wheels for a moment, bringing the back round.
By mid afternoon it was going mint and the last thing I ever expected to happen started- random others there on the day were asking for passenger rides, lol.
On one of them I clipped the fence with the back of the car and took the rear bumper clean off, but didnt even notice for another 3 laps until I spotted the marshall holding it above their head and laughing, lol
Basically the lap went...
Fly down the straight, shift lock to initate the drift, foot down and wide round that bend going to the opposite side so you going wide round the left, quickly let off and transition round to the left, then foot down and aim to start the right hander as wide as poss, transition round to the right and foot down aiming for the innter apex, change up a gear while keeping for foot in to turn the stright in to one long drift from the last corner, then your back at the first point again, so shift lock, etc etc.
And err, thats it, fucked loads of tyres, ripped off my bodykit, scratched loads of paint, fucked 1 alloy, used 60quids worth of fuel, ache like fuck today, but it was worth it, and drove home just fine
Good job I had an oil temp gauge tho, as was getting to 110degC oil temp in no time and if I didnt have the gauge idve carried on and it wouldve died bigtime
Glad for the air compressor too as I was getting thru tyres and had to run a set of dodgy Linglongs on the front later on in the day which wasnt half as grippy as the Rainsports causing more understeer, so just upped the rear pressure to 50psi to even out the balance
I know everyone loves trackdays, but, and its all personal opinion, but TBH as far as I can see it takes more skill (and therefore, if your like me, its more fun) than a normal untimed trackday, as at a trackday you are very rarely on the ragged edge, the limit (i mean, how many times do you go off or spin on a trackday? rarely, so rarely that everyone makes a big fuss about it on here after if you do), your just caning round a track the best you can, but if you do it a bit wrong, no biggie as your not pushing THAT hard.
This on the other hand, as you are over the limit 100% of the time where a slight mistake means you spin/understeer/crash/straighten up, you are using 100% of your talent at all times, you got no choice.
To put it simply, anyone can drive a car round a corner quite fast, they no race drivers, and would get whupped by a proper racer in the same car, but they can actually do it from the start. But from the start could they drift it through a series of left right bends, hitting the correct clipping points to enable you to get round the next corner, all the while using the handbrakes, shift locking, changing up and down gears, etc etc to enable you to keep it lit? Could they even do roundabout style basics? No.
So yeah, if you want something cheap thats a lot of fun and really makes you work, and improves your driving skill massivley in a short space of time, go there and have a go, im properly properly hooked.
It got me hooked, amazing fun, wanted me to get massivley better (still span about 2million times), and shown me what mods needed doing to the car (a properly working handbrake and an oil cooler!), perfect all round really.
Dont knock it till you tried it is the best advice, dont be worried as everyone there to help, and go there humble- please dont think its easy or because you can skid a bit on the road you will be fine, as that leads to a massive fall, thats like racing round the streets and then thinking youd do ok in TimeAttack
Even Tiff Needell got his ass handed to him when he went in all confident and had a crack at it.
www.dwyb.co.uk