Judging Drifting Techniques
Drifting is a motor sport that was developed in Japan in the 1970s. Today, its popularity is spreading fast across Europe, Australasia and North America. Its fame can be attributed to the appeal that the technique has on its viewers. Teens and adults, novices and pros enjoy trying out new drifting techniques.
To drift, a driver intentionally steers too much as he rounds a corner. This results in a loss of traction or adhesive friction in the car's rear wheels. The car's front wheels end up facing in a direction opposite to the turn. When drifting, the slip angle of a car's rear wheels is greater than that of the front wheels (“slip angle” is the angle between the direction toward which a wheel is pointing and the direction toward which the car is actually moving or travelling). All these conditions are controlled by the driver in order to make the car drift.
Drifting has become so popular that several countries have created high-profile competitions. Judging is based on four aspects: line, angle, speed and show factor. Before a competition, the judges announce a line that cars need to follow correctly. The angle of the car when drifting through a turn is also an important aspect of the competition. A car gets higher points in speed if it travels fast upon entering a turn, while going through a turn and when exiting. Show factor encompasses several things, such as the amount of smoke that a drift generates. After all, the smoke that is produced when drifting is one of the factors that have made the technique so popular. It is also noteworthy when a driver drifts close to the wall; thus, this aspect is included in judging show factor. Audience impact, or the way the crowd reacts, is significant, too.
