Basically, the little roadster has far more grip than horsepower. Wishing for a machine like the MX-5 to be less grippy is like wishing Tyra Banks was less attractive- but in this case, it would have made learning easier. Everything that makes the MX-5 great at gripping the road makes it more challenging a machine to drift.

After a few hours, frustration was starting to set in- though Pimental offered some encouraging words. "It is never as easy as it looks- there is a very fine line between a perfect drift and spinning the car out. We are always in search of that balance."


Turns out, I had to work a bit faster at finding the balance he mentioned. It was all a matter of timing- and power was required at the rear wheels sooner after the initial traction-breaking e-brake tug locked them up.

Only a quick opportunity existed to catch the slide with some throttle-induced weight transfer before the car would spin violently around, sliding backwards through its own wake of rubber smoke before stopping with a sharp 'snap'.

Once I worked my reflexes up to the same level as the MX-5's, I was able to execute several long drifts consecutively without the annoying wipe-out at the end. Not an easy point to reach- but the grin that spread across my face after finally stringing together the various techniques was more than worth the price of admission. My topless sidekick performed flawlessly throughout the day of violent driving as well. Even after a full day of burning rubber, the tires showed only minimal signs of wear.

The day proved a challenging one- but a very rewarding one at the same time. A single day-long course won't turn anyone into a technical tail-slider-extraordinaire, but there's plenty of fun and at-the-limit handling experience to be had in learning. Wait until your rear-drive car is almost in need of new tires and give it a shot. Who knows, maybe you'll even become a weekend drift junkie-though watching is entertaining in it's own right.


Photo Credit : Justin Pritchard